scholarly journals Distinct domains of Me31B interact with different eIF4E isoforms in the male germ line of Drosophila melanogaster

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Layana ◽  
Emiliano S. Vilardo ◽  
Gonzalo Corujo ◽  
Greco Hernandez ◽  
Rolando Rivera-Pomar

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) is a key factor involved in different aspects of mRNA metabolism. Drosophila melanogaster genome encodes eight eIF4E isoforms, and the canonical isoform eIF4E-1 is a ubiquitous protein that plays a key role in mRNA translation. eIF4E-3 is specifically expressed in testis and controls translation during spermatogenesis. In eukaryotic cells, translational control and mRNA decay is highly regulated in different cytoplasmic ribonucleoprotein foci, which include the processing bodies (PBs). In this study, we show that Drosophila eIF4E-1 and eIF4E-3 occur in PBs where might play a role in mRNA storage and translational repression. We also demonstrate that the DEAD-box RNA helicase Me31B, a component of PBs, physically interacts with eIF4E-1 and eIF4E-3 both in the yeast two-hybrid system and FRET in Drosophila S2 cells. Moreover, truncated and point mutated Me31B proteins indicate that the binding sites of Me31B for eIF4E-1 and eIF4E-3 are located in different domains. Residues Y401-L407 (at the carboxy-terminal) are essential for interaction with eIF4E-1, whereas residues F63-L70 (at the amino-terminal) are critical for interaction with eIF4E-3. Thus, Me31B represents a novel type of eIF4E-interacting protein. Our observations suggest that Me31B might recognize different eIF4E isoforms in different tissues, which could be the key to silencing specific messengers. They provide further evidence that alternative forms of eIF4E and their interactions with various partners add complexity to the control of gene expression in eukaryotes.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mia C. Pulos-Holmes ◽  
Daniel N. Srole ◽  
Amy S. Y. Lee ◽  
Maria G. Juarez ◽  
David T. McSwiggen ◽  
...  

AbstractA central problem in human biology remains the discovery of causal molecular links between mutations identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and their corresponding disease traits. This challenge is magnified for variants residing in non-coding regions of the genome. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5’ untranslated region (5’-UTR) of the ferritin light chain (FTL) gene that cause hyperferritinemia are thought to disrupt translation repression by altering iron regulatory protein (IRP) interactions with theFTLmRNA 5’-UTR. Here, we show that human eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) acts as a distinct repressor ofFTLmRNA translation, and eIF3-mediatedFTLrepression is disrupted by a subset of SNPs inFTLthat cause hyperferritinemia. These results identify a direct role for eIF3-mediated translational control in a specific human disease.


Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 148 (3) ◽  
pp. 1007-1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Cuesta ◽  
Alan G Hinnebusch ◽  
Mercedes Tamame

Abstract In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, expression of the transcriptional activator GCN4 increases at the translational level in response to starvation for an amino acid. The products of multiple GCD genes are required for efficient repression of GCN4 mRNA translation under nonstarvation conditions. The majority of the known GCD genes encode subunits of the general translation initiation factor eIF-2 or eIF-2B. To identify additional initiation factors in yeast, we characterized 65 spontaneously arising Gcd− mutants. In addition to the mutations that were complemented by known GCD genes or by GCN3, we isolated mutant alleles of two new genes named GCD14 and GCD15. Recessive mutations in these two genes led to highly unregulated GCN4 expression and to derepressed transcription of genes in the histidine biosynthetic pathway under GCN4 control. The derepression of GCN4 expression in gcd14 and gcd15 mutants occurred with little or no increase in GCN4 mRNA levels, and it was dependent on upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in GCN4 mRNA that regulate its translation. We conclude that GCD14 and GCD15 are required for repression of GCN4 mRNA translation by the uORFs under conditions of amino acid sufficiency. The gcd14 and gcd15 mutations confer a slow-growth phenotype on nutrient-rich medium, and gcd15 mutations are lethal when combined with a mutation in gcd13. Like other known GCD genes, GCD14 and GCD15 are therefore probably required for general translation initiation in addition to their roles in GCN4-specific translational control.


eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mia C Pulos-Holmes ◽  
Daniel N Srole ◽  
Maria G Juarez ◽  
Amy S-Y Lee ◽  
David T McSwiggen ◽  
...  

A central problem in human biology remains the discovery of causal molecular links between mutations identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and their corresponding disease traits. This challenge is magnified for variants residing in non-coding regions of the genome. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5ʹ untranslated region (5ʹ-UTR) of the ferritin light chain (FTL) gene that cause hyperferritinemia are reported to disrupt translation repression by altering iron regulatory protein (IRP) interactions with the FTL mRNA 5ʹ-UTR. Here, we show that human eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) acts as a distinct repressor of FTL mRNA translation, and eIF3-mediated FTL repression is disrupted by a subset of SNPs in FTL that cause hyperferritinemia. These results identify a direct role for eIF3-mediated translational control in a specific human disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Wang ◽  
Morgane Boone ◽  
Rosalie E Lawrence ◽  
Adam Frost ◽  
Peter Walter ◽  
...  

