scholarly journals eIF-Three to Tango: emerging functions of translation initiation factor eIF3 in protein synthesis and disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 403-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter A Wolf ◽  
Yingying Lin ◽  
Haoran Duan ◽  
Yabin Cheng

Abstract Studies over the past three years have substantially expanded the involvements of eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) in messenger RNA (mRNA) translation. It now appears that this multi-subunit complex is involved in every possible form of mRNA translation, controlling every step of protein synthesis from initiation to elongation, termination, and quality control in positive as well as negative fashion. Through the study of eIF3, we are beginning to appreciate protein synthesis as a highly integrated process coordinating protein production with protein folding, subcellular targeting, and degradation. At the same time, eIF3 subunits appear to have specific functions that probably vary between different tissues and individual cells. Considering the broad functions of eIF3 in protein homeostasis, it comes as little surprise that eIF3 is increasingly implicated in major human diseases and first attempts at therapeutically targeting eIF3 have been undertaken. Much remains to be learned, however, about subunit- and tissue-specific functions of eIF3 in protein synthesis and disease and their regulation by environmental conditions and post-translational modifications.

Author(s):  
Dieter A. Wolf ◽  
Yingying Lin ◽  
Haoran Duan ◽  
Yabin Cheng

Studies over the past three years have substantially expanded the involvements of eIF3 in mRNA translation. It now appears that this multi-subunit complex is involved in every possible form of mRNA translation, controlling every step of protein synthesis from initiation to elongation, termination and quality control in positive as well as negative fashion. Through the study of eIF3, we are beginning to appreciate protein synthesis as a highly integrated process coordinating protein production with protein folding, subcellular targeting, and degradation. At the same time, eIF3 subunits appear to have specific functions that probably vary between different tissues and individual cells. Considering the broad functions of eIF3 in protein homeostasis, it comes as little surprise that eIF3 is increasingly implicated in major human diseases and first attempts at therapeutically targeting eIF3 have been undertaken. Much remains to be learned, however, about subunit- and tissue-specific functions of eIF3 in protein synthesis and disease and their regulation by environmental conditions and posttranslational modifications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (668) ◽  
pp. eabc5429
Author(s):  
Mauricio M. Oliveira ◽  
Mychael V. Lourenco ◽  
Francesco Longo ◽  
Nicole P. Kasica ◽  
Wenzhong Yang ◽  
...  

Neuronal protein synthesis is essential for long-term memory consolidation, and its dysregulation is implicated in various neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Cellular stress triggers the activation of protein kinases that converge on the phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), which attenuates mRNA translation. This translational inhibition is one aspect of the integrated stress response (ISR). We found that postmortem brain tissue from AD patients showed increased phosphorylation of eIF2α and reduced abundance of eIF2B, another key component of the translation initiation complex. Systemic administration of the small-molecule compound ISRIB (which blocks the ISR downstream of phosphorylated eIF2α) rescued protein synthesis in the hippocampus, measures of synaptic plasticity, and performance on memory-associated behavior tests in wild-type mice cotreated with salubrinal (which inhibits translation by inducing eIF2α phosphorylation) and in both β-amyloid-treated and transgenic AD model mice. Thus, attenuating the ISR downstream of phosphorylated eIF2α may restore hippocampal protein synthesis and delay cognitive decline in AD patients.


mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Deborah Wuerth ◽  
Matthias Habjan ◽  
Markus Kainulainen ◽  
Besim Berisha ◽  
Damien Bertheloot ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) is a major innate immune factor that senses viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and phosphorylates eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 2α. Phosphorylation of the α subunit converts the eIF2αβγ complex into a stoichiometric inhibitor of eukaryotic initiation factor eIF2B, thus halting mRNA translation. To escape this protein synthesis shutoff, viruses have evolved countermechanisms such as dsRNA sequestration, eIF-independent translation by an internal ribosome binding site, degradation of PKR, or dephosphorylation of PKR or of phospho-eIF2α. Here, we report that sandfly fever Sicilian phlebovirus (SFSV) confers such a resistance without interfering with PKR activation or eIF2α phosphorylation. Rather, SFSV expresses a nonstructural protein termed NSs that strongly binds to eIF2B. Although NSs still allows phospho-eIF2α binding to eIF2B, protein synthesis and virus replication are unhindered. Hence, SFSV encodes a unique PKR antagonist that acts by rendering eIF2B resistant to the inhibitory action of bound phospho-eIF2α. IMPORTANCE RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) is one of the most powerful antiviral defense factors of the mammalian host. PKR acts by phosphorylating mRNA translation initiation factor eIF2α, thereby converting it from a cofactor to an inhibitor of mRNA translation that strongly binds to initiation factor eIF2B. To sustain synthesis of their proteins, viruses are known to counteract this on the level of PKR or eIF2α or by circumventing initiation factor-dependent translation altogether. Here, we report a different PKR escape strategy executed by sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV), a member of the increasingly important group of phleboviruses. We found that the nonstructural protein NSs of SFSV binds to eIF2B and protects it from inactivation by PKR-generated phospho-eIF2α. Protein synthesis is hence maintained and the virus can replicate despite ongoing full-fledged PKR signaling in the infected cells. Thus, SFSV has evolved a unique strategy to escape the powerful antiviral PKR.


