Busse, P. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

A large-scale analysis of the R2TP chaperone network reveals its contribution to the assembly of INO80, SRCAP and TIP60

HSP90/R2TP is an essential quaternary chaperone composed of RPAP3, PIH1D1 and the RUVBL1/RUVBL2 AAA+ ATPases. These enzymes are also part of the INO80, SRCAP and TIP60 complexes, but the relationship between these chromatin remodelers and R2TP remains unclear. Here, we performed systematic analyses of the R2TP-specific subunits RPAP3 and PIH1D1. We validated 115 interaction partners and found that many were sensitive to HSP90 or R2TP inhibition. In yeast, epistatic screens revealed functional interactions with Ino80, Swr1 (SRCAP) and NuA4 (TIP60). Consistently, human RPAP3 physically interacted with subunits of INO80, SRCAP and TIP60 and was required for the formation of these complexes. More specifically, RPAP3 enabled the co-translational association of RUVBL1/RUVBL2 with the motor subunit of these chromatin remodelers. In vitro, the client-binding domain of RUVBL1/RUVBL2 modulated their interaction with RPAP3, suggesting that client subunits displace RPAP3 from nascent complexes. Thus, R2TP is an early chaperone of TIP60, SRCAP and INO80, which leaves RUVBL1/RUVBL2 as resident scaffolding subunits.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2026

The R2T(P) complex orchestrates the SHQ1 driven early steps of box H/ACA snoRNP maturation

The chaperones RuvBL1 and RuvBL2 are members of the AAA+ ATPase family and participate in diverse cellular processes, including DNA repair, transcriptional regulation, and assembly of macromolecular complexes such as snoRNPs. The biogenesis of box H/ACA snoRNPs additionally requires the assembly factor SHQ1. These protein-RNA complexes are essential for ribosome biogenesis and telomerase stability and are linked to diseases such as dyskeratosis congenita and cancer. Despite detailed knowledge of mature complexes, their assembly mechanisms and how they can be modulated remain unclear. We characterize a trimeric interaction between SHQ1 and RuvBL1:RuvBL2, providing insight into early maturation of the protein-only precursor of box H/ACA snoRNPs. SHQ1 binds the flexible domain II of RuvBL1:RuvBL2, corresponding to the dodecamerization interface, suggesting disruption of this interface and promotion of hexamer formation. We further purified a complex containing RuvBL1:RuvBL2, SHQ1, and DKC1, the catalytic component of H/ACA snoRNPs and a client of SHQ1. This demonstrates that SHQ1 and DKC1 can simultaneously associate with RuvBL1:RuvBL2, potentially facilitating DKC1 release and subsequent snoRNA binding. Additionally, we identified a direct interaction between SHQ1 and RPAP3, a co-chaperone of RuvBL1:RuvBL2 (within the R2TP). Hence, RPAP3 may be responsible for recruiting SHQ1:DKC1 to hexameric RuvBL1:RuvBL2 and/or assist in the AAA+ mediated dissociation of the dimer. Since SHQ1 shares a domain with PIH1D1, an integral member of the R2TP complex, our findings suggest that early H/ACA snoRNP maturation may involve the R2T instead of the previously proposed R2TP complex.

biophysics↗