scholarly journals TOP mRNPs: Molecular Mechanisms and Principles of Regulation

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Cockman ◽  
Paul Anderson ◽  
Pavel Ivanov

The cellular response to changes in the surrounding environment and to stress requires the coregulation of gene networks aiming to conserve energy and resources. This is often achieved by downregulating protein synthesis. The 5’ Terminal OligoPyrimidine (5’ TOP) motif-containing mRNAs, which encode proteins that are essential for protein synthesis, are the primary targets of translational control under stress. The TOP motif is a cis-regulatory RNA element that begins directly after the m7G cap structure and contains the hallmark invariant 5’-cytidine followed by an uninterrupted tract of 4–15 pyrimidines. Regulation of translation via the TOP motif coordinates global protein synthesis with simultaneous co-expression of the protein components required for ribosome biogenesis. In this review, we discuss architecture of TOP mRNA-containing ribonucleoprotein complexes, the principles of their assembly, and the modes of regulation of TOP mRNA translation.

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 3757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sivakumar Vadivel Gnanasundram ◽  
Robin Fåhraeus

Ribosome and protein synthesis are major metabolic events that control cellular growth and proliferation. Impairment in ribosome biogenesis pathways and mRNA translation is associated with pathologies such as cancer and developmental disorders. Processes that control global protein synthesis are tightly regulated at different levels by numerous factors and linked with multiple cellular signaling pathways. Several of these merge on the growth promoting factor c-Myc, which induces ribosome biogenesis by stimulating Pol I, Pol II, and Pol III transcription. However, how cells sense and respond to mRNA translation stress is not well understood. It was more recently shown that mRNA translation stress activates c-Myc, through a specific induction of E2F1 synthesis via a PI3Kδ-dependent pathway. This review focuses on how this novel feedback pathway stimulates cellular growth and proliferation pathways to synchronize protein synthesis with ribosome biogenesis. It also describes for the first time the oncogenic activity of the mRNA, and not the encoded protein.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6650
Author(s):  
Usha Kabilan ◽  
Tyson E. Graber ◽  
Tommy Alain ◽  
Dmitry Klokov

Protein synthesis, or mRNA translation, is one of the most energy-consuming functions in cells. Translation of mRNA into proteins is thus highly regulated by and integrated with upstream and downstream signaling pathways, dependent on various transacting proteins and cis-acting elements within the substrate mRNAs. Under conditions of stress, such as exposure to ionizing radiation, regulatory mechanisms reprogram protein synthesis to translate mRNAs encoding proteins that ensure proper cellular responses. Interestingly, beneficial responses to low-dose radiation exposure, known as radiation hormesis, have been described in several models, but the molecular mechanisms behind this phenomenon are largely unknown. In this review, we explore how differences in cellular responses to high- vs. low-dose ionizing radiation are realized through the modulation of molecular pathways with a particular emphasis on the regulation of mRNA translation control.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godfrey Grech ◽  
Marieke von Lindern

