The collapse of polypeptides is thought important to protein folding, aggregation, intrinsic disorder, and phase separation. However, whether polypeptide collapse is modulated in cells to control protein states is unclear. Here, using integrated protein manipulation and imaging, we show that the chaperonin GroEL-ES can accelerate the folding of proteins by strengthening their collapse. GroEL induces contractile forces in substrate chains, which draws them into the cavity and triggers a general compaction and discrete folding transitions, even for slow-folding proteins. This collapse enhancement is strongest in the nucleotide-bound states of GroEL and is aided by GroES binding to the cavity rim and by the amphiphilic C-terminal tails at the cavity bottom. Collapse modulation is distinct from other proposed GroEL-ES folding acceleration mechanisms, including steric confinement and misfold unfolding. Given the prevalence of collapse throughout the proteome, we conjecture that collapse modulation is more generally relevant within the protein quality control machinery.

The chaperone heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is well known to undergo important conformational changes, which depend on nucleotide and substrate interactions. Conversely, how the conformations of its unstable and disordered substrates are affected by Hsp90 is difficult to address experimentally yet is central to its function. Here, using optical tweezers, we find that Hsp90 promotes local contractions in unfolded chains that drive their global compaction down to dimensions of folded states. This compaction has a gradual nature while showing small steps, is stimulated by ATP, and performs mechanical work against counteracting forces that expand the chain dimensions. The Hsp90 interactions suppress the formation of larger-scale folded, misfolded, and aggregated structures. The observations support a model in which Hsp90 alters client conformations directly by promoting local intra-chain interactions while suppressing distant ones. We conjecture that chain compaction may be central to how Hsp90 protects unstable clients and cooperates with Hsp70.

Many proteins form dynamic complexes with DNA, RNA, and other proteins, which often involves protein conformational changes that are key to function. Yet, methods to probe these critical dynamics are scarce. Here we combine optical tweezers with fluorescence imaging to simultaneously monitor the conformation of individual proteins and their binding to partner proteins. Central is a protein–DNA coupling strategy, which uses exonuclease digestion and partial re-synthesis to generate DNA overhangs of different lengths, and ligation to oligo-labeled proteins. It provides up to 40 times higher coupling yields than existing protocols and enables new fluorescence-tweezers assays, which require particularly long and strong DNA handles. We demonstrate the approach by detecting the emission of a tethered fluorescent protein and of a molecular chaperone (trigger factor) complexed with its client. We conjecture that our strategy will be an important tool to study conformational dynamics within larger biomolecular complexes.