The yeast Hsp70 homolog Ssb: a chaperone for general de novo protein folding and a nanny for specific intrinsically disordered protein domains

Activation of the heterotrimeric kinase SNF1 via phosphorylation of a specific residue within the α subunit is essential for the release from glucose repression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When glucose is available, SNF1 is maintained in the dephosphorylated, inactive state by the phosphatase Glc7-Reg1. Recent findings suggest that Bmh and Ssb combine their unique client-binding properties to interact with the regulatory region of the SNF1 α subunit and by that stabilize a conformation of SNF1, which is accessible for Glc7-Reg1-dependent dephosphorylation. Together, the 14-3-3 protein Bmh and the Hsp70 homolog Ssb comprise a novel chaperone module, which is required to maintain proper glucose repression in the yeast S. cerevisiae.