Relation between the activity of poly(A)polymerase and the levels of protein synthesis in the lymphocytes of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The activity levels of the enzyme poly(A)polymerase and the levels of protein synthesis primed by endogenous messenger RNA (mRNA) as well as polyuridylic acid, poly(U) directed polyphenylalanine synthesis, were determined in lymphocytic extracts from 17 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia of the B cell type. The enzyme activity values have not been found to correlate with the poly(U)-protein synthesis, whereas a positive linear correlation has been established between the activity levels of poly(A)polymerase and the endogenous mRNA-primed protein synthesis (r = 0.735, p less than 0.01). This difference between exogenously and endogenously primed protein synthesis in concern with poly(A)polymerase is discussed.     

Interaction of arginine with the ribosomal peptidyl transferase centre.

Arginine inhibits the formation of acetylleucyl-puromycin from C(U)-A-C-C-A-LeuAc and puromycin ('fragment reaction'), catalized by Escherichia coli and yeast ribosomes. From 18 different L-amino acids assayed, arginine was the most effective in producing inhibition (50% inhibition at 20 mM, with 1 mM puromycin). L-Argininamide and D-arginine gave about the same inhibition as L-arginine. The inhibition by L-arginine is competitive with respect to puromycin. The plot of the slopes obtained in a Lineweaver and Burk representation versus [Arg]2, and the plot of 1/v versus [Arg]2 at a fixed concentration of puromycin, are linear, which seems to indicate that two arginine molecules must interact at the puromycin binding site to produce inhibition. In addition to the 'fragment reaction', arginine inhibits the non-enzymatic binding of AcPhe-tRNA, C(U)-A-C-C-A-Leu and C(U)-A-C-C-A-LeuAc to ribosomes. However, it does not inhibit poly(U)-directed polyphenylalanine synthesis or the reaction of puromycin with AcPhe-tRNA previously bound to the peptidyl site. The results agree with arginine binding to the acceptor site, and with a sequential mechanism for the 'fragment reaction', puromycin binding first.     

Peptidyl transferase substrate activity and inhibition of protein biosynthesis by a hydrophilic-aminoacyl analogue of puromycin.

A puromycin analogue possessing a hydrophilic amino acid, 3′-N-[S-(6-hydroxyhexyl)-$\text{L}$-cysteinyl]puromycin aminonucleoside, has been prepared and examined as a substrate for ribosomal peptidyl transferase. Kinetic studies indicate that this non-aromatic aminoacyl analogue is 95.6% as efficient as the parent antibiotic in the transpeptidation reaction. In addition, the analogue is an effective inhibitor of poly (U) and poly (U,C) directed protein synthesis in an $\text{Escherichia coli}$ cell free system.     

The peptidyltransferase center of Escherichia coli ribosomes: Binding sites for the cytidine 3′-phosphate residues of the aminoacyl-tRNA 3′-terminus and the interrelationships between the acceptor and donor sites

The substrate specificity of the acceptor site of peptidyltransferase of Escherichia coli 70 S ribosomes was investigated in Ac-Phe-tRNA·poly(U)·70 S ribosome (system A) and tRNA^Phe·poly(U)·C-A-C-C-A-Phe·70 S ribosome (system B) systems by using C-C-A-Gly, C-C-A-Phe, C-A-Gly and C-A-Phe as analogs of the 3′-terminus of aminoacyl-tRNA. It was found that an addition of C_p residue to C-A-Gly and C-A-Phe resulted in an increase of the acceptor activity in system A; the increase is more remarkable for C-A-Gly than for C-A-Phe, while the acceptor activities of C-C-A-Gly and C-C-A-Phe are roughly similar. On the other hand, dramatically increased binding affinities of C-C-A-Phe and C-C-A-Gly relative to C-A-Phe and C-A-Gly for the A site of peptidyltransferase were observed in system B using an inhibition assay; C-C-A-Phe binds much more strongly than C-C-A-Gly. The results indicate the important role of the third C_p residue and the aminoacyl moiety of the 3′-terminus of aminoacyl-tRNA in the interaction with the acceptor site of peptidyltransferase, as well as the existence of cooperative effects between A and P sites of peptidyltransferase. These effects, depending on an occupancy of P site, may significantly influence the specificity of the peptidyltransferase A site.     