AbstractIn eukaryotic cells, stressors reprogram the cellular proteome by activating the integrated stress response (ISR). In its canonical form, stress-sensing kinases phosphorylate the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2 (eIF2-P), which ultimately leads to reduced levels of ternary complex required for initiation of mRNA translation. Translational control is primarily exerted through a conformational switch in eIF2’s nucleotide exchange factor, eIF2B, which shifts from its active A-State conformation to its inhibited I-State conformation upon eIF2-P binding, resulting in reduced nucleotide exchange on eIF2. Here, we show functionally and structurally how a single histidine to aspartate point mutation in eIF2B’s β subunit (H160D) mimics the effects of eIF2-P binding by promoting an I-State like conformation, resulting in eIF2-P independent activation of the ISR. These findings corroborate our previously proposed (Schoof et al. 2021) A/I-State model of allosteric ISR regulation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (13) ◽  
pp. 5480-5491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chingakham Ranjit Singh ◽  
Cynthia Curtis ◽  
Yasufumi Yamamoto ◽  
Nathan S. Hall ◽  
Dustin S. Kruse ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The integrity of eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF) interactions in ribosomal preinitiation complexes is critical for the proper regulation of GCN4 mRNA translation in response to amino acid availability. Increased phosphorylation of eIF2 under amino acid starvation conditions leads to a corresponding increase in GCN4 mRNA translation. The carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of eIF5 (eIF5-CTD) has been identified as a potential nucleation site for preinitiation complex assembly. To further characterize eIF5 and delineate its role in GCN4 translational control, we isolated mutations leading to temperature sensitivity (Ts− phenotype) targeted at TIF5, the structural gene encoding eIF5 in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Nine single point mutations were isolated, in addition to an allele in which the last 15 amino acids were deleted. The nine point mutations clustered in the eIF5-CTD, which contains two conserved aromatic/acidic boxes. Six of the point mutations derepressed GCN4 translation independent of eIF2 phosphorylation (Gcd− phenotype) at a permissive temperature, directly implicating eIF5-CTD in the eIF2/GTP/Met-tRNAi Met ternary complex binding process required for GCN4 translational control. In addition, stronger restriction of eIF5-CTD function at an elevated temperature led to failure to derepress GCN4 translation (Gcn− phenotype) in all of the mutants, most likely due to leaky scanning of the first upstream open reading frame of GCN4 mRNA. This latter result directly implicates eIF5-CTD in the process of accurate scanning for, or recognition of, AUG codons. Taken together, our results indicate that eIF5-CTD plays a critical role in both the assembly of the 43S complex and the postassembly process in the 48S complex, likely during the scanning process.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Zhang ◽  
Bradley R. Joyce ◽  
William J. Sullivan ◽  
Victor Nussenzweig

ABSTRACT The life cycles of apicomplexan parasites such as Plasmodium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are complex, consisting of proliferative and latent stages within multiple hosts. Dramatic transformations take place during the cycles, and they demand precise control of gene expression at all levels, including translation. This review focuses on the mechanisms that regulate translational control in Plasmodium and Toxoplasma , with a particular emphasis on the phosphorylation of the α subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2α). Phosphorylation of eIF2α (eIF2α∼P) is a conserved mechanism that eukaryotic cells use to repress global protein synthesis while enhancing gene-specific translation of a subset of mRNAs. Elevated levels of eIF2α∼P have been observed during latent stages in both Toxoplasma and Plasmodium , indicating that translational control plays a role in maintaining dormancy. Parasite-specific eIF2α kinases and phosphatases are also required for proper developmental transitions and adaptation to cellular stresses encountered during the life cycle. Identification of small-molecule inhibitors of apicomplexan eIF2α kinases may selectively interfere with parasite translational control and lead to the development of new therapies to treat malaria and toxoplasmosis.


Reproduction ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Brook ◽  
Joel W S Smith ◽  
Nicola K Gray

Gametogenesis is a highly complex process that requires the exquisite temporal, spatial and amplitudinal regulation of gene expression at multiple levels. Translational regulation is important in a wide variety of cell types but may be even more prevalent in germ cells, where periods of transcriptional quiescence necessitate the use of post-transcriptional mechanisms to effect changes in gene expression. Consistent with this, studies in multiple animal models have revealed an essential role for mRNA translation in the establishment and maintenance of reproductive competence. While studies in humans are less advanced, emerging evidence suggests that translational regulation plays a similarly important role in human germ cells and fertility. This review highlights specific mechanisms of translational regulation that play critical roles in oogenesis by activating subsets of mRNAs. These mRNAs are activated in a strictly determined temporal manner via elements located within their 3′UTR, which serve as binding sites fortrans-acting factors. While we concentrate on oogenesis, these regulatory events also play important roles during spermatogenesis. In particular, we focus on the deleted in azoospermia-like (DAZL) family of proteins, recently implicated in the translational control of specific mRNAs in germ cells; their relationship with the general translation initiation factor poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) and the process of cytoplasmic mRNA polyadenylation.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1708-1718 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Schäfer ◽  
D Börsch ◽  
A Hülster ◽  
U Schäfer

We have analyzed a locus of Drosophila melanogaster located at 98C on chromosome 3, which contains two tandemly arranged genes, named Mst98Ca and Mst98Cb. They are two additional members of the Mst(3)CGP gene family by three criteria. (i) Both genes are exclusively transcribed in the male germ line. (ii) Both transcripts encode a protein with a high proportion of the repetitive motif Cys-Gly-Pro. (iii) Their expression is translationally controlled; while transcripts can be detected in diploid stages of spermatogenesis, association with polysomes can be shown only in haploid stages of sperm development. The genes differ markedly from the other members of the gene family in structure; they do not contain introns, they are of much larger size, and they have the Cys-Gly-Pro motifs clustered at the carboxy-terminal end of the encoded proteins. An antibody generated against the Mst98Ca protein recognizes both Mst98C proteins in D. melanogaster. In a male-sterile mutation in which spermiogenesis is blocked before individualization of sperm, both of these proteins are no longer synthesized. This finding provides proof of late translation for the Mst98C proteins and thereby independent proof of translational control of expression. Northern (RNA) and Western immunoblot analyses indicate the presence of homologous gene families in many other Drosophila species. The Mst98C proteins share sequence homology with proteins of the outer dense fibers in mammalian spermatozoa and can be localized to the sperm tail by immunofluorescence with an anti-Mst98Ca antibody.


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.


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