Aggregation of zinc-free p53 is inhibited by Hsp90 but not other chaperones

The structured DNA-binding domain (DBD) of p53 is a well-known client protein of the chaperone Hsp90. The p53 DBD contains a single zinc ion, coordinated by the side chains of Cys176, His179, Cys238, and Cys242; zinc coordination plays a structural role to stabilize the DBD and is required for its DNA binding. The ambiguous nature of the p53-Hsp90 interaction, together with the stabilizing role of the zinc in the structure of the DBD, prompted us to examine the interaction of Hsp90 with zinc-free p53 DBD. NMR spectroscopy and native gel electrophoresis did not show any apparent preference for the interaction of the destabilized zinc-free form of p53 DBD with Hsp90. Intriguingly, however, at lower protein concentrations, closer to physiological concentrations, the addition of Hsp90, but not other chaperones such as Hsp70, Hsp40, p23, and HOP, appears to slow or prevent the aggregation of zinc-free p53 DBD. This result suggests that part of the function of the Hsp90-p53 interaction in the cell may be to stabilize the apoprotein in the absence of zinc.