YEAST MOLECULAR CHAPERONES AND THE MECHANISM OF STEROID-HORMONE ACTION

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has become a valuable tool for the analysis of steroid action in vivo. Results from studies using yeast h ave been productive Ibv understanding the role of molecular chaperones , especially Hsp90 and its cochaperones, in regulating ?he activation oi heterologously expressed steroid hormone receptors. The methodology fbr these investigations involves assaying receptor function in yeast strains with deletions or mutations in the genes encoding molecular c hapel one proteins. The information obtained thus far indicates that r ite Hsp90 chaperone machine functions in vivo to maintain steroid rece ptors in a high-affinity hormone-binding conformation and also in down stream events of the activation pathway. (C) 1997, Elsevier, Science I nc.