Testing with puromycin and amino acyl tRNAs that limit the rate of peptide chain extension.

With puromycin one can recognize when the synthesis of a given protein is dependent on amino acyl tRNA that is present in rate limiting amount. We demonstrate this use of puromycin by its interaction with another inhibitor, L-o-methylthreonine. L-o-methylthreonine lowers the Ile-tRNA concentration in the cell, thereby inhibiting synthesis of proteins containing isoleucine. In certain rabbits, the alpha hemoglobin chain has three isoleucyl residues and the beta chain none. L-o-methylthreonine thus inhibits alpha globin synthesis in intact reticulocytes from these rabbits. When puromycin and L-o-methylthreonine are used together, the two inhibitors synergize in inhibiting alpha globin synthesis. Hence, puromycin is a more effective inhibitor when the Ile-tRNA concentration is lowered. Cycloheximide and sodium fluoride have different modes of action from puromycin. Neither synergizes with L-o-methylthreonine; instead, the interaction is less than additive. We have found that beta chain synthesis in rabbit reticulocytes is more sensitive than alpha to inhibition by puromycin. This difference could reflect either differences in amino acid sequence or tRNA dependent limitations of beta chain elongation. The switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin in humans does not involve changes in limiting amino acyl tRNA because, for cord blood from infants of different developmental ages, the puromycin sensitivity of incorporation into gamma and beta chains remains constant.     

Stability of histone mRNAs is related to their location in polysomes

Synthesis of histone mRNAs is closely coupled to DNA synthesis. Following inhibition of DNA synthesis in L6 myoblasts with cytosine arabinoside, a coordinate and exaggerated rate of degradation of histone mRNAs occurs while other mRNAs, encoding ribosomal protein L32 and actin, are unaffected. Inhibition of protein synthesis by puromycin, emetine, or cycloheximide stabilizes histone mRNAs and results in their accumulation. When inhibition of DNA synthesis was followed immediately by inhibition of protein synthesis, the exaggerated rate of decay of the existing subspecies of histone H4 mRNAs was prevented and histone mRNA accumulated. If inhibition of protein synthesis was delayed longer than 3 minutes following inhibition of DNA synthesis, the ability to accumulate H4 mRNAs was lost. Furthermore, new protein synthesis was required to activate the mechanism which specifically destabilized histone mRNA. Puromycin was able to prevent the exaggerated rate of degradation of the various subspecies of H4 mRNA when added up to 15 min after inhibition of DNA synthesis, whereas emetine was effective only when added up to 5 min following inhibition of DNA synthesis. These data suggest that histone H4 mRNAs in polysomes are better targets than those released from polysomes for the specific mechanism which destabilizes histone mRNAs upon inhibition of DNA synthesis.     

Effects on protein synthesis of injecting synthetic polyribonucleotides into living cells

Micro-injection into the oocytes and eggs of Xenopus laevis was used to ascertain the effects of synthetic polyribonucleotides on protein synthesis in living cells. Poly(U) and poly(A) were not translated detectably, nor did they change the rate of endogenous protein synthesis. The same was true of poly(G,U), poly(A,G,U), poly(A,C,G,U), G-U-G-(U)(n), A-(U)(n) and AUG. In contrast, A-U-G-(U)(n) was a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis in the cell. This might be because it is initiated normally but lacks a termination codon, or because it inhibits the translation of other molecules in some way not dependent on its normal initiation. Poly(G,U), poly(A,G,U) and poly(A,C,G,U) inhibited haemoglobin synthesis when they were injected into the oocyte with haemoglobin mRNA. The synthetic polyribonucleotides did not inhibit the translation of the natural mRNA when the two sorts of molecules were injected at different times. It is suggested that the synthetic RNA molecules compete with the natural mRNA for a pre-initiation factor in limited supply.     

TRANSCRIPTIONAL CONTROL OF PROTEIN SYNTHISIS IN THE DEVELOPING OVARIES OF BOMBYX MORI*

Amino acid incorporation was studied with cell-free extracts and ribosomes prepared from pupal ovaries at different ages of Bombyx mori. Poly(U)-directed ³H-phenylalanine incorporation attained a maximum rate at a certain stage of development, but soon dropped to a low level and was replaced by ³H-leucine incorporation, which was due to endogenous mRNA. The latter incorporation occurred at the stage when actual protein synthesis takes place in the ovaries. “Run-off” of the ribosomes which had a high endogenous activity resulted in an enhancement of the poly(U)-dependent activity. The results indicate that the protein synthesis in the ovary is mainly controlled at the level of mRNA. This was further supported by the fact that the relative amount of an ovarian poly(A)-containing “mRNA” fraction increased in parallel with the endogenous activity.     

