Chaperone Activities of the 26S and 20S Proteasome

The accumulation of misfolded or damaged proteins causes the failure of normal cell structure and functions necessary for growth and viability. To abort this adverse development, defective proteins must be rapidly repaired by molecular chaperones or destroyed by energy-dependent cytoplasmic proteases. A balance among these processes ultimately maintains cellular homeostasis. In eukaryotes, the 26S proteasome, a protease/chaperone complex, is a central component in the protein triage decision process. The 26S proteasome generally acts as a ubiquitination system, though it also selectively degrades structurally abnormal proteins in an ubiquitin-independent manner. In either case, all substrate proteins must undergo structural changes and stabilization necessary for their rapid degradation. It has, therefore, often been suggested that several chaperone functions are closely related to the stimulation of proteasomal degradation. This review summarizes recent discoveries pertaining to chaperone activities in the proteasomal degradation pathway, and to their regulation of protein breakdown mediated by the proteasome.