Bag1 directly routes immature BCR-ABL for proteasomal degradation.

Degradation of BCR-ABL oncoproteins by heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibitors in chronic myelogenous leukemia is expected to overcome resistance to ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors. However, the precise mechanisms still remain to be uncovered. We found that while c-Cbl E3 ligase induced ubiquitin-dependent degradation of mature and phosphorylated BCR-ABL proteins, another E3 ligase CHIP (carboxyl terminus of the Hsc70-interacting protein) degraded immature BCR-ABL proteins and efficiently suppressed BCR-ABL-dependent leukemic growth. Interestingly, Bag1 (Bcl-2-associated athanogene-1), a nucleotide exchange factor for Hsc70, directly bound BCR-ABL with a high affinity, which was enhanced by CHIP and Hsp90 inhibitors, inhibited by imatinib and competed with Hsc70. Bag1 knockdown abrogated Hsp90 inhibitor-induced BCR-ABL degradation. Bag1 induced binding of immature BCR-ABL to proteasome. Expression of Bag1 induced BCR-ABL degradation and growth suppression in Ba/F3 cells when Hsc70 was knocked down with or without CHIP induction. CHIP appears to sort newly synthesized Hsp90-unchaperoned BCR-ABL to the proteasome not only by inhibiting Hsc70 and thereby promoting Bag1 to bind BCR-ABL, but also by ubiquitinating BCR-ABL. Bag1 may direct CHIP/Hsc70-regulated protein triage decisions on BCR-ABL immediately after translation to the degradation pathway.