scholarly journals Pancreatic eukaryotic initiation factor-2α kinase (PEK) homologues in humans, Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans that mediate translational control in response to endoplasmic reticulum stress

2000 ◽  
Vol 346 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruchira SOOD ◽  
Amy C. PORTER ◽  
Kun MA ◽  
Lawrence A. QUILLIAM ◽  
Ronald C. WEK
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Translational Control ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Transmembrane Protein ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Eukaryotic Initiation Factor ◽  
Α Subunit

In response to different cellular stresses, a family of protein kinases regulates translation by phosphorylation of the α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (eIF-2α). Recently, we identified a new family member, pancreatic eIF-2α kinase (PEK) from rat pancreas. PEK, also referred to as RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR)-like endoplasmic reticulum (ER) kinase (PERK) is a transmembrane protein implicated in translational control in response to stresses that impair protein folding in the ER. In this study, we identified and characterized PEK homologues from humans, Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. Expression of human PEK mRNA was found in over 50 different tissues examined, with highest levels in secretory tissues. In mammalian cells subjected to ER stress, we found that elevated eIF-2α phosphorylation was coincident with increased PEK autophosphorylation and eIF-2α kinase activity. Activation of PEK was abolished by deletion of PEK N-terminal sequences located in the ER lumen. To address the role of C. elegans PEK in translational control, we expressed this kinase in yeast and found that it inhibits growth by hyperphosphorylation of eIF-2α and inhibition of eIF-2B. Furthermore, we found that vaccinia virus K3L protein, an inhibitor of the eIF-2α kinase PKR involved in an anti-viral defence pathway, also reduced PEK activity. These results suggest that decreased translation initiation by PEK during ER stress may provide the cell with an opportunity to remedy the folding problem prior to introducing newly synthesized proteins into the secretory pathway.

scholarly journals Hepatitis C Virus Subgenomic Replicons Induce Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Activating an Intracellular Signaling Pathway

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (15) ◽  
pp. 7453-7459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith D. Tardif ◽  
Kazutoshi Mori ◽  
Aleem Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Intracellular Signaling ◽  
Transmembrane Protein ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Intracellular Signaling Pathway

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replicates from a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex that is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. The replication activities of the HCV subgenomic replicon are shown here to induce ER stress. In response to this stress, cells expressing HCV replicons induce the unfolded protein response (UPR), an ER-to-nucleus intracellular signaling pathway. The UPR is initiated by the proteolytic cleavage of a transmembrane protein, ATF6. The resulting cytoplasmic protein fragment of ATF6 functions as a transcription factor in the nucleus and activates selective genes required for an ER stress response. ATF6 activation leads to increased transcriptional levels of GRP78, an ER luminal chaperone protein. However, the overall level of GRP78 protein is decreased. While ER stress is also known to affect translational attenuation, cells expressing HCV replicons have lower levels of phosphorylation of the α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2. Interestingly, cap-independent internal ribosome entry site-mediated translation directed by the 5′ noncoding region of HCV and GRP78 is activated in cells expressing HCV replicons. These studies provide insight into the effects of HCV replication on intracellular events and the mechanisms underlying liver pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Human Cytomegalovirus Protein pUL38 Induces ATF4 Expression, Inhibits Persistent JNK Phosphorylation, and Suppresses Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Cell Death

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (8) ◽  
pp. 3463-3474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baoqin Xuan ◽  
Zhikang Qian ◽  
Emi Torigoi ◽  
Dong Yu
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Unfolded Protein ◽  
Initiation Factor 2 ◽  
The Unfolded Protein Response ◽  
Protein Response

