Hsp90: chaperoning signal transduction in plants

高度保守的分子伴侣Hsp90在信号转导、蛋白质降解和运输、染色质重塑和表观遗传调控中发挥关键作用。Hsp90的重要意义在于：1)通过调节多种信号转导通路，在调节生长中发挥不可或缺的作用；2)作为形态进化电容的电位；3)由于其与致癌蛋白的相互作用而成为癌症化疗靶点。目前的项目重点是详细了解Hsp90在植物中的功能和作用方式。Hsp90在植物中引起了特别的兴趣，因为植物会受到环境的突然变化，Hsp90蛋白家族在植物中是最大的，并且植物含有一个额外的隔室，即质体。了解植物Hsp90系统将有助于我们理解蛋白质在植物细胞中是如何折叠、稳定、激活和运输的。

The highly conserved molecular chaperone Hsp90 plays key roles in signal transduction, protein degradation and trafficking, chromatin remodelling and epigenetic regulation. The significance of Hsp90 is indicated by its 1) indispensable role in regulating growth through modulations of various signal transduction pathways; 2) potential as a capacitor for morphological evolution; and 3) position as a cancer chemotherapeutic target due to its interactions with oncogenic proteins. The current project is focused on obtaining a detailed understanding of the functions and mode of action of Hsp90 in plants. Hsp90 is of particular interest in plants because plants are subjected to sudden changes in their environment, the Hsp90 protein family is the largest in plants, and plants contain an additional compartment, the plastid. A good knowledge of the plant Hsp90 system will facilitate our understanding of how proteins are folded, stabilised, activated and trafficked in plant cells.