Proteomic profiling identifies a direct interaction between heat shock transcription factor 2 and the focal adhesion adapter talin-1

Heat shock factor 2 (HSF2) is a versatile transcription factor that regulates gene expression under stress conditions, during development, and in disease. Despite recent advances in characterizing HSF2-dependent target genes, little is known about the protein networks associated with this transcription factor. In this study, we performed co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry analysis to identify the HSF2 interactome in mouse testes, where HSF2 is required for normal sperm development. Endogenous HSF2 was discovered to form a complex with several adhesion-associated proteins, a finding substantiated by mass spectrometry analysis conducted in human prostate carcinoma PC-3 cells. Notably, this group of proteins included the focal adhesion adapter protein talin-1 (TLN1). Through co-immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assays, we demonstrate the conservation of the HSF2-TLN1 interaction from mouse to human. Additionally, employing sequence alignment analyses, we uncovered a TLN1-binding motif in the HSF2 C terminus that binds directly to multiple regions of TLN1 in vitro. We provide evidence that the 25 C-terminal amino acids of HSF2, fused to EGFP, are sufficient to establish a protein complex with TLN1 and modify cell–cell adhesion in human cells. Importantly, this TLN1-binding motif is absent in the C-terminus of a closely related HSF family member, HSF1, which does not form a complex with TLN1. These results highlight the unique molecular characteristics of HSF2 in comparison to HSF1. Taken together, our data unveil the protein partners associated with HSF2 in a physiologically relevant context and identifies TLN1 as the first adhesion-related HSF2-interacting partner.