scholarly journals Eukaryotic Initiation Factors 4G and 4A Mediate Conformational Changes Downstream of the Initiation Codon of the Encephalomyocarditis Virus Internal Ribosomal Entry Site

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 687-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria G. Kolupaeva ◽  
Ivan B. Lomakin ◽  
Tatyana V. Pestova ◽  
Christopher U. T. Hellen

ABSTRACT Initiation of translation of encephalomyocarditis virus mRNA is mediated by an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) comprising structural domains H, I, J-K, and L immediately upstream of the initiation codon AUG at nucleotide 834 (AUG834). Assembly of 48S ribosomal complexes on the IRES requires eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2), eIF3, eIF4A, and the central domain of eIF4G to which eIF4A binds. Footprinting experiments confirmed that eIF4G binds a three-way helical junction in the J-K domain and showed that it interacts extensively with RNA duplexes in the J-K and L domains. Deletion of apical hairpins in the J and K domains synergistically impaired the binding of eIF4G and IRES function. Directed hydroxyl radical probing, done by using Fe(II) tethered to surface residues in eIF4G's central domain, indicated that it is oriented with its N terminus towards the base of domain J and its C terminus towards the apex. eIF4G recruits eIF4A to a defined location on the IRES, and the eIF4G/eIF4A complex caused localized ATP-independent conformational changes in the eIF4G-binding region of the IRES. This complex also induced more extensive conformational rearrangements at the 3′ border of the ribosome binding site that required ATP and active eIF4A. We propose that these conformational changes prepare the region flanking AUG834 for productive binding of the ribosome.

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (23) ◽  
pp. 12441-12449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela T. Clark ◽  
Morwenna E. M. Robertson ◽  
Graeme L. Conn ◽  
Graham J. Belsham

ABSTRACT The internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements of cardioviruses (e.g., encephalomyocarditis virus [EMCV] and foot-and-mouth disease virus) are predicted to have very similar secondary structures. Among these complex RNA structures there is only rather limited complete sequence conservation. Within the J domain of the EMCV IRES there are four highly conserved nucleotides (A704, C705, G723, and A724)., which are predicted to be unpaired and have been targeted for mutagenesis. Using an IRES-dependent cell selection system, we have isolated functional IRES elements from a pool of up to 256 mutants. All changes to these conserved nucleotides resulted in IRES elements that were less efficient at directing internal initiation of translation than the wild-type element, and even some of the single point mutants were highly defective. Each of the mutations adversely affected the ability of the RNAs to interact with the translation initiation factor eIF4G.


2004 ◽  
Vol 385 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine A. TINTON ◽  
Bert SCHEPENS ◽  
Yanik BRUYNOOGHE ◽  
Rudi BEYAERT ◽  
Sigrid CORNELIS

The PITSLRE kinases belong to the large family of cyclin-dependent protein kinases. Their function has been related to cell-cycle regulation, splicing and apoptosis. We have previously shown that the open reading frame of the p110PITSLRE transcript contains an IRES (internal ribosome entry site) that allows the expression of a smaller p58PITSLRE isoform during the G2/M stage of the cell cycle. In the present study we investigated further the role of cis- and trans-acting factors in the regulation of the PITSLRE IRES. Progressive deletion analysis showed that both a purine-rich sequence and a Unr (upstream of N-ras) consensus binding site are essential for PITSLRE IRES activity. In line with these observations, we demonstrate that the PITSLRE IRES interacts with the Unr protein, which is more prominently expressed at the G2/M stage of the cell cycle. We also show that phosphorylation of the α-subunit of the canonical initiation factor eIF-2 is increased at G2/M. Interestingly, phosphorylation of eIF-2α has a permissive effect on the efficiency of both the PITSLRE IRES and the ornithine decarboxylase IRES, two cell cycle-dependent IRESs, in mediating internal initiation of translation, whereas this was not observed with the viral EMCV (encephalomyocarditis virus) and HRV (human rhinovirus) IRESs.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 6019-6029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan B. Lomakin ◽  
Christopher U. T. Hellen ◽  
Tatyana V. Pestova

