Chaperone AMPylation modulates aggregation and toxicity of neurodegenerative disease-associated polypeptides

Proteostasis is critical to maintain organismal viability, a process counteracted by aging-dependent protein aggregation. Chaperones of the heat shock protein (HSP) family help control proteostasis by reducing the burden of unfolded proteins. They also oversee the formation of protein aggregates. Here, we explore how AMPylation - a post-translational protein modification that has emerged as a powerful modulator of HSP70 activity - influences the dynamics of protein aggregation. We find that adjustments of cellular AMPylation levels in C.elegans directly affect aggregation properties and associated toxicity of amyloid-{beta} (A{beta}), of a polyglutamine (polyQ)- extended polypeptide and of -synuclein (-syn). Expression of a constitutively active C. elegans AMPylase Fic-1(E274G) under its own promoter expedites aggregation of A{beta} and -syn, and drastically reduces their toxicity. A deficiency in AMPylation decreases the cellular tolerance for aggregation-prone polyQ proteins and alters their aggregation behavior. Over-expression of Fic-1(E274G) interferes with cell survival and larval development, underscoring the need for tight control of AMPylase activity in vivo. We thus define a link between HSP70 AMPylation and the dynamics of protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disease models. Our results are consistent with a cyto-protective, rather than a cytotoxic role for such protein aggregates.