Hsp90: Friends, clients and natural foes

HSP90, a homodimeric ATPase, is responsible for the correct folding of a number of newly synthesized polypeptides in addition to the correct folding of denatured/misfolded client proteins. It requires several co-chaperones and other partner proteins for chaperone activity. Due to the involvement of Hsp90-dependent client proteins in a variety of oncogenic signaling pathways, HSP90 inhibition has emerged as one of the leading strategies for Anticancer chemotherapeutics. Most of HSP90 inhibitors blocks the N terminal ATP binding pocket and prevents the conformational changes which are essential for the loading of co-chaperones and client proteins. Several other inhibitors have also been reported which disrupt chaperone cycle in ways other than binding to N terminal ATP binding pocket. The HSP90 inhibition is associated with heat shock response, mediated by HSF-1, to overcome the loss of HSP90 and sustain cell survival. This review is an attempt to give an over view of all the important players of chaperone cycle.