Rapid increase in poly(A) (+) mRNA content following inhibition of protein synthesis

When resting 3T6 cells undergo a serum-induced transition to the growing state, the cytoplasmic content of ribosomal, transfer and messenger RNA increase as the cells prepare for DNA synthesis. The normal linear increase in mRNA content occurs even when the production of ribosomes is blocked. In this paper we determine the effect of inhibiting protein synthesis on the increase in poly(A) (+) mRNA content. Resting cells were serum stimulated in the presence of cycloheximide or puromycin at levels which inhibit protein synthesis by greater than 95%. Cytoplasmic poly(A) (+) mRNA content was determined at various times thereafter. We found that mRNA content increased five to ten times more rapidly in drug treated cells than in control cells stimulated in the absence of inhibitors. mRNA content increased 50–70% by one hour, and 60–90% by two hours following stimulation in the presence of inhibitor, and remained more or less constant thereafter. In contrast, mRNA content increased linearly in control stimulated cultures and did not double until about 15 hours after stimulation. The rapid increase in mRNA content is most likely the result of inhibition of protein synthesis rather than a secondary effect of the drug since the same observations were made in growth stimulated cells if protein synthesis was blocked with either puromycin or cycloheximide. A similar effect was also observed with resting 3T6, exponentially growing 3T6 and growing HeLa cells following exposure to cycloheximide, although the magnitude of the increase was less than that observed with growth stimulated cells. Puromycin had negligible effect on mRNA content in resting or exponentially growing cells. The rapid increase in cytoplasmic poly(A) (+) mRNA content was not due to rapid unbalanced export of nuclear poly(A) (+) RNA into the cytoplasm since there was no decrease in nuclear poly(A) content following serum stimulation in the presence of cycloheximide.     

Regulation of human natural killing. III. Mechanism for interferon induction of loss of susceptibility to suppression by cyclic AMP elevating agents

In this study we demonstrated that human NK cells activated by IFN or poly I:C were partially resistant to suppression by PGE2, PGD2, PGA2, PGI2, dibutyryl cAMP, isoproterenol, and theophylline. This partial loss of inhibition was not due to endogenous PG production because the addition of indomethacin to cultures stimulated with IFN or poly I:C did not prevent the partial loss of sensitivity to PGE2. NK cells incubated in the presence of PGE2 overnight, however, were not sensitive to inhibition. IFN or poly I:C did not stimulate PG synthesis nor elevate intracellular cAMP levels of NK cells. On the other hand, IFN or poly I:C diminished the accumulation of intracellular cAMP levels in NK cells in response to PGE2 stimulation. Dibutyryl cAMP and theophylline suppressed the cytolytic activity of the unstimulated cells more than that of the activated cells. A possible mechanism for the IFN-induced unresponsiveness to PGE2 may be a compartmentalized loss of cAMP responsiveness. Cycloheximide, puromycin, emetine, and actinomycin D blocked NK activation by IFN and poly I:C as well as the acquisition of resistance to PGE2-mediated suppression.     

Inhibition of cell-free protein synthesis by low-molecular-weight nuclear polyadenylate-containing ribonucleic acid species isolated from the lactating guinea pig.

1. Poly(A)-containing RNA was isolated from the nuclei of mammary gland, liver and brain of lactating guinea pigs. 2. Total nuclear poly(A)-containing RNA from mammary gland inhibited mRNA-directed protein synthesis by a wheat-germ cell-free system. It also inhibited the endogenous activity of the wheat-germ and other cell-free systems. It did not inhibit a wheat-germ cell-free system directed by poly(U). 3. Total nuclear poly(A)-containing RNA from liver and brain did not inhibit the mRNA-directed wheat-germ system. 4. Fractionation of the nuclear poly(A)-containing RNA revealed inhibitory activity in the less than 10 S fraction from mammary gland as well as that from liver and brain. 5. The mechanism of protein-synthesis inhibition appeared to be at the level of elongation. 6. The inhibitory activity could be reversed in a wheat-germ system by increasing the amount of S-30 supernatant. 7. The mechanism of inhibition of protein synthesis is discussed in relation to other RNA species known to inhibit such systems.     

