Heat Shock Factor 2 Protects against Proteotoxicity by Maintaining Cell-Cell Adhesion

: Jenny Joutsen, Alejandro Jose Da Silva, Jens Christian Luoto, Marek Andrzej Budzynski, Anna Serafia Nylund, Aurelie de Thonel, Jean-Paul Concordet, Valérie Mezger, Délara Saberan-Djoneidi, Eva Henriksson, Lea Sistonen

Publisher: CELL PRESS

: 2020

: Cell Reports

: CELL REPORTS

: CELL REP

: 30

: 2

: 583

: 587

: 21

: 2211-1247

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.12.037

: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/46048760

Maintenance of protein homeostasis, through inducible expression of molecular chaperones, is essential for cell survival under protein-damaging conditions. The expression and DNA-binding activity of heat shock factor 2 (HSF2), a member of the heat shock transcription factor family, increase upon exposure to prolonged proteotoxicity. Nevertheless, the specific roles of HSF2 and the global HSF2-dependent gene expression profile during sustained stress have remained unknown. Here, we found that HSF2 is critical for cell survival during prolonged proteotoxicity. Strikingly, our RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analyses revealed that impaired viability of HSF2-deficient cells is not caused by inadequate induction of molecular chaperones but is due to marked downregulation of cadherin superfamily genes. We demonstrate that HSF2-dependent maintenance of cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion is required for protection against stress induced by proteasome inhibition. This study identifies HSF2 as a key regulator of cadherin superfamily genes and defines cell-cell adhesion as a determinant of proteotoxic stress resistance.

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