ABSTRACT: Accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR), which results in the increased phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor, eIF2a, and widespread translational repression. Protein synthesis is subsequently restored following the stress-induced transcriptional upregulation of GADD34 (growth arrest and DNA damage transcript 34) protein, a regulator of an eIF2a phosphatase. Genome-wide ribosome foot-printing in WT and GADD34-/- MEFs established that GADD34 mRNA is translated in unstressed cells and identified numerous mRNAs, whose translation was dependent on GADD34 even in the absence of ER stress. Following UPR activation, temporal analyses showed that the translational profile in GADD34-/- MEFs was stalled, displaying a pattern that mirrors the early response to UPR in WT MEFs. Basal GADD34 expression is also required for de-repression of translation and displacement of ER-bound polysomes that occur in early UPR. Thus, the overall UPR response is delayed in the GADD34-/- MEFs, gradually recovering as CReP expression increased. These studies reveal a critical role for basal GADD34 in the propagation of UPR signals in MEFs and mice and suggest that delayed UPR signaling protects GADD34-/- mice from tunicamycin-induced renal toxicity.
Project description:Disruptions of protein homeostasis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) elicit activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), a translation- and transcription-coupled proteostatic stress response pathway. The primary translational control arm of the UPR is initiated by the PERK-dependent phosphorylation of eIF2α, leading to a large-scale reprogramming of translation and subsequent activation of an ATF4-mediated transcriptional program. It has remained challenging, however, to accurately evaluate the contribution of each component of the eIF2α/ATF4 pathway to the remodelling of transcription and translation. Here, we have used mouse embryonic fibroblasts containing either a knock-in of the non-phosphorylatable eIF2α S51A mutant or knock-out for ATF4 by ribosome profiling and mRNA-seq to define the specific contributions of eIF2α phosphoryation and ATF4 in controlling the translational and transcriptional components of the UPR. These studies show that the transcriptional and translational targets of each P-eIF2α, ATF4, and the other UPR gene expression programs overlapped extensively, leading to a core set of UPR genes whose robust expression in response to ER stress is driven by multiple mechanisms. The identification of other, more factor-specific targets illustrated the potential for functional specialization of the UPR. As the UPR progressed temporally, cells employed distinct combinations of transcriptional and translational mechanisms, initiated by different factors, to adapt to ongoing stress. These effects were accompanied by a buffering effect where changes in mRNA levels were coupled to opposing changes in ribosome loading, a property which makes cooperation between transcription and translation essential to confer robust protein expression. Translational analysis by ribosome profiling and mRNA-seq of PERK pathways mutants during the UPR. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) lacking components of the PERK pathway (eIF2a phosphorylation and ATF4) were subjected to ER stress and analyzed by ribosome profiling.
Project description:Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced unfolded protein response (UPR) helps decide b cell survival in diabetes. The alternative eukaryotic initiation factor 2A (EIF2A) has been proposed to mediate EIF2S1-independent translation during cellular stress and viral infection, but its role in b cells is unknown. EIF2A abundance is high in human and mouse islets relative to other tissues, and both thapsigargin and palmitate significantly increased EIF2A mRNA and EIF2A protein levels in MIN6 cells, mouse islets and human islets. Knockdowns of EIF2A, the related factor EIF2D, or both EIF2A and EIF2D, were not sufficient to cause apoptosis. On the other hand, transient or stable EIF2A over-expression protected MIN6 cells, primary mouse islets, and human islets from ER stress-induced, caspase-3-dependent apoptosis. Mechanistically, EIF2A overexpression decreased ERN1 (also known as IRE1a) expression in thapsigargin-treated MIN6 cells or human islets. In vivo, b cell specific EIF2A viral overexpression reduced ER stress, improved insulin signaling, and abrogated hyperglycemia in Ins2Akita/WT mice. EIF2A overexpression significantly increased expression of genes involved protein translation and reduced expression of pro-apoptotic genes (e.g. ALDH1A3). Remarkably, the decrease in global protein synthesis during UPR was prevented by EIF2A, despite ER stress-induced EIF2S1 phosphorylation. The protective effects of EIF2A were additive to those of ISRIB, a drug that counteracts the effects of EIF2S1 phosphorylation. Cells overexpressing EIF2A showed higher expression of translation factor EIF2B5, which may contribute to the lack of translational inhibition in these cells. We conclude that EIF2A is a novel target for b cell protection and the circumvention of EIF2S1-mediated translational repression.
