Peptidyl prolyl isomerase A modulates the liquid–liquid phase separation of proline-rich IDPs

M Babu, F Favretto, M Rankovic… - Journal of the American …, 2022 - ACS Publications
M Babu, F Favretto, M Rankovic, M Zweckstetter
Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2022ACS Publications
Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and the
action of molecular chaperones are tightly connected. An important class of molecular
chaperones are peptidyl prolyl isomerases, which enhance the cis/trans-isomerization of
proline. However, little is known about the impact of peptidyl prolyl isomerases on the LLPS
of IDPs, which often contain many prolines. Here, we demonstrate that the most ubiquitous
peptidyl prolyl isomerase, peptidyl prolyl isomerase A (PPIA), concentrates inside liquid-like …
Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and the action of molecular chaperones are tightly connected. An important class of molecular chaperones are peptidyl prolyl isomerases, which enhance the cis/trans-isomerization of proline. However, little is known about the impact of peptidyl prolyl isomerases on the LLPS of IDPs, which often contain many prolines. Here, we demonstrate that the most ubiquitous peptidyl prolyl isomerase, peptidyl prolyl isomerase A (PPIA), concentrates inside liquid-like droplets formed by the Alzheimer’s disease-associated protein tau, as well as inside RNA-induced coacervates of a proline–arginine dipeptide repeat protein. We further show that the recruitment of PPIA into the IDP droplets triggers their dissolution and return to a single mixed phase. NMR-based binding and proline isomerization studies provide insights into the mechanism of LLPS modulation. Together, the results establish a regulatory role of proline isomerases on the liquid–liquid phase separation of proline-rich IDPs.
ACS Publications