scholarly journals The PIWI protein Aubergine recruits eIF3 to activate translation in the germ plasm

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Ramat ◽  
Maria-Rosa Garcia-Silva ◽  
Camille Jahan ◽  
Rima Naït-Saïdi ◽  
Jérémy Dufourt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cells ◽  
Translation Initiation ◽  
Mrna Stability ◽  
Germ Plasm ◽  
Translation Initiation Factor ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Piwi Protein ◽  
Mrna Regulation ◽  
Maternal Mrna ◽  
Initiation Step

AbstractPiwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and PIWI proteins are essential in germ cells to repress transposons and regulate mRNAs. In Drosophila, piRNAs bound to the PIWI protein Aubergine (Aub) are transferred maternally to the embryo and regulate maternal mRNA stability through two opposite roles. They target mRNAs by incomplete base-pairing, leading to both their destabilization in the soma, and stabilization in the germ plasm. Here, we report a function of Aub in translation. Aub is required for translational activation of nanos mRNA, a key determinant of the germ plasm. Aub physically interacts with the poly(A) binding protein PABP and the translation initiation factor eIF3. Polysome gradient profiling identifies Aub role at the initiation step of translation. In the germ plasm, PABP and eIF3d assemble in foci that surround Aub-containing germ granules, and Aub acts with eIF3d to promote nanos translation. These results reveal a new mode of mRNA regulation by Aub, highlighting PIWI protein versatility in mRNA regulation.

scholarly journals Inhibition of eEF2K synergizes with glutaminase inhibitors or 4EBP1 depletion to suppress growth of triple-negative breast cancer cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
YoungJun Ju ◽  
Yaacov Ben-David ◽  
Daniela Rotin ◽  
Eldad Zacksenhaus
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Triple Negative Breast Cancer ◽  
Translation Initiation ◽  
Triple Negative ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Protein Translation ◽  
Translation Initiation Factor ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Metabolic Conditions

AbstractThe eukaryotic elongation factor-2 kinase, eEF2K, which restricts protein translation elongation, has been identified as a potential therapeutic target for diverse types of malignancies including triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the contexts in which eEF2K inhibition is essential in TNBC and its consequences on the proteome are largely unknown. Here we show that genetic or pharmacological inhibition of eEF2K cooperated with glutamine (Gln) starvation, and synergized with glutaminase (GLS1) inhibitors to suppress growth of diverse TNBC cell lines. eEF2K inhibition also synergized with depletion of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (eIF4EBP1; 4EBP1), a suppressor of eukaryotic protein translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), to induce c-MYC and Cyclin D1 expression, yet attenuate growth of TNBC cells. Proteomic analysis revealed that whereas eEF2K depletion alone uniquely induced Cyclin Dependent Kinase 1 (CDK1) and 6 (CDK6), combined depletion of eEF2K and 4EBP1 resulted in overlapping effects on the proteome, with the highest impact on the ‘Collagen containing extracellular matrix’ pathway (e.g. COL1A1), as well as the amino-acid transporter, SLC7A5/LAT1, suggesting a regulatory loop via mTORC1. In addition, combined depletion of eEF2K and 4EBP1 indirectly reduced the levels of IFN-dependent innate immune response-related factors. Thus, eEF2K inhibition triggers cell cycle arrest/death under unfavourable metabolic conditions such as Gln-starvation/GLS1 inhibition or 4EBP1 depletion, uncovering new therapeutic avenues for TNBC and underscoring a pressing need for clinically relevant eEF2K inhibitors.

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