Project description:The major heat shock protein Hsp70 has been shown to form a complex with a scaffold protein Bag3, linking it to multiple signaling pathways. Via these interactions, the Hsp70-Bag3 module functions as a proteotoxicity sensor that controls cell signaling. Here, as a tool to identify signaling pathways regulated by this complex, we utilized JG-98, an allosteric inhibitor of Hsp70 that blocks its interaction with Bag3. Gene expression profiling followed by the pathway analysis indicated that a set of signaling pathways including the unfolded protein response (UPR) was activated by JG-98. Surprisingly, only the translation initiation factor eIF2a-associated branch of the UPR was activated under these conditions, while other UPR branches mediating induction of ER chaperones were not induced, suggesting that the response was not related to ER proteotoxicity and thus to ER-associated kinase PERK1. Indeed, induction of the UPR genes under these conditions was dependent on activation of a distinct cytoplasmic eIF2a kinase, HRI. We demonstrated that the Hsp70-Bag3 complex directly interacted with HRI and regulated phosphorylation of eIF2a upon induction of cytoplasmic proteotoxicity. Therefore, we uncovered a novel signaling response, which regulates cell death upon the buildup of abnormal protein species in cytoplasm via an Hsp70-Bag3-HRI-eIF2a axis.
Project description:The cellular stress response triggers a cascade of events leading to transcriptional reprogramming and a transient inhibition of global protein synthesis, which is thought to be mediated by phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor-2α (eIF2α). Using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and the fission yeast S. pombe, we report that rapid translational arrest and cell survival in response to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress do not rely on eIF2a kinases and eIF2a phosphorylation. Rather H2O2 induces a block in elongation through phosphorylation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2). Kinetic and dose-response analyses uncovered crosstalk between the eIF2a and eEF2 phosphorylation pathways, indicating that, in MEFs, eEF2 phosphorylation initiates the acute shutdown in translation, which is maintained by eIF2a phosphorylation. Our results challenge the common conception that eIF2a phosphorylation is the primary trigger of translational arrest in response to oxidative stress and point to integrated control that may facilitate the survival of cancer cells.
Project description:Disruptions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that perturb protein folding cause ER stress and elicit an unfolded protein response (UPR) that involves translational and transcriptional changes in gene expression aimed at expanding the ER processing capacity and alleviating cellular injury. Three ER stress sensors PERK, ATF6, and IRE1 implement the UPR. PERK phosphorylation of eIF2 during ER stress represses protein synthesis, which prevents further influx of ER client proteins, along with preferential translation of ATF4, a transcription activator of the integrated stress response. In this study we show that the PERK/eIF2α~P/ATF4 pathway is required not only for translational control, but also activation of ATF6 and its target genes. The PERK pathway facilitates both the synthesis of ATF6 and trafficking of ATF6 from the ER to the Golgi for intramembrane proteolysis and activation of ATF6. As a consequence, liver-specific depletion of PERK significantly reduces both the translational and transcriptional phases of the UPR, leading to reduced protein chaperone expression, disruptions of lipid metabolism, and enhanced apoptosis. These findings show that the regulatory networks of the UPR are fully integrated, and helps explain the diverse pathologies associated with loss of PERK. 14 gene expression arrays, 3 WT control arrays; 3 lsPERK control arrays; 4 WT Treated arrays; 4 lsPERK treated arrays. Comparison of gene expression profiles for treated vs control in wildtype and knock-out.
Project description:Integrated Stress Response (ISR) is a homeostatic mechanism induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. With acute/transient ER stress, decreased global protein synthesis and increased uORF mRNA translation are followed by translation normalization. Here, we report a dramatically different response during more physiologically relevant chronic ER stress. This unique ISR program is characterized by persistently elevated uORF mRNA translation and concurrent gene expression reprogramming, which permits simultaneous stress sensing and proteostasis. PERK-dependent switching from eIF4F/eIF2B- to eIF3D/GADD34-regulated translation initiation results in partial but not complete translation recovery, and together with transcriptional reprogramming, selectively bolsters expression of proteins with ER functions. Coordination of these transcriptional and translational changes prevents ER dysfunction and inhibits “foamy cell” development, thus establishing a molecular basis for understanding human diseases associated with ER dysfunction.
