scholarly journals Constitutive translation of human α-synuclein is mediated by the 5′-untranslated region

Open Biology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 160022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pelagia Koukouraki ◽  
Epaminondas Doxakis

Genetic and biochemical studies have established a central role for α-synuclein (SNCA) accumulation in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Uncovering and subsequently interfering with physiological mechanisms that control SNCA expression is one approach to limit disease progression. To this end, the long and GC-rich 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of SNCA, which is predicted to fold into stable hairpin and G-quadruplex RNA motifs, was investigated for its role in mRNA translation. Inclusion of SNCA 5′-UTR significantly induced expression of both SNCA and luciferase ORF constructs. This effect was not associated with a change in mRNA levels or differential nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. Further, the presence of the 5′-UTR enhanced SNCA synthesis when cap-dependent translation was attenuated with rapamycin treatment. Analysis using multiple methodologies revealed that the 5′-UTR harbours an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element that spans most of its nucleotide sequence. Signals such as plasma-membrane depolarization, serum starvation and oxidative stress stimulated SNCA protein translation via its 5′-UTR as well as enhanced its IRES activity. Taken together, these data support the idea that the 5′-UTR is an important positive regulator of SNCA synthesis under diverse physiological and pathological conditions, explaining in part the abundance of SNCA in healthy neurons and its accumulation in degenerative cells.

2010 ◽  
Vol 429 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Damiano ◽  
Simone Alemanno ◽  
Gabriele V. Gnoni ◽  
Luisa Siculella

SREBPs (sterol-regulatory-element-binding proteins) are a family of transcription factors that modulate the expression of several enzymes implicated in endogenous cholesterol, fatty acid, triacylglycerol and phospholipid synthesis. In the present study, evidence for SREBP-1 regulation at the translational level is reported. Using several experimental approaches, we have demonstrated that the 5′-UTR (untranslated region) of the SREBP-1a mRNA contains an IRES (internal ribosome entry site). Transfection experiments with the SREBP-1a 5′-UTR inserted in a dicistronic reporter vector showed a remarkable increase in the downstream cistron translation, through a cap-independent mechanism. Insertion of the SREBP-1c 5′-UTR in the same vector also stimulated the translation of the downstream cistron, but the observed effect can be ascribed, at least in part, to a cryptic promoter activity. Cellular stress conditions, such as serum starvation, caused an increase in the level of SREBP-1 precursor and mature form in both Hep G2 and HeLa cells, despite the overall reduction in protein synthesis, whereas mRNA levels for SREBP-1 were unaffected by serum starvation. Transfection experiments carried out with a dicistronic construct demonstrated that the cap-dependent translation was affected more than IRES-mediated translation by serum starvation. The thapsigargin- and tunicamycin-induced UPR (unfolded protein response) also increased SREBP-1 expression in Hep G2 cells, through the cap-independent translation mediated by IRES. Overall, these findings indicate that the presence of IRES in the SREBP-1a 5′-UTR allows translation to be maintained under conditions that are inhibitory to cap-dependent translation.


2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 743
Author(s):  
Kangkang Niu ◽  
Xiaojuan Zhang ◽  
Qisheng Song ◽  
Qili Feng

In eukaryotes, mRNAs translation is mainly mediated in a cap-dependent or cap-independent manner. The latter is primarily initiated at the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) in the 5′-UTR of mRNAs. It has been reported that the G-quadruplex structure (G4) in the IRES elements could regulate the IRES activity. We previously confirmed RBM4 (also known as LARK) as a G4-binding protein in human. In this study, to investigate whether RBM4 is involved in the regulation of the IRES activity by binding with the G4 structure within the IRES element, the IRES-A element in the 5′-UTR of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) was constructed into a dicistronic reporter vector, psiCHECK2, and the effect of RBM4 on the IRES activity was tested in 293T cells. The results showed that the IRES insertion significantly increased the FLuc expression activity, indicating that this G4-containing IRES was active in 293T cells. When the G4 structure in the IRES was disrupted by base mutation, the IRES activity was significantly decreased. The IRES activity was notably increased when the cells were treated with G4 stabilizer PDS. EMSA results showed that RBM4 specifically bound the G4 structure in the IRES element. The knockdown of RBM4 substantially reduced the IRES activity, whereas over-expressing RBM4 increased the IRES activity. Taking all results together, we demonstrated that RBM4 promoted the mRNA translation of VEGFA gene by binding to the G4 structure in the IRES.


