Dicarboxylic acids synergize with yeast and human Hsp60/10 systems to mimic GroEL/ES

GroEL/ES has been the archetype to understand the function of the class I chaperonins (Hsp60/10 systems). While very similar in structure, the human or yeast mitochondrial one has diminished negative charge density in the central cavity. These chaperones had also lost their ability to assist a substrate of E.coli GroEL/ES. Here, we show that the eukaryotic Hsp60/10 systems can synergize with dicarboxylic acids in vitro at the physiological concentration of these metabolites to mimic the activity of E. coli GroEL/ES. Combining these Hsp60/10s and metabolites effectively alters the folding landscape like GroEL/ES; this is specific for the eukaryotic chaperonins and not the prokaryotic homologs with less negatively charged cavities. Thus, we identify a potential cooperation between molecular and chemical chaperones that may have important physiological implications linking metabolism to proteostasis.