2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (5) ◽  
pp. E914-E921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffery Escobar ◽  
Jason W. Frank ◽  
Agus Suryawan ◽  
Hanh V. Nguyen ◽  
Scot R. Kimball ◽  
...  

Protein synthesis in skeletal muscle of adult rats increases in response to oral gavage of supraphysiological doses of leucine. However, the effect on protein synthesis of a physiological rise in plasma leucine has not been investigated in neonates, an anabolic population highly sensitive to amino acids and insulin. Therefore, in the current study, fasted pigs were infused intra-arterially with leucine (0, 200, or 400 μmol·kg−1·h−1), and protein synthesis was measured after 60 or 120 min. Protein synthesis was increased in muscle, but not in liver, at 60 min. At 120 min, however, protein synthesis returned to baseline levels in muscle but was reduced below baseline values in liver. The increase in protein synthesis in muscle was associated with increased plasma leucine of 1.5- to 3-fold and no change in plasma insulin. Leucine infusion for 120 min reduced plasma essential amino acid levels. Phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)-4E-binding protein-1 (4E-BP1), ribosomal protein (rp) S6 kinase, and rpS6 was increased, and the amount of eIF4E associated with its repressor 4E-BP1 was reduced after 60 and 120 min of leucine infusion. No change in these biomarkers of mRNA translation was observed in liver. Thus a physiological increase in plasma leucine stimulates protein synthesis in skeletal muscle of neonatal pigs in association with increased eIF4E availability for eIF4F assembly. This response appears to be insulin independent, substrate dependent, and tissue specific. The results suggest that the branched-chain amino acid leucine can act as a nutrient signal to stimulate protein synthesis in skeletal muscle of neonates.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Gast ◽  
Kate Campbell ◽  
Cecilia Picazo Campos ◽  
Martin Engqvist ◽  
Verena Siewers ◽  
...  

AbstractRecombinant protein production is a known source of oxidative stress. Knowledge of which ROS are involved or the specific growth phase in which stress occurs however remains lacking. Using modern, hypersensitive genetic H2O2-specific probes, micro-cultivation and continuous measurements in batch culture, we observed H2O2 accumulation during and following the diauxic shift in engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae, correlating with peak α-amylase production. In agreement with previous studies supporting a role of the translation initiation factor kinase Gcn2 in the response to H2O2, we find Gcn2-dependent phosphorylation of eIF2α to increase alongside translational attenuation in strains engineered to produce large amounts of α-amylase. Gcn2 removal significantly improved α-amylase production in two previously optimized high-producing strains, but not in the wild-type. Gcn2-deficiency furthermore reduced intracellular H2O2 levels and the unfolded protein response whilst expression of antioxidants and the ER disulfide isomerase PDI1 increased. These results suggest protein synthesis and ER oxidative folding to be coupled and subject to feedback inhibition by H2O2.ImportanceReactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulate during recombinant protein production both in yeast and Chinese hamster ovary cells, two of the most popular organisms used in the multi-million dollar protein production industry. Here we document increased H2O2 in the cytosol of yeast cells producing α-amylase. Since H2O2 predominantly targets the protein synthesis machinery and activates the translation initiation factor kinase Gcn2, we removed Gcn2, resulting in increased recombinant α-amylase production in two different previously engineered high-producing protein production strains. Removal of this negative feed-back loop thus represents a complementary strategy for improving recombinant protein production efforts currently used in yeast. Gcn2-deficiency also increased the expression of antioxidant genes and the ER-foldase PDI1, suggesting that protein synthesis and ER oxidative folding are linked and feed-back regulated via H2O2. Identification of additional components in this complex regulation may further improve protein production and contribute to the development of novel protein-based therapeutic strategies.


2014 ◽  
Vol 211 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirofumi Sawada ◽  
Toshie Saito ◽  
Nils P. Nickel ◽  
Tero-Pekka Alastalo ◽  
Jason P. Glotzbach ◽  
...  

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH [IPAH]) is an insidious and potentially fatal disease linked to a mutation or reduced expression of bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2). Because intravascular inflammatory cells are recruited in IPAH pathogenesis, we hypothesized that reduced BMPR2 enhances production of the potent chemokine granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in response to an inflammatory perturbation. When human pulmonary artery (PA) endothelial cells deficient in BMPR2 were stimulated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a twofold increase in GM-CSF was observed and related to enhanced messenger RNA (mRNA) translation. The mechanism was associated with disruption of stress granule formation. Specifically, loss of BMPR2 induced prolonged phospho-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in response to TNF, and this increased GADD34–PP1 phosphatase activity, dephosphorylating eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF2α), and derepressing GM-CSF mRNA translation. Lungs from IPAH patients versus unused donor controls revealed heightened PA expression of GM-CSF co-distributing with increased TNF and expanded populations of hematopoietic and endothelial GM-CSF receptor α (GM-CSFRα)–positive cells. Moreover, a 3-wk infusion of GM-CSF in mice increased hypoxia-induced PAH, in association with increased perivascular macrophages and muscularized distal arteries, whereas blockade of GM-CSF repressed these features. Thus, reduced BMPR2 can subvert a stress granule response, heighten GM-CSF mRNA translation, increase inflammatory cell recruitment, and exacerbate PAH.