ABSTRACT The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a key organelle involved in sensing and responding to stressful conditions, including those resulting from infection of viruses, such as human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). Three signaling pathways collectively termed the unfolded protein response (UPR) are activated to resolve ER stress, but they will also lead to cell death if the stress cannot be alleviated. HCMV is able to modulate the UPR to promote its infection. The specific viral factors involved in such HCMV-mediated modulation, however, were unknown. We previously showed that HCMV protein pUL38 was required to maintain the viability of infected cells, and it blocked cell death induced by thapsigargin. Here, we report that pUL38 is an HCMV-encoded regulator to modulate the UPR. In infection, pUL38 allowed HCMV to upregulate phosphorylation of PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) and the α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2α), as well as induce robust accumulation of activating transcriptional factor 4 (ATF4), key components of the PERK pathway. pUL38 also allowed the virus to suppress persistent phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), which was induced by the inositol-requiring enzyme 1 pathway. In isolation, pUL38 overexpression elevated eIF-2α phosphorylation, induced ATF4 accumulation, limited JNK phosphorylation, and suppressed cell death induced by both thapsigargin and tunicamycin, two drugs that induce ER stress by different mechanisms. Importantly, ATF4 overexpression and JNK inhibition significantly reduced cell death in pUL38-deficient virus infection. Thus, pUL38 targets ATF4 expression and JNK activation, and this activity appears to be critical for protecting cells from ER stress induced by HCMV infection.

scholarly journals Effects of PERK eIF2α Kinase Inhibitor against Toxoplasma gondii

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Augusto ◽  
Jennifer Martynowicz ◽  
Kirk A. Staschke ◽  
Ronald C. Wek ◽  
William J. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Lethal Dose ◽  
Lytic Cycle ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Eif2α Kinase

ABSTRACT Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that has infected one-third of the population. Upon infection of warm-blooded vertebrates, the replicating form of the parasite (tachyzoite) converts into a latent form (bradyzoite) present in tissue cysts. During immune deficiency, bradyzoites can reconvert into tachyzoites and cause life-threatening toxoplasmosis. We previously reported that translational control through phosphorylation of the α subunit of T. gondii eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α) (TgIF2α) is a critical component of the parasite stress response. Diverse stresses can induce the conversion of tachyzoites to bradyzoites, including those disrupting the parasite's endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (ER stress). Toxoplasma possesses four eIF2α kinases, one of which (TgIF2K-A) localizes to the parasite ER analogously to protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), the eIF2α kinase that responds to ER stress in mammalian cells. Here, we investigated the effects of a PERK inhibitor (PERKi) on Toxoplasma. Our results show that the PERKi GSK2606414 blocks the enzymatic activity of TgIF2K-A and reduces TgIF2α phosphorylation specifically in response to ER stress. PERKi also significantly impeded multiple steps of the tachyzoite lytic cycle and sharply lowered the frequency of bradyzoite differentiation in vitro. Pretreatment of host cells with PERKi prior to infection did not affect parasite infectivity, and PERKi still impaired parasite replication in host cells lacking PERK. In mice, PERKi conferred modest protection from a lethal dose of Toxoplasma. Our findings represent the first pharmacological evidence supporting TgIF2K-A as an attractive new target for the treatment of toxoplasmosis.

Norepinephrine induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and downregulation of norepinephrine transporter density in PC12 cells via oxidative stress

2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (5) ◽  
pp. H2381-H2389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weike Mao ◽  
Chikao Iwai ◽  
Fuzhong Qin ◽  
Chang-seng Liang
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Pc12 Cells ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Homologous Protein ◽  
Initiation Factor 2 ◽  
Stress Signals ◽  
Novel Therapeutic Strategies ◽  
Factor C

Cardiac norepinephrine (NE) uptake is reduced in cardiomyopathy. This change is associated with a decrease of NE transporter (NET) receptor and can be reproduced in PC12 cells by extracellular NE. To study whether this effect of NE is mediated via impaired glycosylation and trafficking of NET in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), we measured the distribution of glycosylated 80-kDa NET and unglycosylated 46-kDa NET in the membrane and cytosolic fractions of PC12 cells. We found that NE decreased glycosylated NET in both membrane and cytosolic fractions and increased cytosolic unglycosylated NET protein. Similar results were produced by tunicamycin and thapsigargin, two agents that induce ER stress by inhibiting N-glycosylation of membrane proteins and disrupting calcium homeostasis, respectively. Also, like the ER stressors, NE not only increased phosphorylation of both the α-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor-2 and its upstream RNA-dependent protein kinase-like ER kinase over 12 h of treatment but also increased ER chaperone molecule glucose-regulated protein 78 and the nuclear transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein. Antioxidants superoxide dismutase and catalase prevented the downregulation of NET proteins and induction of ER stress signals produced by NE but not by tunicamycin or thapsigargin. The results indicate that the downregulation of membrane NET by NE is mediated by decreased N-glycosylation of NET proteins secondary to induction of ER stress pathways by NE-derived oxidative metabolites. Interventions involving the ER stress pathways may provide novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of sympathetic dysfunction in heart failure.

