Hsp90 is required for the normal activity of steroid receptors, and in steroid receptor complexes it is typically bound to one of the immunophilin-related cochaperones: the peptidylprolyl isomerases FKBP51, FKBP52 or CyP40, or the protein phosphatase PP5. The physiological roles of the immunophilins in regulating steroid receptor function have not been well de®ned, and so we examined in vivo the in¯uences of immunophilins on hormone-dependent gene activation in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae model for glucocorticoid receptor (GR) function. FKBP52 selectively potentiates hormone-dependent reporter gene activation by as much as 20-fold at limiting hormone concentrations, and this potentiation is readily blocked by co-expression of the closely related FKBP51. The mechanism for potentiation is an increase in GR hormone-binding af®nity that requires both the Hsp90-binding ability and the prolyl isomerase activity of FKBP52.

The assembly of progesterone receptor (PR) heterocomplexes in vitro involves at least eight components of the molecular chaperone machinery, and as earlier reports have shown, these proteins exhibit complex, dynamic, but ordered, interactions with one another and PR. Using the selective hsp90 binding agent geldanamycin (GA), we have found that PR assembly in vitro can be arrested at a previously observed intermediate assembly step. Like mature PR complexes, the intermediate complexes contain hsp90, but they differ from mature complexes by the presence of hsp70, p60, and p48 and the absence of immunophilins and p23. Arrest of PR assembly is likely due to GA's ability to directly block binding of p23 to hsp90. An important functional consequence of GA-mediated assembly arrest in vitro is the inability of the resulting PR complexes to bind progesterone, despite the presence of hsp90 in the receptor complexes. The biological significance of the in vitro observations is demonstrated by GA's ability to (i) rapidly block PR's hormone binding capacity in intact cells and (ii) alter the composition of COS cell PR complexes in a manner similar to that observed during in vitro reconstitutions. An updated model for the cyclic assembly pathway of PR complexes that incorporates the present findings with earlier results is presented.In the absence of hormone, steroid receptors are known to exist in heteromeric complexes containing multiple proteins, including heat shock protein 90 (hsp90) (for reviews see references 20 and 33). In order to understand the role of these proteins in regulating receptor assembly and hormone signalling, we and others have used a cell-free rabbit reticulocyte lysate (RL) system to support assembly of functional progesterone (30) and glucocorticoid (24) receptor complexes in vitro. For progesterone receptor (PR) assembly in vitro, at least eight distinct proteins have been identified as taking part in the ordered assembly of PR complexes (26,31). hsp70 can function as a molecular chaperone in promoting protein folding, and hsp90 may be able to promote folding as well (reviewed in reference 9). The other six proteins have not been shown to have individual chaperone activity, but each commonly associates with hsp70 and/or hsp90, and it is possible that each serves at least as an accessory in chaperone-mediated processes. Thus, all eight receptor-associated proteins can be considered components of the overall molecular chaperone machinery in eukaryotic cytoplasm.Importantly, proper assembly with hsp90 is required to establish and maintain PR's high-affinity progesterone binding state (26), as was previously demonstrated for glucocorticoid receptor (24). In vitro assembly of PR complexes competent for hormone binding requires ATP, Mg 2ϩ , K ϩ , and near-physiological temperature in addition to several protein factors (6-8, 12, 24, 26, 30, 31). A working model outlining the complex and dynamic interactions occurring during PR assembly in vitro was proposed earlier (26). In that model, a transient PR compl...