ABSTRACT Mammalian eukaryotic initiation factor 4GI (eIF4GI) may be divided into three similarly sized regions. The central region (amino acids [aa] 613 to 1090) binds eIF3, eIF4A, and the encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) and mediates initiation on this RNA. We identified the regions of eIF4GI that are responsible for its specific interaction with the IRES and that are required to mediate 48S complex formation on the IRES in vitro. Mutational analysis demarcated the IRES binding fragment of eIF4GI (aa 746 to 949) and indicated that it does not resemble an RNA recognition motif (RRM)-like domain. An additional amino-terminal sequence (aa 722 to 746) was required for binding eIF4A and for 48S complex formation. eIF4GI bound the EMCV IRES and β-globin mRNA with similar affinities, but association with eIF4A increased its affinity for the EMCV IRES (but not β-globin RNA) by 2 orders of magnitude. On the other hand, eIF4GI mutants with defects in binding eIF4A were defective in mediating 48S complex formation even if they bound the IRES normally. These data indicate that the eIF4G-eIF4A complex, rather than eIF4G alone, is required for specific high-affinity binding to the EMCV IRES and for internal ribosomal entry on this RNA.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 6859-6869 ◽  
Author(s):  
T V Pestova ◽  
C U Hellen ◽  
I N Shatsky

Translation of picornavirus RNA is initiated after ribosomal binding to an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) within the 5' untranslated region. We have reconstituted IRES-mediated initiation on encephalomyocarditis virus RNA from purified components and used primer extension analysis to confirm the fidelity of 48S preinitiation complex formation. Eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2), eIF3, and eIF4F were required for initiation; eIF4B and to a lesser extent the pyrimidine tract-binding protein stimulated this process. We show that eIF4F binds to the IRES in a novel cap-independent manner and suggest that cap- and IRES-dependent initiation mechanisms utilize different modes of interaction with this factor to promote ribosomal attachment to mRNA.


2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 3353-3359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oréda Boussadia ◽  
Michael Niepmann ◽  
Laurent Créancier ◽  
Anne-Catherine Prats ◽  
François Dautry ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Translation of picornavirus RNAs is mediated by internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) elements and requires both standard eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs) and IRES-specific cellular trans-acting factors (ITAFs). Unr, a cytoplasmic RNA-binding protein that contains five cold-shock domains and is encoded by the gene upstream of N-ras, stimulates translation directed by the human rhinovirus (HRV) IRES in vitro. To examine the role of Unr in translation of picornavirus RNAs in vivo, we derived murine embryonic stem (ES) cells in which either one (−/+) or both (−/−) copies of the unr gene were disrupted by homologous recombination. The activity of picornaviral IRES elements was analyzed in unr +/+, unr +/−, and unr −/− cell lines. Translation directed by the HRV IRES was severely impaired in unr −/− cells, as was that directed by the poliovirus IRES, revealing a requirement for Unr not previously observed in vitro. Transient expression of Unr in unr −/− cells efficiently restored the HRV and poliovirus IRES activities. In contrast, the IRES elements of encephalomyocarditis virus and foot-and-mouth-disease virus are not Unr dependent. Thus, Unr is a specific regulator of HRV and poliovirus translation in vivo and may represent a cell-specific determinant limiting replication of these viruses.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 6870-6878 ◽  
Author(s):  
T V Pestova ◽  
I N Shatsky ◽  
C U Hellen

Eukaryotic translation is initiated following binding of ribosomes either to the capped 5' end of an mRNA or to an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) within its 5' nontranslated region. These processes are both mediated by eukaryotic initiation factor 4F (eIF4F), which consists of eIF4A (helicase), eIF4E (cap-binding protein), and eIF4G subunits. Here we present a functional analysis of eIF4F which defines the subunits and subunit domains necessary for its function in initiation mediated by the prototypical IRES element of encephalomyocarditis virus. In an initiation reaction reconstituted in vitro from purified translation components and lacking eIF4A and -4F, IRES-mediated initiation did not require the cap-binding protein eIF4E but was absolutely dependent on eIF4A and the central third of eIF4G. This central domain of eIF4G bound strongly and specifically to a structural element within the encephalomyocarditis virus IRES upstream of the initiation codon in an ATP-independent manner and with the same specificity as eIF4F. The carboxy-terminal third of eIF4G did not bind to the IRES. The central domain of eIF4G was itself UV cross-linked to the IRES and strongly stimulated UV cross-linking of eIF4A to the IRES in conjunction with either eIF4B or with the carboxy-terminal third of eIF4G.


2004 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. 1565-1569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Royall ◽  
Kathryn E. Woolaway ◽  
Jens Schacherl ◽  
Stefan Kubick ◽  
Graham J. Belsham ◽  
...  