2016 ◽  
Vol 473 (24) ◽  
pp. 4651-4664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyne Jossé ◽  
Jianling Xie ◽  
Christopher G. Proud ◽  
C. Mark Smales

Many protein-based biotherapeutics are produced in cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines. Recent reports have demonstrated that translation of recombinant mRNAs and global control of the translation machinery via mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling are important determinants of the amount and quality of recombinant protein such cells can produce. mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) is a master regulator of cell growth/division, ribosome biogenesis and protein synthesis, but the relationship between mTORC1 signalling, cell growth and proliferation and recombinant protein yields from mammalian cells, and whether this master regulating signalling pathway can be manipulated to enhance cell biomass and recombinant protein production (rPP) are not well explored. We have investigated mTORC1 signalling and activity throughout batch culture of a panel of sister recombinant glutamine synthetase-CHO cell lines expressing different amounts of a model monoclonal IgG4, to evaluate the links between mTORC1 signalling and cell proliferation, autophagy, recombinant protein expression, global protein synthesis and mRNA translation initiation. We find that the expression of the mTORC1 substrate 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) fluctuates throughout the course of cell culture and, as expected, that the 4E-BP1 phosphorylation profiles change across the culture. Importantly, we find that the eIF4E/4E-BP1 stoichiometry positively correlates with cell productivity. Furthermore, eIF4E amounts appear to be co-regulated with 4E-BP1 amounts. This may reflect a sensing of either change at the mRNA level as opposed to the protein level or the fact that the phosphorylation status, as well as the amount of 4E-BP1 present, is important in the co-regulation of eIF4E and 4E-BP1.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxime J. Derisbourg ◽  
Laura E. Wester ◽  
Ruth Baddi ◽  
Martin S. Denzel

AbstractProtein homeostasis is modulated by stress response pathways and its deficiency is a hallmark of aging. The integrated stress response (ISR) is a conserved stress-signaling pathway that tunes mRNA translation via phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2. ISR activation and translation initiation are finely balanced by eIF2 kinases and by the eIF2 guanine nucleotide exchange factor eIF2B. However, the role of the ISR during aging remains poorly understood. Using a genomic mutagenesis screen for longevity inCaenorhabditis elegans, we define a role of eIF2 modulation in aging. By inhibiting the ISR, dominant mutations in eIF2B enhance protein homeostasis and increase lifespan. Consistently, full ISR inhibition using phosphorylation-defective eIF2α or pharmacological ISR inhibition prolong lifespan. Lifespan extension through impeding the ISR occurs without a reduction in overall protein synthesis. Instead, we observe changes in the translational efficiency of a subset of mRNAs, of which the putative kinasekin-35is required for lifespan extension. Evidently, lifespan is limited by the ISR and its inhibition may provide an intervention in aging.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio M. Oliveira ◽  
Mychael V. Lourenco ◽  
Francesco Longo ◽  
Nicole P. Kasica ◽  
Wenzhong Yang ◽  
...  

AbstractNeuronal protein synthesis is essential for long-term memory consolidation. Conversely, dysregulation of protein synthesis has been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Several types of cellular stress trigger the activation of protein kinases that converge on the phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α-P). This leads to attenuation of cap-dependent mRNA translation, a component of the integrated stress response (ISR). We show that AD brains exhibit increased eIF2α-P and reduced eIF2B, key components of the eIF2 translation initiation complex. We further demonstrate that attenuating the ISR with the small molecule compound ISRIB (ISR Inhibitor) rescues hippocampal protein synthesis and corrects impaired synaptic plasticity and memory in mouse models of AD. Our findings suggest that attenuating eIF2α-P-mediated translational inhibition may comprise an effective approach to alleviate cognitive decline in AD.


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracey M. Immanuel ◽  
David R. Greenwood ◽  
Robin M. MacDiarmid

Eukaryotic cells must cope with environmental stress. One type of general stress response is the downregulation of protein synthesis in order to conserve cellular resources. Protein synthesis is mainly regulated at the level of mRNA translation initiation and when the α subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2) is phosphorylated, protein synthesis is downregulated. Although eIF2 has the same translation initiation function in all eukaryotes, it is not known whether plants downregulate protein synthesis via eIF2α phosphorylation. Similarly, although there is evidence that plants possess eIF2α kinases, it is not known whether they operate in a similar manner to the well characterised mammalian and yeast eIF2α kinases. Two types of eIF2α kinases have been reported in plants, yet the full understanding of the plant eIF2α phosphorylation mechanism is still lacking. Here we review the current knowledge of the eIF2α phosphorylation mechanism within plants and discuss plant eIF2α, plant eIF2α kinase GCN2 and the data supporting and contradicting the hypothesis that a functional orthologue for the eIF2α kinase PKR, is present and functional in plants.


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