Previous studies on the assembly of progesterone receptor (PR) complexes in vitro have suggested that PR assembly is a dynamic, ordered process involving at least eight nonreceptor proteins. One of these proteins, p60, appears transiently during assembly and is not a component of functionally mature PR complexes. In the present study we observe that a monoclonal antibody specific for p60 can, on the one hand, inhibit formation of mature PR complexes containing heat shock protein 90 (hsp90), p23, and immunophilins and, on the other, enhance recovery of early PR complexes containing hsp70 and Hip (p48). This observation supports a model in which p60 functions at an intermediate stage of PR assembly to facilitate formation of subsequent PR complexes lacking p60. Since p60 is typically found in a complex with hsp90 and hsp70, we have further characterized its interactions with these proteins. P60 can bind either hsp70 or hsp90 independently and in an ATP-independent manner. Since hsp90 and hsp70 do not readily associate on their own, it appears that p60 is the central organizing component of an hsp90-p60-hsp70 complex. Mutational analysis of p60 indicates that the N terminus is required for hsp70 binding, and a central region containing tetratricopeptide repeat motifs is necessary for binding hsp90 and hsp70. The hsp90-p60-hsp70 multichaperone complex is highly dynamic and does not appear to be affected by the hsp90-binding drug geldanamycin. The interactions of hsp70 and hsp90 in intermediate PR complexes are shown to be distinct from their separate interactions in early PR complexes (hsp70) or in mature PR complexes (hsp90). From these results, it appears that p60 is a key mediator in the chaperoned assembly and functional maturation of PR complexes.

Embryo implantation in the uterus is a critical step in mammalian reproduction, requiring preparation of the uterus receptive to blastocyst implantation. Uterine receptivity, also known as the window of implantation, lasts for a limited period, and it is during this period blastocysts normally implant. Ovarian steroid hormones estrogen and progesterone (P 4) are the primary regulators of this process. The immunophilin FKBP52 serves as a cochaperone for steroid hormone nuclear receptors to govern appropriate hormone action in target tissues. Here we show a critical role for FKBP52 in mouse implantation. This immunophilin has unique spatiotemporal expression in the uterus during implantation, and females missing the Fkbp52 gene have complete implantation failure due to lack of attainment of uterine receptivity. The overlapping uterine expression of FKBP52 with nuclear progesterone receptor (PR) in wild-type mice together with reduced P 4 binding to PR, attenuated PR transcriptional activity and down-regulation of several P4-regulated genes in uteri of Fkbp52 ؊/؊ mice, establishes this cochaperone as a critical regulator of uterine P4 function. Interestingly, ovulation, another P4-mediated event, remains normal. Collectively, the present investigation provides evidence for an in vivo role for this cochaperone in regulating tissue-specific hormone action and its critical role in uterine receptivity for implantation.mouse ͉ uterus ͉ ovulation ͉ blastocyst ͉ progesterone receptor P rogesterone (P 4 ) is essential for implantation and pregnancy maintenance in all mammalian species studied. In mice, P 4 priming of the uterus is obligatory for estrogen to prepare the uterus to the receptive state conducive to blastocyst implantation. P 4 acting through the nuclear P 4 receptor (PR) modulates uterine physiology and expression of various genes that are required for implantation (1, 2). Numerous defects in mice lacking the Pgr gene that encodes PR include failure in ovulation, mammary gland development, and sexual behavior along with uterine hyperplasia and inflammation, reflecting the critical role of P 4 in female reproduction (3). Appropriate functioning of nuclear steroid hormone receptors depends on interactions with the molecular chaperone machinery to maintain a functional state competent for hormone binding and subsequent transcriptional activation. Functionally mature steroid receptor complexes consist of a receptor monomer, a 90-kDa heat shock protein (Hsp90) dimer, the cochaperone p23, and one of four cochaperones that contain a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain. The TPR cochaperones include two members of the FK506 binding family of immunophilins, FKBP52͞FKBP4 and FKBP51͞FKBP5, a member of the cyclosporin-binding immunophilin cyclophilin 40 (CyP40) or the protein phosphatase PP5. FKBP52 and FKBP51 are similar to other FKBP family members in that both contain an active peptidylprolyl cis͞trans isomerase domain that catalyzes conformational changes in protein substrates (4, 5).Roles for Hsp90 and p23 in initia...