Cap-independent internal initiation of translation occurs on a number of viral and cellular mRNAs and is directed by internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements. Rhopalosiphum padi virus (RhPV) is a member of the Dicistroviridae. These viruses have single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genomes that contain two open reading frames, both preceded by IRES elements. Previously, the activity of the RhPV 5′ UTR IRES has been demonstrated in mammalian, Drosophila and wheat germ in vitro translation systems. It is now shown that this IRES also functions within Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf21) cells which are widely used in the baculovirus expression system, and in a novel Sf21 cell-based lysate system. Inclusion of the RhPV IRES in a dicistronic reporter mRNA transcript increased translation of the second cistron 23-fold within Sf21 cells. In contrast, the encephalomyocarditis virus IRES was inactive in both systems. The RhPV IRES therefore has the potential to be utilized in insect cell expression systems.


2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 951-962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Licursi ◽  
Yumiko Komatsu ◽  
Theerawat Pongnopparat ◽  
Kensuke Hirasawa

Cap-dependent and internal ribosomal entry site (IRES)-mediated translation are regulated differently within cells. Viral IRES-mediated translation often remains active when cellular cap-dependent translation is severely impaired under cellular stresses induced by virus infection. To investigate how cellular stresses influence the efficiency of viral IRES-mediated translation, we used a bicistronic luciferase reporter construct harbouring IRES elements from the following viruses: encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) or human rhinovirus (HRV). NIH3T3 cells transfected with these bicistronic reporter constructs were subjected to different cellular stresses. Increased translation initiation was only observed under amino acid starvation when EMCV or FMDV IRES elements were present. To identify cellular mechanisms that promoted viral IRES-mediated translation, we tested the involvement of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein (4E-BP), general control non-depressed 2 (GCN2) and eukaryotic initiation factor 2B (eIF2B), as these are known to be modulated under amino acid starvation. Knockdown of 4E-BP1 impaired the promotion of EMCV and FMDV IRES-mediated translation under amino acid starvation, whereas GCN2 and eIF2B were not involved. To further investigate how 4E-BP1 regulates translation initiated by EMCV and FMDV IRES elements, we used a phosphoinositide kinase-3 inhibitor (LY294002), an mTOR inhibitor (Torin1) or leucine starvation to mimic 4E-BP1 dephosphorylation induced by amino acid starvation. 4E-BP1 dephosphorylation induced by the treatments was not sufficient to promote viral IRES-mediated translation. These results suggest that 4E-BP1 regulates EMCV and FMDV IRES-mediated translation under amino acid starvation, but not via its dephosphorylation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (22) ◽  
pp. 12619-12629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus K. Orlinger ◽  
Regina M. Kofler ◽  
Franz X. Heinz ◽  
Verena M. Hoenninger ◽  
Christian W. Mandl

ABSTRACT Flaviviruses have a positive-stranded RNA genome, which simultaneously serves as an mRNA for translation of the viral proteins. All of the structural and nonstructural proteins are translated from a cap-dependent cistron as a single polyprotein precursor. In an earlier study (K. K. Orlinger, V. M. Hoenninger, R. M. Kofler, and C. W. Mandl, J. Virol. 80:12197-12208, 2006), it was demonstrated that an artificial bicistronic flavivirus genome, TBEV-bc, in which the region coding for the viral surface glycoproteins prM and E from tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) had been removed from its natural context and inserted into the 3′ noncoding region under the control of an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) from encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) produces viable, infectious virus when cells are transfected with this RNA. The rates of RNA replication and infectious particle formation were significantly lower with TBEV-bc, however, than with wild-type TBEV. In this study, we have identified two types of mutations, selected by passage in BHK-21 cells, that enhance the growth properties of TBEV-bc. The first type occurred in the E protein, and these most likely increase the affinity of the virus for heparan sulfate on the cell surface. The second type occurred in the inserted EMCV IRES, in the oligo(A) loop of the J-K stem-loop structure, a binding site for the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G. These included single-nucleotide substitutions as well as insertions of additional adenines in this loop. An A-to-C substitution in the oligo(A) loop decreased the efficiency of the IRES itself but nevertheless resulted in improved rates of virus particle formation and overall replication efficiency. These results demonstrate the need for proper balance in the competition for free template RNA between the viral RNA replication machinery and the cellular translation machinery at the two different start sites and also identify specific target sites for the improvement of bicistronic flavivirus expression vectors.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document