Hsp90: chaperoning signal transduction in plants

高度保守的分子伴侣Hsp90在信号转导、蛋白质降解和转运、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途径调节生长；2)作为形态进化的电容器；3)由于其与致癌蛋白的相互作用而成为肿瘤化疗靶点。目前的项目重点是详细了解Hsp90在植物中的功能和作用模式。HSP90对植物特别感兴趣，因为植物受到环境突然变化的影响，HSP90蛋白家族是植物中最大的，植物含有一个额外的隔室，即叶绿体。对植物Hsp90系统的良好了解将有助于我们理解蛋白质是如何在植物细胞中折叠、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.