The oncogenic RNA-binding protein Musashi1 is regulated by HuR via mRNA translation and stability in glioblastoma cells

Musashi1 (Msi1) is an evolutionarily conserved RNA-binding protein (RBP) that has profound implications in cellular processes such as stem cell maintenance, nervous system development, and tumorigenesis. Msi1 is highly expressed in many cancers, including glioblastoma, whereas in normal tissues, its expression is restricted to stem cells. Unfortunately, the factors that modulate Msi1 expression and trigger high levels in tumors are largely unknown. The Msi1 mRNA has a long 3' untranslated region (UTR) containing several AU- and U-rich sequences. This type of sequence motif is often targeted by HuR, another important RBP known to be highly expressed in tumor tissue such as glioblastoma and to regulate a variety of cancer-related genes. In this report, we show an interaction between HuR and the Msi1 3'-UTR, resulting in a positive regulation of Msi1 expression. We show that HuR increased MSI1 mRNA stability and promoted its translation. We also present evidence that expression of HuR and Msi1 correlate positively in clinical glioblastoma samples. Finally, we show that inhibition of cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, and changes in cell-cycle profile as a result of silencing HuR are partially rescued when Msi1 is ectopically expressed. In summary, our results suggest that HuR is an important regulator of Msi1 in glioblastoma and that this regulation has important biological consequences during gliomagenesis.     

Posttranscriptional Orchestration of an Anti-Apoptotic Program by HuR

The RNA-binding protein HuR can stabilize and/or regulate the translation of target mRNAs, thereby affecting the cellular responses to immune, proliferative, and damaging agents. Here, we discuss emerging evidence that HuR elicits a broad anti-apoptotic function through its influence on the expression of multiple target mRNAs. HuR was previously shown to bind to the mRNA encoding the apoptosome inhibitor prothymosin α (ProTα) and enhanced its translation and cytoplasmic abundance. More recently, HuR was shown to increase the stability of a target mRNA encoding the pro-survival deacetylase SIRT1. The discovery that HuR likewise binds to and promotes the expression of mRNAs encoding Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, two major anti-apoptotic effectors, strongly supports HuR’s role as a key upstream coordinator of a constitutive pro-survival program.     

Polyamines Regulate c-Myc Translation through Chk2-dependent HuR Phosphorylation

All mammalian cells depend on polyamines for normal growth and proliferation, but the exact roles of polyamines at the molecular level remain largely unknown. The RNA-binding protein HuR modulates the stability and translation of many target mRNAs. Here, we show that in rat intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), polyamines enhanced HuR association with the 3′-untranslated region of the c-Myc mRNA by increasing HuR phosphorylation by Chk2, in turn promoting c-Myc translation. Depletion of cellular polyamines inhibited Chk2 and reduced the affinity of HuR for c-Myc mRNA; these effects were completely reversed by addition of the polyamine putrescine or by Chk2 overexpression. In cells with high content of cellular polyamines, HuR silencing or Chk2 silencing reduced c-Myc translation and c-Myc expression levels. Our findings demonstrate that polyamines regulate c-Myc translation in IECs through HuR phosphorylation by Chk2 and provide new insight into the molecular functions of cellular polyamines.     

The ELAV RNA-stability factor HuR binds the 5'-untranslated region of the human IGF-IR transcript and differentially represses cap-dependent and IRES-mediated translation

The type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR) is an integral component in the control of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The IGF-IR mRNA contains an extraordinarily long (1038 nt) 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR), and we have characterized a diverse series of proteins interacting with this RNA sequence which may provide for intricate regulation of IGF-IR gene expression at the translational level. Here, we report the purification and identification of one of these IGF-IR 5'-UTR-binding proteins as HuR, using a novel RNA crosslinking/RNase elution strategy. Because HuR has been predominantly characterized as a 3'-UTR-binding protein, enhancing mRNA stability and generally increasing gene expression, we sought to determine whether HuR might serve a different function in the context of its binding the IGF-IR 5'-UTR. We found that HuR consistently repressed translation initiation through the IGF-IR 5'-UTR. The inhibition of translation by HuR was concentration dependent, and could be reversed in trans by addition of a fragment of the IGF-IR 5'-UTR containing the HuR binding sites as a specific competitor, or abrogated by deletion of the third RNA recognition motif of HuR. We determined that HuR repressed translation initiation through the IGF-IR 5'-UTR in cells as well, and that siRNA knockdown of HuR markedly increased IGF-IR protein levels. Interestingly, we also found that HuR potently inhibited IGF-IR translation mediated through internal ribosome entry. Kinetic assays were performed to investigate the mechanism of translation repression by HuR and the dynamic interplay between HuR and the translation apparatus. We found that HuR, occupying a cap-distal position, significantly delayed translation initiation mediated by cap-dependent scanning, but was eventually displaced from its binding site, directly or indirectly, as a consequence of ribosomal scanning. However, HuR perpetually blocked the activity of the IGF-IR IRES, apparently arresting the IRES-associated translation pre-initiation complex in an inactive state. This function of HuR as a 5'-UTR-binding protein and dual-purpose translation repressor may be critical for the precise regulation of IGF-IR expression essential to normal cellular homeostasis.     

RNA结合蛋白质HuR通过增加YAP1 mRNA稳定性促进白血病细胞增殖

RNA结合蛋白质人类抗原R(Hu R)与多种实体肿瘤的发生发展密切相关,但其在人急性髓系白血病(acutemyeloidleukemia,AML)中的功能和分子机制仍未阐明。本研究收集了30例临床初诊的AML病人和30例正常对照的外周血,分离单个核细胞,进行RT-qPCR法检测。结果显示,与正常对照相比,HuR在AML病人中呈显著表达上调趋势(3.17±1.12,P<0.05)。在AML细胞系HL-60中的功能检测发现,敲低内源性HuR后,对HL-60细胞培养12 h(0.17±0.07),24 h(0.38±0.05),36 h(0.51±0.03),48 h(0.69±0.05),60 h(0.92±0.08)和72 h(1.04±0.10)的增殖产生抑制作用(P<0.05)。同时,阻滞在G1期(47.3%±5.4)的HL-60细胞比例显著升高(P<0.05),而S期(37.5%±6.9)细胞比例显著降低(P<0.05)。相反,HuR的表达抑制对HL-60细胞向单核系分化产生促进作用。RNA免疫共沉淀法检测发现,HuR可与Hippo通路的Yes相关蛋白1关键效应基因(YAP1)的mRNA结合。后续的RNA稳定性检测发现,HuR的结合可以增强YAP1 mRNA的稳定性,进而促进YAP1的表达,并进一步影响YAP1下游基因的转录。综上所述,RNA结合蛋白质HuR可通过促进Hippo通路YAP1的表达参与AML发生发展的调节。