Organisation of RNAs into functional subgroups that are translated in response to extrinsic and intrinsic factors underlines a relatively unexplored gene expression modulation that drives cell fate in the same manner as regulation of the transcriptome by transcription factors. Recent studies on the molecular mechanisms of inflammatory responses and haematological disorders indicate clearly that the regulation of mRNA translation at the level of translation initiation, mRNA stability, and protein isoform synthesis is implicated in the tight regulation of gene expression. This paper outlines how these posttranscriptional control mechanisms, including control at the level of translation initiation factors and the role of RNA binding proteins, affect hematopoiesis. The clinical relevance of these mechanisms in haematological disorders indicates clearly the potential therapeutic implications and the need of molecular tools that allow measurement at the level of translational control. Although the importance of miRNAs in translation control is well recognised and studied extensively, this paper will exclude detailed account of this level of control.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Iglesias-Pedraz ◽  
Diego Matia Fossatti Jara ◽  
Valeria Del Carmen Valle-Riestra Felice ◽  
Sergio Rafael Cruz Visalaya ◽  
Jose Antonio Ayala Felix ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundThe Werner syndrome protein (WRN) belongs to the RecQ family of helicases and its loss of function results in the premature aging disease Werner syndrome (WS). We previously demonstrated that an early cellular change induced by WRN depletion is a posttranscriptional decrease in the levels of enzymes involved in metabolic pathways that control macromolecular synthesis and protect from oxidative stress. This metabolic shift is tolerated by normal cells but causes mitochondria dysfunction and acute oxidative stress in rapidly growing cancer cells, thereby suppressing their proliferation.Results To identify the mechanism underlying this metabolic shift, we examined global protein synthesis and mRNA nucleocytoplasmic distribution after WRN knockdown. We determined that WRN depletion in HeLa cells attenuates global protein synthesis without affecting the level of key components of the mRNA export machinery. We further observed that WRN depletion affects the nuclear export of mRNAs and demonstrated that WRN directly interacts with mRNA and the mRNA export receptor Nuclear Export Factor 1 (NXF1).Conclusions Our findings suggest that WRN influences the export of mRNAs from the nucleus through its interaction with the NXF1 export receptor thereby affecting cellular proteostasis. In summary, we identified a new partner and a novel function of WRN, which is especially important for the proliferation of cancer cells.


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.


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep Ojha ◽  
Sulochan Malla ◽  
Shawn M. Lyons

Ribosomes are perhaps the most critical macromolecular machine as they are tasked with carrying out protein synthesis in cells. They are incredibly complex structures composed of protein components and heavily chemically modified RNAs. The task of assembling mature ribosomes from their component parts consumes a massive amount of energy and requires greater than 200 assembly factors. Among the most critical of these are small nucleolar ribonucleoproteins (snoRNPs). These are small RNAs complexed with diverse sets of proteins. As suggested by their name, they localize to the nucleolus, the site of ribosome biogenesis. There, they facilitate multiple roles in ribosomes biogenesis, such as pseudouridylation and 2′-O-methylation of ribosomal (r)RNA, guiding pre-rRNA processing, and acting as molecular chaperones. Here, we reviewed their activity in promoting the assembly of ribosomes in eukaryotes with regards to chemical modification and pre-rRNA processing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 855-869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huili Guo

The control of translation is increasingly recognized as a major factor in determining protein levels in the cell. The ribosome — the cellular machine that mediates protein synthesis — is typically seen as a key, but invariant, player in this process. This is because translational control is thought to be mediated by other auxiliary factors while ribosome recruitment is seen as the end-point of regulation. However, recent developments have made it clear that heterogeneous ribosome types can exist in different tissues, and more importantly, that these ribosomes can preferentially translate different subsets of mRNAs. In so doing, heterogeneous ribosomes could be key regulatory players in differentiation and development. Here, we examine current evidence for the existence of different ribosome types and how they might arise. In particular, we will take a close look at the mechanisms through which these ribosomes might mediate selective mRNA translation. We also summarize recently developed techniques/approaches that will aid in our understanding of the functions of such specialized ribosomes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 3847-3858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-Chih Lai ◽  
Yan-Hwa Wu Lee ◽  
Woan-Yuh Tarn