Project description:Disruption of protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum triggers the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), a transcriptional and translational control network designed to restore protein homeostasis. Central to the UPR is PERK phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eIF2 (eIF2~P), which represses global translation coincident with preferential translation of mRNAs, such as ATF4 and CHOP, that serve to implement the UPR transcriptional regulation. In this study, we used sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation and a genome-wide microarray approach to measure changes in mRNA translation during ER stress. Our analysis suggests that translational efficiencies vary across a broad range during ER stress, with the majority of transcripts being either repressed or resistant to eIF2~P, while a notable cohort of key regulators are subject to preferential translation. From this latter group, we identify IBTKa as being subject to both translation and transcriptional induction during eIF2~P in both cell lines and a mouse model of ER stress. Translational regulation of IBTKalpha mRNA involves the stress-induced relief of two inhibitory uORFs in the 5'-leader of the transcript. Depletion of IBTKalpha by shRNA reduced viability of cultured cells coincident with increased caspase 3/7 cleavage, suggesting that IBTKalpha is a key regulator in determining cell fate during the UPR. We used a genome-wide microarray approach to determine how individual mRNAs were differentially translated during endoplasmic reticulum stress. A microarray analysis from our laboratory identified gene transcripts suggested to be under translation control in mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells following a 6 hour treatment with thapsigargin, a potent inducer of ER stress, or no stress. The mRNAs were separated by sucrose gradient analyses to yield three fractions, those transcripts associated with large polysomes (?4 ribosomes per mRNA), those associated with monosome, disomes, or trisomes, and those fractionated at the top of the gradient with free ribosomes. RNA was extracted from sucrose gradients corresponding to these fractions and hybridized on Affymetrix microarrays. In parallel, we also measured total levels for each gene transcript in the presence or absence of thapsigargin treatment to address transcription regulation coincident with translational control. Please note that the treatment plus fractionation based on association with different numbers of ribosomes did yield different populations of mRNAs, which resulted in considerable variation in normalized data across the samples.
Project description:The molecular mechanisms linking the stress of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress) to glucose intolerance in obese animals are poorly understood. In this study enforced expression of a translation initiation 2alpha (eIF2a)-specific phosphatase, GADD34, was used to selectively compromise signaling in the eIF2(αP)-dependent arm of the ER unfolded protein response in liver of transgenic mice. The transgene resulted in lower liver glycogen levels and susceptibility to fasting hypoglycemia in lean mice and glucose tolerance and diminished hepato-steatosis in animals fed a high fat diet. Attenuated eIF2(aP) correlated with lower expression of the adipogenic nuclear receptor PPARgamma and its upstream regulators, the transcription factors C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta, in transgenic mouse liver, whereas eIF2alpha phosphorylation promoted C/EBP translation in cultured cells and primary hepatocytes. These observations suggest that eIF2(aP)-mediated translation of key hepatic transcriptional regulators of intermediary metabolism contributes to the detrimental consequences of nutrient excess. Keywords: genotype comparison
Project description:Disruption of protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum triggers the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), a transcriptional and translational control network designed to restore protein homeostasis. Central to the UPR is PERK phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eIF2 (eIF2~P), which represses global translation coincident with preferential translation of mRNAs, such as ATF4 and CHOP, that serve to implement the UPR transcriptional regulation. In this study, we used sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation and a genome-wide microarray approach to measure changes in mRNA translation during ER stress. Our analysis suggests that translational efficiencies vary across a broad range during ER stress, with the majority of transcripts being either repressed or resistant to eIF2~P, while a notable cohort of key regulators are subject to preferential translation. From this latter group, we identify IBTKa as being subject to both translation and transcriptional induction during eIF2~P in both cell lines and a mouse model of ER stress. Translational regulation of IBTKalpha mRNA involves the stress-induced relief of two inhibitory uORFs in the 5'-leader of the transcript. Depletion of IBTKalpha by shRNA reduced viability of cultured cells coincident with increased caspase 3/7 cleavage, suggesting that IBTKalpha is a key regulator in determining cell fate during the UPR. We used a genome-wide microarray approach to determine how individual mRNAs were differentially translated during endoplasmic reticulum stress.
Project description:Disruptions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that perturb protein folding cause ER stress and elicit an unfolded protein response (UPR) that involves translational and transcriptional changes in gene expression aimed at expanding the ER processing capacity and alleviating cellular injury. Three ER stress sensors PERK, ATF6, and IRE1 implement the UPR. PERK phosphorylation of eIF2 during ER stress represses protein synthesis, which prevents further influx of ER client proteins, along with preferential translation of ATF4, a transcription activator of the integrated stress response. In this study we show that the PERK/eIF2α~P/ATF4 pathway is required not only for translational control, but also activation of ATF6 and its target genes. The PERK pathway facilitates both the synthesis of ATF6 and trafficking of ATF6 from the ER to the Golgi for intramembrane proteolysis and activation of ATF6. As a consequence, liver-specific depletion of PERK significantly reduces both the translational and transcriptional phases of the UPR, leading to reduced protein chaperone expression, disruptions of lipid metabolism, and enhanced apoptosis. These findings show that the regulatory networks of the UPR are fully integrated, and helps explain the diverse pathologies associated with loss of PERK.