Author(s):  
Kylee M Sutton ◽  
Christian W Eaton ◽  
Tudor Borza ◽  
Thomas E Burkey ◽  
Benny E Mote ◽  
...  

Abstract Atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV), an RNA virus member of the Flaviviridae family, has been associated with congenital tremor in newborn piglets. Previously reported qPCR-based assays were unable to detect APPV in novel cases of congenital tremor originated from multiple farms from U.S. Midwest (MW). These assays targeted the viral polyprotein coding genes, which were shown to display substantial variation, with sequence identity ranging from 58.2 to 70.7% among 15 global APPV strains. In contrast, the 5’ UTR was found to have a much higher degree of sequence conservation. In order to obtain the complete 5’ UTR of the APPV strains originated from MW, the 5’ end of the viral cDNA was obtained by using template switching approach followed by amplification and dideoxy sequencing. Eighty one percent of the 5’UTR was identical across 14 global and 5 MW strains with complete, or relatively complete 5’ UTR. Notably, some of the most highly conserved 5’UTR segments overlapped with potentially important regions of an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), suggesting their functional role in viral protein translation. A newly designed single qPCR assay, targeting 100% conserved 5’UTR regions across 19 strains, was able to detect APPV in samples of well documented cases of congenital tremor which originated from five MW farm sites (1-18 samples/site). As these fully conserved 5’ UTR sequences may have functional importance, we expect that assays targeting this region would broadly detect APPV strains that are diverse in space and time.


Biochimie ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 121 ◽  
pp. 228-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria V. Smirnova ◽  
Ilya M. Terenin ◽  
Anastasia A. Khutornenko ◽  
Dmitri E. Andreev ◽  
Sergey E. Dmitriev ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (13) ◽  
pp. 4685-4697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey E. Dmitriev ◽  
Dmitri E. Andreev ◽  
Ilya M. Terenin ◽  
Ivan A. Olovnikov ◽  
Vladimir S. Prassolov ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Retrotransposon L1 is a mobile genetic element of the LINE family that is extremely widespread in the mammalian genome. It encodes a dicistronic mRNA, which is exceptionally rare among eukaryotic cellular mRNAs. The extremely long and GC-rich L1 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) directs synthesis of numerous copies of RNA-binding protein ORF1p per mRNA. One could suggest that the 5′UTR of L1 mRNA contained a powerful internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element. Using transfection of cultured cells with the polyadenylated monocistronic (L1 5′UTR-Fluc) or bicistronic (Rluc-L1 5′UTR-Fluc) RNA constructs, capped or uncapped, it has been firmly established that the 5′UTR of L1 does not contain an IRES. Uncapping reduces the initiation activity of the L1 5′UTR to that of background. Moreover, the translation is inhibited by upstream AUG codons in the 5′UTR. Nevertheless, this cap-dependent initiation activity of the L1 5′UTR was unexpectedly high and resembles that of the beta-actin 5′UTR (84 nucleotides long). Strikingly, the deletion of up to 80% of the nucleotide sequence of the L1 5′UTR, with most of its stem loops, does not significantly change its translation initiation efficiency. These data can modify current ideas on mechanisms used by 40S ribosomal subunits to cope with complex 5′UTRs and call into question the conception that every long GC-rich 5′UTR working with a high efficiency has to contain an IRES. Our data also demonstrate that the ORF2 translation initiation is not directed by internal initiation, either. It is very inefficient and presumably based on a reinitiation event.