Nuclear export of mRNA is tightly linked to transcription, nuclear mRNA processing, and subsequent maturation in the cytoplasm. Tip-associated protein (TAP) is the major nuclear mRNA export receptor, and it acts coordinately with various factors involved in mRNA expression. We screened for protein factors that associate with TAP and identified several candidates, including RNA helicase DDX3. We demonstrate that DDX3 directly interacts with TAP and that its association with TAP as well as mRNA ribonucleoprotein complexes may occur in the nucleus. Depletion of TAP resulted in nuclear accumulation of DDX3, suggesting that DDX3 is, at least in part, exported along with messenger ribonucleoproteins to the cytoplasm via the TAP-mediated pathway. Moreover, the observation that DDX3 localizes transiently in cytoplasmic stress granules under cell stress conditions suggests a role for DDX3 in translational control. Indeed, DDX3 associates with translation initiation complexes. However, DDX3 is probably not critical for general mRNA translation but may instead promote efficient translation of mRNAs containing a long or structured 5′ untranslated region. Given that the DDX3 RNA helicase activity is essential for its involvement in translation, we suggest that DDX3 facilitates translation by resolving secondary structures of the 5′-untranslated region in mRNAs during ribosome scanning.


Author(s):  
David Holthaus ◽  
Andri Vasou ◽  
Connor G. G. Bamford ◽  
Jelena Andrejeva ◽  
Christina Paulus ◽  
...  

AbstractInterferons (IFNs), produced during viral infections, induce the expression of hundreds of IFN- stimulated genes (ISGs). Some ISGs have specific antiviral activity while others regulate the cellular response. Besides functioning as an antiviral effector, IFN-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) is a negative regulator of IFN signalling and inherited ISG15-deficiency leads to autoinflammatory interferonopathies where individuals exhibit elevated ISG expression in the absence of pathogenic infection. We have recapitulated these effects in cultured human A549-ISG15-/- cells and (using A549-UBA7-/- cells) confirmed that posttranslational modification by ISG15 (ISGylation) is not required for regulation of the type-I IFN response. ISG15-deficient cells pre-treated with IFN-α were resistant to paramyxovirus infection. We also showed that IFN-α treatment of ISG15-deficient cells led to significant inhibition of global protein synthesis leading us to ask whether resistance was due to the direct antiviral activity of ISGs or whether cells were non-permissive due to translation defects. We took advantage of the knowledge that IFN-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 1 (IFIT1) is the principal antiviral ISG for parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5). Knockdown of IFIT1 restored PIV5 infection in IFN-α-pre-treated ISG15-deficient cells, confirming that resistance was due to the direct antiviral activity of the IFN response. However, resistance could be induced if cells were pre-treated with IFN-α for longer times, presumably due to inhibition of protein synthesis. These data show that the cause of virus resistance is two-fold; ISG15-deficiency leads to the ‘early’ over-expression of specific antiviral ISGs, but the later response is dominated by an unanticipated, ISG15- dependent, loss of translational control.Key pointsCell culture model of ISG15-deficiency replicate findings in ISG15-/- patient cellsCause of resistance in ISG15-/- cells differs depending on duration of IFN treatmentISG15-/- patients without serious viral disease don’t prove ISGylation is unimportant


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. P. Kusnadi ◽  
A. S. Trigos ◽  
C. Cullinane ◽  
D. L. Goode ◽  
O. Larsson ◽  
...  

AbstractElevated ribosome biogenesis in oncogene-driven cancers is commonly targeted by DNA-damaging cytotoxic drugs. Our first-in-human trial of CX-5461, a novel, less genotoxic agent that specifically inhibits ribosome biogenesis via suppression of RNA Polymerase I (Pol I) transcription, revealed single agent efficacy in refractory blood cancers. Despite this clinical response, patients were not cured. In parallel, we demonstrated a marked improvement in the in vivo efficacy of CX-5461 in combination with PI3K/AKT/mTORC1 pathway inhibitors. Here we show that this improved efficacy is associated with specific suppression of translation of mRNAs encoding regulators of cellular metabolism. Importantly, acquired resistance to this co-treatment is driven by translational re-wiring that results in dysregulated cellular metabolism and induction of a cAMP-dependent pathway critical for the survival of blood cancers including lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia. Our studies identify the molecular mechanisms underpinning the response of blood cancers to selective ribosome biogenesis inhibitors and identify metabolic vulnerabilities that will facilitate the rational design of more effective regimens for Pol I-directed therapies.


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