Functional Characterization of Hsp110 in Drosophila Reveals its Essential and Dosage-Sensitive Role in Nervous System Integrity

The Hsp70 molecular chaperone system is the front line of defense in maintaining cellular proteostasis. In eukaryotes, ATP/ADP nucleotide exchange in the Hsp70 chaperone cycle is stimulated by Hsp110, a divergent member of the Hsp70 chaperone superfamily and co-chaperone of Hsp70. Hsp110 is also a known modifier of neurodegenerative and other protein misfolding-related disorders. Biochemical aspects of Hsp110 chaperone functions have been characterized in vitro, and pathway interactions have been extensively characterized genetically in yeast model systems; however, a detailed understanding of its physiological roles in metazoans, particularly in the nervous system has not been carried out. Taking advantage of the single Hsp110-encoding gene in the Drosophila genome, we conducted a comprehensive investigation of its expression and function in this animal model. Notably, Drosophila and human Hsp110 share significant similarity in their sequence, structure, and splicing variants. At the protein level, Hsp110 is ubiquitously expressed, with both cytosolic and nuclear distribution in a tissue-dependent manner. Functionally, while Hsp110 is dispensable for cell proliferation in developing larvae, it is essential for long-term cell survival and normal development of the nervous system, including non-autonomous effects on neuronal differentiation and glial cell migration. Furthermore, despite being identified as a potent suppressor of protein aggregation and neurotoxicity in multiple neurodegenerative diseases, higher levels of Hsp110 are detrimental in flies. Overexpression of Hsp40, another key co-chaperone of Hsp70, can mimic this effect. However, simultaneous overexpression of both Hsp40 and Hsp110 does not further exacerbate their detrimental effect. Together, these results demonstrate a critical role of Hsp110 in neuronal development and cell survival, and further suggest that in vivo, the levels and activities of Hsp110 and Hsp40 co-chaperones need to be properly balanced. Furthermore, this work supports the contention that the Hsp70 chaperone network must be considered as a whole when targeted for potential therapeutic purposes to meet the complex pathophysiological demands in multicellular organisms.