Hsp100 Molecular Chaperone ClpB and Its Role in Virulence of Bacterial Pathogens

This review focuses on the molecular chaperone ClpB that belongs to the Hsp100/Clp subfamily of the AAA+ ATPases and its biological function in selected bacterial pathogens, causing a variety of human infectious diseases, including zoonoses. It has been established that ClpB disaggregates and reactivates aggregated cellular proteins. It has been postulated that ClpB’s protein disaggregation activity supports the survival of pathogenic bacteria under host-induced stresses (e.g., high temperature and oxidative stress), which allows them to rapidly adapt to the human host and establish infection. Interestingly, ClpB may also perform other functions in pathogenic bacteria, which are required for their virulence. Since ClpB is not found in human cells, this chaperone emerges as an attractive target for novel antimicrobial therapies in combating bacterial infections.