Regulation of nuclear poly(A) addition controls the expression of immunoglobulin M secretory mRNA.

B-cell differentiation is accompanied by a dramatic increase in cytoplasmic accumulation and stability of the IgM heavy chain (mu) secretory mRNA. Despite considerable effort, the mechanism is unknown. We have identified three short motifs upstream of the secretory poly(A) site, which, when mutated in the mu heavy chain gene, significantly increase the accumulation of the secretory form of poly(A)(+) mRNA relative to the membrane form and regulate the expression of the secretory poly(A) site in a developmental manner. We show that these motifs bind U1A and inhibit polyadenylation in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of U1A in vivo results in the selective inhibition of the secretory form. Thus, this novel mechanism selectively controls post-cleavage expression of the mu secretory mRNA. We present evidence that this mechanism is used to regulate alternative expression of other genes.     

Collagen biosynthesis by cultured Chinese hamster lung cells. Cell-free synthesis of procollagen alpha chains.

Cell-free extracts from the HTl clone of cultured Chinese hamster lung cells efficiently promote the incorporation of proline into newly synthesized material, 50% of which is digestible to small peptides by highly purified bacterial collagenase. The synthesis of the these products occurs under optimal protein synthesis conditions and is inhibited by puromycin. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the cell-free synthesized material reveals a major collagenase sensitive peak (20% of the total product) at mol wt 165 000 which is reflected by a collagenase sensitive material of similar size in the culture medium. Two additional collagenase digestible species (mol wt 95000 and 65000), each having a corresponding secreted product, are generated by the cell-free system. These results are consistent with the concept that procollagen is formed by the association of three individually translated pro alphachains. The data further constitute the report of a highly active homologous cell-free system capable of pro alpha chain biosynthesis derived from a cultured cell line that is a practical source for pro alphachain biosynthesis derived from a cultured cell line that is a practical source for proalpha chain mRNA as well as a unique system for elucidating regulatory mechanisms involved in collagen biosynthesis.     

Functional modification of rat liver ribosomes by the in vitro action of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine

The mechanism by which N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) inhibits protein synthesis has been studied in a rat liver cell free system. Using preformed aminoacyl-tRNA it was observed that incorporation of amino acid into polyribosomal protein was inhibited in the presence of low concentration of MNNG. This inhibition was not reversed by increasing the concentration of soluble factors. Transfer RNAs modified previously by treatment with MNNG and subsequently esterified with amino acids were transferred to polyribosomes with the same efficiency as those species which were not modified. Polyribosomes, on the other hand, lost activity to incorporate amino acids after pretreatment with MNNG. This inactivation was dependent on the concentration of MNNG with which polyribosomes were treated. When poly(U) was used with MNNG-treated polyribosomes, its translation, after correction for endogenous translation, was also found to be significantly low as compared to the case with untreated polyribosomes. Purified ribosomes stripped of endogenous mRNA when treated with increasing concentrations of MNNG progressively lost ability to support polyphenylalanine synthesis programmed by poly(U). The treated ribosomes, however, neither inhibited the activity of control ribosomes nor induced any loss of fidelity of translation by poly(U). It is concluded that MNNG inhibits protein synthesis through functional inactivation of ribosomes resulting from direct modification of ribosomal proteins possibly involving nitroguanidination of lysine residues.     

Partial release of AcPhe-Phe-tRNA from ribosomes during poly(U)-dependent poly(Phe) synthesis and the effects of chloramphenicol