2,4,6-Trichlorophenol Cytotoxicity Involves Oxidative Stress, Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, and Apoptosis

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 532-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoning Zhang ◽  
Xiaona Zhang ◽  
Zhidan Niu ◽  
Yongmei Qi ◽  
Dejun Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Nuclear Translocation ◽  
Translation Initiation Factor ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Heme Oxygenase 1 ◽  
Related Factor ◽  
Α Subunit

This study aims to evaluate the cytotoxicity and potential mechanisms of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Our results show that 2,4,6-TCP causes morphological changes and reduces cell viability. The overproduction of reactive oxygen species, the upregulation of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1) messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions, and the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 protein demonstrate that 2,4,6-TCP induces oxidative stress, and the Nrf2/HMOX1 pathway might be involved in 2,4,6-TCP-induced antioxidative response. Simultaneously, our data also demonstrate that 2,4,6-TCP upregulates the expressions of binding immunoglobulin protein, inositol-requiring enzyme/endonuclease 1α, and C/EBP homologous protein; stimulates α subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 phosphorylation; and induces the splicing of Xbp1 mRNA, suggesting that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is triggered. Moreover, 2,4,6-TCP alters the mitochondrial membrane potential and increases the apoptosis rate, the caspase 3 activity, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, demonstrating that the mitochondrial pathway is involved in the 2,4,6-TCP-induced apoptosis. Thus, these results show that 2,4,6-TCP induces oxidative stress, ER stress, and apoptosis, which together contribute to its cytotoxicity in vitro.

scholarly journals Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Decreases Intracellular Thyroid Hormone Activation via an eIF2a-Mediated Decrease in Type 2 Deiodinase Synthesis

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 2065-2075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Arrojo e Drigo ◽  
Tatiana L. Fonseca ◽  
Melany Castillo ◽  
Matthias Salathe ◽  
Gordana Simovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Eukaryotic Initiation Factor ◽  
Human Airway ◽  
Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2 ◽  
Initiation Factor 2 ◽  
In Cells

Abstract Cells respond rapidly to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by blocking protein translation, increasing protein folding capacity, and accelerating degradation of unfolded proteins via ubiquitination and ER-associated degradation pathways. The ER resident type 2 deiodinase (D2) is normally ubiquitinated and degraded in the proteasome, a pathway that is accelerated by enzyme catalysis of T4 to T3. To test whether D2 is normally processed through ER-associated degradation, ER stress was induced in cells that endogenously express D2 by exposure to thapsigargin or tunicamycin. In all cell models, D2 activity was rapidly lost, to as low as of 30% of control activity, without affecting D2 mRNA levels; loss of about 40% of D2 activity and protein was also seen in human embryonic kidney 293 cells transiently expressing D2. In primary human airway cells with ER stress resulting from cystic fibrosis, D2 activity was absent. The rapid ER stress-induced loss of D2 resulted in decreased intracellular D2-mediated T3 production. ER stress-induced loss of D2 was prevented in the absence of T4, by blocking the proteasome with MG-132 or by treatment with chemical chaperones. Notably, ER stress did not alter D2 activity half-life but rather decreased D2 synthesis as assessed by induction of D2 mRNA and by [35S]methionine labeling. Remarkably, ER-stress-induced loss in D2 activity is prevented in cells transiently expressing an inactive eukaryotic initiation factor 2, indicating that this pathway mediates the loss of D2 activity. In conclusion, D2 is selectively lost during ER stress due to an eukaryotic initiation factor 2-mediated decrease in D2 synthesis and sustained proteasomal degradation. This explains the lack of D2 activity in primary human airway cells with ER stress resulting from cystic fibrosis.

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