Madero, A. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

Nup42 safeguards heat-induced mRNAs from nuclear condensation tosupport chaperone synthesis

Cells exposed to acute stress selectively express stress-adaptive genes while repressing growth-related genes. Upon heat shock, most pre-existing mRNAs localize to translationally repressed biomolecular condensates. How heat-induced mRNAs evade condensation and remain translationally competent remains unclear. Here, we show that ribosomal protein-coding transcripts preferentially accumulate in condensates during heat shock, whereas heat-induced chaperone mRNAs are selectively excluded and preferentially translated. Using a whole-genome CRISPRi screening platform, Fractionation of Reporter-Seq (FRep-Seq), we identify the nucleoporin Nup42 as the strongest suppressor of heat-induced mRNA condensation. Loss of Nup42 triggers temperature- and transcription-dependent nuclear condensation of chaperone mRNAs, which are exported but remain translationally incompetent, leading to impaired chaperone production and thermosensitivity. Co-transcriptional mRNP packaging is a critical determinant of condensation in the absence of Nup42. Together, our findings reveal a nuclear, translation-independent layer of mRNP solubility control that enables heat shock gene expression.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2024

The co-chaperone DNAJA2 buffers proteasomal degradation of cytosolic proteins with missense mutations

Mutations can result in the loss of a proteins native function due to protein misfolding, which is generally handled by an intricate protein quality control network. To better understand the triaging mechanisms of misfolded cytosolic proteins, we screened a human mutation library to identify a panel of unstable mutations. The degradation of these mutated cytosolic proteins is largely dependent on the ubiquitin proteasome system. Using BioID proximity labelling, we found that the co-chaperones DNAJA1 and DNAJA2 are key interactors of one of the mutated proteins. Notably, the absence of DNAJA2 increases the turnover of the mutant protein but not of the wild-type protein. Our work indicates that missense mutations in cytosolic proteins can promote interactions with molecular chaperones that normally do not occur. Assessment of the broader panel of cytosolic mutant proteins shows that the co-chaperone DNAJA2 exhibits three distinct behaviours: acting to stabilize solely the mutant, both the wild-type and mutant proteins, or being dispensable. Our work illustrates how distinct elements of the protein homeostasis network are utilized in the presence of a cytosolic misfolded protein. Summary StatementWe identified a panel of cytosolic mutant proteins degraded by the proteasome. DNAJA2 is often required to prevent mutant protein turnover, even if it is sometimes dispensable for the wild-type protein.

cell biology↗