Poly(U)-programmed 70S ribosomes can be shown to be 80% to 100% active in binding the peptidyl-tRNA analogue AcPhe-tRNA to their A or P sites, respectively. Despite this fact, only a fraction of such ribosomes primed with AcPhe-tRNA participate in poly(U)-directed poly(Phe) synthesis (up to 65%) at 14 mM Mg2+ and 160 mM NH4+. Here it is demonstrated that the apparently 'inactive' ribosomes (greater than or equal to 35%) are able to participate in peptide-bond formation, but lose their nascent peptidyl-tRNA at the stage of Ac(Phe)n-tRNA, with n greater than or equal to 2. The relative loss of early peptidyl-tRNAs is largely independent of the degree of initial saturation with AcPhe-tRNA and is observed in a poly(A) system as well. This observation resolves a current controversy concerning the active fraction of ribosomes. The loss of Ac(Phe)n-tRNA is reduced but still significant if more physiological conditions for Ac(Phe)n synthesis are applied (3 mM Mg2+, 150 mM NH4+, 2 mM spermidine, 0.05 mM spermine). Chloramphenicol (0.1 mM) blocks the puromycin reaction with AcPhe-tRNA as expected but, surprisingly, does not affect the puromycin reaction with Ac(Phe)2-tRNA nor peptide bond formation between AcPhe-tRNA and Phe-tRNA. The drug facilitates the release of Ac(Phe)2-4-tRNA from ribosomes at 14 mM Mg2+ while it hardly affects the overall synthesis of poly(Phe) or poly(Lys).     

Contribution of polyadenylate sequences to the translational efficiency of globin messenger RNAs.

mRNAs from reticulocyte polysomes were fractionated by chromatography on poly(U)-Sepharose and thermal elution. The molar ratio of alpha- to beta-globin mRNA was found to be 2:1 and 1:1 respectively in short- and long-poly(A) size classes. Translational analyses indicated that the globin mRNAs containing long poly(A) tracts (with a mean length of about 70 nucleotides) directed protein synthesis with higher rates than did mRNA containing short poly(A) tracts (15-35 nucleotides). Experiments performed with sub-saturating mRNA concentrations showed that the digestion with RNAase H induced a decrease in the translational capacity of both globin mRNAs and an increase in the alpha- to beta-globin synthesis ratio. No correlation was observed between the size of the poly(A) tail in mRNA and the optimal K+ requirement for translation.     

Effect of the Inhibition of Protein Synthesis on the Establishment of Transformation by Polyoma Virus

Puromycin was used to study the effect of the inhibition of protein synthesis on transformation of hamster cells (BHK21) by polyoma virus. The drug was used at a concentration (10(-4)m) which caused in these cells a drastic but fully reversible inhibition of protein synthesis. A two- to threefold enhancement of transformation rate was obtained when the cells were exposed to puromycin for a period of 5 hr that started at the end of the virus adsorption period. No further enhancement was produced by prolonging puromycin treatment up to 13 hr after infection. The possibility that the observed effect on transformation rate could be mainly attributed to cell selection by puromycin was excluded. In addition, the relevance of a number of possible secondary effects of puromycin (inhibition of cell division, inhibition of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis, etc.) was also ruled out. The effect of puromycin on transformation appeared to be dependent on the time (relative to infection) of addition of the drug. In fact, no transformation enhancement was observed when the cells were exposed to puromycin prior to infection or beyond the 10th hr after infection. Since another drug known to affect protein synthesis (p-fluorophenylalanine) was also shown to produce similar effects, it is suggested that transformation enhancement results from the inhibition of protein synthesis during a sensitive period closely following adsorption of the virus.     

Effects of retinoic acid on protein synthesis in cultured melanoma cells

Retinoic acid reduces the growth rate of mouse S91 melanoma cells in culture and increases the proportion of cells in the G₁ phase of the cell cycle. Because of the integral role protein synthesis has been shown to play in growth control we studied the effect of retinoic acid on the protein synthesis machinery with a cell-free system developed from the melanoma cells. This system was capable of translating endogenous mRNA, exogenous globin mRNA, and the synthetic template poly(U). Of the above activities of the protein synthesis system only the translation of endogenous mRNA was reduced significantly in the cell-free system prepared from retinoic acid-treated cells. Analyses of the amount and function of RNA revealed that treatment with retinoic acid leads to reductions in total RNA content, in the proportion of ribosomes in polysomes, in the amount of poly(A)RNA, and in the amount of polysome-associated mRNA. All these effects of retinoic acid contribute to the decrease in protein synthesis activity of treated cells. Two-dimensional electrophoresis anlaysis of L-[³⁵S]methionine-labeled proteins produced by untreated and treated cells revealed only a few quantitative differences. We suggest that retinoic acid-induced suppression of protein synthesis activity may be the cause for growth inhibition.