Inhibition of protein synthesis in reovirus-infected HeLa cells with elevated levels of interferon-induced protein kinase activity

Protein synthesis was inhibited in one line of interferon-treated HeLa cells (line 2) upon infection with reovirus, but not in different HeLa cells (line 1) treated in the same way. The inhibition resulted in polysome runoff, suggesting that it was due to an impairment of peptide chain initiation. Interferon induces the synthesis of a protein kinase, which is activated in cell-free systems by double-stranded RNA and phosphorylates the alpha subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2, thus inhibiting the initiation of protein synthesis. Therefore, we measured the level of this protein kinase in extracts prepared from the two HeLa cell lines. Cells of line 2 showed about 3-4 times more protein kinase activity than cells of line 1. The inhibition of protein synthesis upon infection with reovirus was correlated with an increased phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 in interferon-treated cells labeled with 32P. The kinase was presumably activated in intact cells by viral double-stranded RNA, but this activation resulted in inhibition of protein synthesis only in cells with elevated levels of the kinase.     

Actin--an inhibitor of eukaryotic elongation factor activities

An inhibitor of diphtheria toxin- and endogenous transferase-dependent ADP-ribosylation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) has been found in the cytoplasmic fraction from rat liver. We provide evidence that this cytoplasmic inhibitor corresponds to actin, which gives rise also to inhibition of polyphenylalanine (polyPhe) synthesis. Both globular monomeric (G-actin) and filamentous (F-actin) forms of actin appear to be inhibitory on the action of elongation factors 1 and 2 (eEF1 and eEF2) in polyPhe synthesis with the inhibitory effect of G-actin proving to be stronger. Some component(s) in the postribosomal supernatant (S-130) fraction and also DNase I prevent actin-promoted inhibition of polyPhe synthesis.     

HSP70 mRNA translation in chicken reticulocytes is regulated at the level of elongation

During heat shock of chicken reticulocytes the synthesis of a single heat shock protein, HSP70, increases greater than 10-fold, while the level of HSP70 mRNA increases less than 2-fold during the same period. Comparison of the in vivo levels of HSP70 and beta-globin synthesis with their mRNA abundance reveals that the translation of HSP70 mRNA is repressed in normal reticulocytes and is activated upon heat shock. In its translationally repressed state HSP70 mRNA is functionally associated with polysomes based on sedimentation analysis of polysomes from untreated or puromycin-treated cells and by analysis of in vitro "run-off" translation products using isolated polysomes. Treatment of control and heat shocked cells with the initiation inhibitor pactamycin reveals that elongation of the HSP70 nascent peptide is not completely arrested, but is slower in control cells. Furthermore, the inefficient translation of HSP70 mRNA in vivo is not due to the lack of an essential translation factor; HSP70 mRNA is efficiently translated in chicken reticulocyte translation extracts as well as in heterologous rabbit reticulocyte extracts. Our results reveal that a major control point for HSP70 synthesis in reticulocytes is the elongation rate of the HSP70 nascent peptide.     

Variations in the cell-free translating apparatus of cultured animal cells as a function of time during cell growth.

Vero M3 cells, a line derived from the kidney of an African Green Monkey, display certain alterations in their protein synthetic apparatus as a function of time during a growth cycle. (Growth cycle here refers to exponential growth of unsynchronized cells in culture and their subsequent passage into the stationary phase.) The capacity of cytoplasmic extracts of these cells to promote endogeneous mRNA-mediated polypeptide synthesis or poly U-mediated polyphenylalanine synthesis declines from the second day after the initiation of the growth cycle. The ribosome sedimentation profile indicates that after the second day of growth a decrease also occurs in the total amount of ribosomes per cell, and that a shift occurs from predominantly polyribosome structures to predominantly subunits and monoribosomes structures. The activity of the translation factor, elongation factor 1, also progressively decreases after the second day of growth. Furthermore, when crude factor preparations from cells in the second day of growth (Exponential phase) and from cells in the fifth day of growth (Stationary phase) are compared for leucyl-tRNA synthetase and prolyl-tRNA synthetase activities, it is found that the extracts from fifth-day cells have significantly less activity. The activity of another enzyme, acid phosphatase, remains relatively unaffected as a function of time during the cell growth cycle. When HeLa S3 plating cells are grown under the same conditions, they do not display the same responses.     

Regulation of protein synthesis in mitotic HeLa cells.

Mitotic HeLa cells (M cells) synthesize protein at about 25% of the rate of S phase cells. This decrease in protein synthesis is due to a reduction in the rate of initiation. However, extracts prepared from M cells are almost as active in protein synthesis as S cell extracts. Both cell extracts are quite active in in vitro initiation of protein synthesis. Moreover, two steps in initiation, binding of Met-tRNAf to 40S ribosomal subunits and binding of mRNA to ribosomes, show similar activity in both extracts. The difference in protein synthesizing activity observed in vivo is largely eliminated in the preparation of cell-free systems. The ribosomes of M cells contain small mol wt RNA, which inhibits protein synthesis in vitro. This RNA, which has possibly a nuclear origin, may be a cause of the reduction in the rate of protein synthesis in M cells.     

