Spatial protein quality control and the evolution of lineage-specific ageing

Propagation of a species requires periodic cell renewal to avoid clonal extinction. Sexual reproduction and the separation of germ cells from the soma provide a mechanism for such renewal, but are accompanied by an apparently mandatory ageing of the soma. Data obtained during the last decade suggest that a division of labour exists also between cells of vegetatively reproducing unicellular organisms, leading to the establishment of a soma-like and germ-like lineage with distinct fitness and longevity characteristics. This division of labour in both bacteria and yeast entails segregation of damaged and aggregated proteins such that the germ-like lineage is kept free of damage to the detriment of the soma-like lineage. In yeast, this spatial protein quality control (SQC) encompasses a CCT-chaperonin-dependent translocation and merging of cytotoxic protein aggregates. This process is regulated by Sir2, a protein deacetylase that modulates the rate of ageing in organisms ranging from yeast to worms and flies. Recent data also demonstrate that SQC is intimately integrated with the machinery establishing proper cell polarity and that this machinery is required for generating a soma-like and germ-like lineage in yeast. Deciphering the details of the SQC network may increase our understanding of the development of age-related protein folding disorders and shed light on the selective forces that paved the way for polarity and lineage-specific ageing to evolve.