2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 2899-2912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mithu Majumder ◽  
Ibrahim Yaman ◽  
Francesca Gaccioli ◽  
Vladimir V. Zeenko ◽  
Chuanping Wang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The response to amino acid starvation involves the global decrease of protein synthesis and an increase in the translation of some mRNAs that contain an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). It was previously shown that translation of the mRNA for the arginine/lysine amino acid transporter Cat-1 increases during amino acid starvation via a mechanism that utilizes an IRES in the 5′ untranslated region of the Cat-1 mRNA. It is shown here that polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTB) and an hnRNA binding protein, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L (hnRNP L), promote the efficient translation of Cat-1 mRNA during amino acid starvation. Association of both proteins with Cat-1 mRNA increased during starvation with kinetics that paralleled that of IRES activation, although the levels and subcellular distribution of the proteins were unchanged. The sequence CUUUCU within the Cat-1 IRES was important for PTB binding and for the induction of translation during amino acid starvation. Binding of hnRNP L to the IRES or the Cat-1 mRNA in vivo was independent of PTB binding but was not sufficient to increase IRES activity or Cat-1 mRNA translation during amino acid starvation. In contrast, binding of PTB to the Cat-1 mRNA in vivo required hnRNP L. A wider role of hnRNP L in mRNA translation was suggested by the decrease of global protein synthesis in cells with reduced hnRNP L levels. It is proposed that PTB and hnRNP L are positive regulators of Cat-1 mRNA translation via the IRES under stress conditions that cause a global decrease of protein synthesis.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (17) ◽  
pp. 6089-6099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn C. Morrish ◽  
Martin G. Rumsby

ABSTRACT Protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) is a member of the PKC family of phospholipid-dependent serine/threonine kinases and is involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation. Previous studies have suggested that different PKC isoforms might be translationally regulated. We report here that the 395-nt-long 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) of PKCδ is predicted to form very stable secondary structures with free energies (ΔG values) of around −170 kcal/mol. The 5′ UTR of PKCδ can significantly repress luciferase translation in rabbit reticulocyte lysate but does not repress luciferase translation in a number of transiently transfected cell lines. By using a bicistronic luciferase reporter, we show that the 5′ UTR of PKCδ contains a functional internal ribosome entry segment (IRES). The activity of the PKCδ IRES is greatest in densely growing cells and during apoptosis, when total protein synthesis and levels of full-length eukaryotic initiation factor 4G are reduced. However, the IRES activity of the 5′ UTR of PKCδ is not enhanced during serum starvation, another condition shown to inhibit cap-dependent translation, suggesting that its potency is dependent on specific cellular conditions. Accumulating data suggest that PKCδ has a function as proliferating cells reach high density and in early and later events of apoptosis. Our studies suggest a mechanism whereby PKCδ synthesis can be maintained under these conditions when cap-dependent translation is inhibited.


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 3812-3822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiu-Hung Yeh ◽  
Liang-Yi Hung ◽  
Chin Hsu ◽  
Shu-Yun Le ◽  
Pin-Tse Lee ◽  
...  

Reduction in host-activated protein C levels and resultant microvascular thrombosis highlight the important functional role of protein C anticoagulant system in the pathogenesis of sepsis and septic shock. Thrombomodulin (TM) is a critical factor to activate protein C in mediating the anticoagulation and anti-inflammation effects. However, TM protein content is decreased in inflammation and sepsis, and the mechanism is still not well defined. In this report, we identified that the TM 5′ untranslated region (UTR) bearing the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element controls TM protein expression. Using RNA probe pulldown assay, HuR was demonstrated to interact with the TM 5′UTR. Overexpression of HuR protein inhibited the activity of TM IRES, whereas on the other hand, reducing the HuR protein level reversed this effect. When cells were treated with IL-1β, the IRES activity was suppressed and accompanied by an increased interaction between HuR and TM 5′UTR. In the animal model of sepsis, we found the TM protein expression level to be decreased while concurrently observing the increased interaction between HuR and TM mRNA in liver tissue. In summary, HuR plays an important role in suppression of TM protein synthesis in IL-1β treatment and sepsis.


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