Grant: Operating Grant

Hsp90 is a ubiquitous molecular chaperone that is found in eubacteria and all branches of eukarya. It plays a central role in cellular signaling since it is essential for maintaining the activity of several signaling proteins including steroid hormone receptors and protein kinases. Hsp90 is typically overexpressed in cancer cells and is now the target of novel anti-cancer drugs, some of which are in clinical trials. Our research is currently concentrated on better understanding the functions of Hsp90 in the cell. We had previously identified a novel protein complex that interacts with Hsp90. Recently, we were able to show that the complex allows Hsp90 to modulate ribosome biogenesis. This is a very novel finding that has not been previously described and might have important clinical implications when using drugs to target Hsp90. The proposed project will further explore this novel activity of this essential chaperone.