Summary A prerequisite for antibody secretion and function is the assembly into a defined quaternary structure, composed of two heavy and two light chains for IgG. Unassembled heavy chains are actively retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) until they associate with light chains. Our mechanistic analysis of this critical quality control step revealed that, unlike all other antibody domains studied, the CH1 domain of the murine IgG1 heavy chain is an intrinsically disordered protein in isolation. It adopts the typical immunoglobulin fold only upon interaction with its cognate partner, the CL domain. Structure formation proceeds via a trapped intermediate, can be accelerated by the ER-specific peptidyl-prolyl isomerase cyclophilin B, and is modulated by the molecular chaperone BiP. BiP recognizes incompletely folded states of the CH1 domain and competes for binding to the CL domain. In vivo experiments demonstrate that requirements identified for folding the CH1 domain in vitro, including association with a folded CL domain and isomerization of a conserved proline residue, are essential for antibody assembly and secretion in the cell.

The endoplasmic reticulum is the site of folding, assembly and quality control for proteins of the secretory pathway. The ATP-regulated Hsp70 chaperone BiP (heavy chain-binding protein), together with cochaperones, has important roles in all of these processes. The functional cycle of Hsp70s is determined by conformational transitions that are required for substrate binding and release. Here, we used the intrinsically disordered C(H)1 domain of antibodies as an authentic substrate protein and analyzed the conformational cycle of BiP by single-molecule and ensemble Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements. Nucleotide binding resulted in concerted domain movements of BiP. Conformational transitions of the lid domain allowed BiP to discriminate between peptide and protein substrates. A major BiP cochaperone in antibody folding, ERdj3, modulated the conformational space of BiP in a nucleotide-dependent manner, placing the lid subdomain in an open, protein-accepting state.

BiP is the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) orthologue of the Hsp70 family of molecular chaperones and is intricately involved in most functions of this organelle through its interactions with a variety of substrates and regulatory proteins. Like all Hsp70 family members, the ability of BiP to bind and release unfolded proteins is tightly regulated by a cycle of ATP binding, hydrolysis, and nucleotide exchange. As a characteristic of the Hsp70 family, multiple DnaJ-like co-factors exist that can target substrates to BiP and stimulate its ATPase activity to stabilize the binding of BiP to substrates. However, only in the past decade have nucleotide exchange factors (NEFs) for BiP been identified, which has shed light not only on the mechanism of BiP assisted folding in the ER but also on Hsp70 family members that reside throughout the cell. We will review the current understanding of the ATPase cycle of BiP in the unique environment of the ER and how it is regulated by the NEFs, Grp170 and Sil1, both of which perform unanticipated roles in various biological functions and disease states.

B cells use unusual strategies to enable the production of a seemingly unlimited number of antibodies from a very limited amount of DNA; however this approach also dramatically increases the likelihood that proteins will be produced that are unable to fold or assemble properly. Thus these cells are particularly dependent on quality control mechanisms to oversee the production of antibodies. Recent in vitro experiments demonstrate that Ig domains have evolved diverse folding strategies ranging from robust spontaneous folding to intrinsically disordered domains that require assembly with their partner domains in order to fold, and in vivo experiments reveal that these different folding characteristics form the basis for cellular checkpoints in Ig transport. Together these reports provide a detailed understanding of how B cells monitor and ensure the functional fidelity of Ig proteins.

Proteins that are expressed outside the cell must be synthesized, folded and assembled in a way that ensures they can function in their designate location. Accordingly these proteins are primarily synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which has developed a chemical environment more similar to that outside the cell. This organelle is equipped with a variety of molecular chaperones and folding enzymes that both assist the folding process, while at the same time exerting tight quality control measures that are largely absent outside the cell. A major posttranslational modification of ER-synthesized proteins is disulfide bridge formation, which is catalyzed by the family of protein disulfide isomerases. As this covalent modification provides unique structural advantages to extracellular proteins, multiple pathways to their formation have evolved. However, the advantages that disulfide bonds impart to these proteins come at a high cost to the cell. Very recent reports have shed light on how the cell can deal with or even exploit the side reactions of disulfide bond formation to maintain homeostasis of the ER and its folding machinery.

Summary Protein maturation in the endoplasmic reticulum is controlled by multiple chaperones, but how they recognize and determine the fate of their clients remains unclear. We developed an in vivo peptide library covering substrates of the ER Hsp70 system: BiP, Grp170, and three of BiP’s DnaJ-family co-factors (ERdj3, ERdj4, and ERdj5). In vivo binding studies revealed that sites for pro-folding chaperones BiP and ERdj3 were frequent and dispersed throughout the clients, whereas Grp170, ERdj4, and ERdj5 specifically recognized a distinct type of rarer sequence with a high predicted aggregation potential. Mutational analyses provided insights into sequence recognition characteristics for these pro-degradation chaperones, which could be readily introduced or disrupted, allowing the consequences for client fates to be determined. Our data reveal unanticipated diversity in recognition sequences for chaperones, establish a sequence-encoded interplay between protein folding, aggregation, and degradation, and highlight the ability of clients to co-evolve with chaperones ensuring quality control.

Summary Cell surface multi-protein complexes are synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where they undergo co-translational membrane integration and assembly. The quality control mechanisms that oversee these processes remain poorly understood. We show that less hydrophobic transmembrane (TM) regions derived from several single-pass TM proteins can enter the ER lumen completely. Once mislocalized, they are recognized by the Hsp70 chaperone BiP. In a detailed analysis for one of these proteins, the αβT cell receptor (αβTCR), we show that unassembled ER-lumenal subunits are rapidly degraded, whereas specific subunit interactions en route to the native receptor promote membrane integration of the less hydrophobic TM segments, thereby stabilizing the protein. For the TCR α-chain, both complete ER import and subunit assembly depend on the same pivotal residue in its TM region. Thus, membrane integration linked to protein assembly allows cellular quality control of membrane proteins and connects the lumenal ER chaperone machinery to membrane protein biogenesis.

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