An inhibitor of protein synthesis in cytoplasmic extracts of density inhibited cells

Cytoplasmic extracts of green monkey kidney-Vero M3 cells that have been grown to high cell density and have entered the stationary phase of growth lose the capacity to synthesize proteins after they have been frozen and thawed. The same loss of protein synthetic capacity is not observed when cytoplasmic extracts of low cell density Vero M3 or HeLa S-3 cells are frozen and thawed before assay, nor when high cell density Vero M3 cell extract is assayed without having been frozen. The loss of the protein synthesis capacity of the frozen and thawed extracts of stationary phase Vero M3 cells is accounted for by the appearance of an inhibitor. The inhibitor is precipitated in the 30 to 70% ammonium sulfate fraction of the 100,000 g supernatant. It is inactivated by heat and is non-dialyzable. It blocks the transfer of amino acids from tRNA to growing peptide chains. The amount of this inhibitor in the extract (measured by relative inhibition of in vitro protein synthesis) increases as a function of the density of the cells from which the extract was made, and the increase can be correlated with the progressive turnoff of protein synthesis in whole cells.     

The effect of cessation of growth on protein synthesis in a mutant of Chinese hamster ovary cells with a temperature-sensitive leucyl-tRNA synthetase

A temperature-sensitive mutant of Chinese hamster ovary cells with an altered leucyl-tRNA synthetase fails to grow and to incorporate amino acids into protein properly at or near the non-permissive temperature. This mutant was used to determine whether cessation of growth at the elevated temperature affected elongation factor EF-1, since the activity of EF-1 is markedly lower in non-growing cells in stationary phase than in rapidly-growing cells in exponential phase. Cell-free extracts prepared from cells maintained at 39°C for 24 h showed a marked decrease in the ability to translate natural mRNAs, compared to cells incubated at 34°C. However, the ability to translate poly(U), which requires elongation factor EF-1 (and EF-2), was not affected. Analyses of activities involved in the initiation of protein synthesis and in the activation of amino acids revealed that, with the exception of leucyl-tRNA synthetase, the rest of the components required for translation also appeared to be relatively stable even after 24 h at the elevated temperature. The effects of elevated temperature on cell-free extracts were also investigated. The results were similar to those obtained with intact cells; that is, except for leucyl-tRNA synthetase which was rapidly inactivated in vitro at 39°C, other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and translational components involved in chain initiation and elongation were relatively stable. Thus, no change in EF-1 activity was detected as a result of arrested cell growth, an inherent lability of the elongation factor, or metabolic degradation as a consequence of a rapid turnover rate in the absence of protein synthesis.     

An efficient in vitro translation system from mammalian cells lacking the translational inhibition caused by eIF2 phosphorylation

In vitro translation systems are used to investigate translational mechanisms and to synthesize proteins for characterization. Most available mammalian cell-free systems have reduced efficiency due to decreased translation initiation caused by phosphorylation of the initiation factor eIF2alpha on Ser51. We describe here a novel cell-free protein synthesis system using extracts from cultured mouse embryonic fibroblasts that are homozygous for the Ser51 to- Ala mutation in eIF2alpha (A/A cells). The translation efficiency of a capped and polyadenylated firefly luciferase mRNA in A/A cell extracts was 30-fold higher than in wild-type extracts. Protein synthesis in extracts from A/A cells was active for at least 2 h and generated up to 20 microg/mL of luciferase protein. Additionally, the A/A cell-free system faithfully recapitulated the selectivity of in vivo translation for mRNA features; translation was stimulated by a 5'-end cap (m7GpppN) and a 3'-end poly(A) tail in a synergistic manner. The system also showed similar efficiencies of cap-dependent and IRES-mediated translation (EMCV IRES). Significantly, the A/A cell-free system supported the post-translational modification of proteins, as shown by glycosylation of the HIV type-1 gp120 and cleavage of the signal peptide from beta-lactamase. We propose that cell-free systems from A/A cells can be a useful tool for investigating mechanisms of mammalian mRNA translation and for the production of recombinant proteins for molecular studies. In addition, cell-free systems from differentiated cells with the Ser51Ala mutation should provide a means for investigating cell type-specific features of protein synthesis.     

Regulation of polypeptide chain initiation and activity of initiation factor eIF-2 in Chinese-hamster-ovary cell mutants containing temperature-sensitive aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases

The regulation of polypeptide chain initiation has been investigated in extracts from a number of well-characterized Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell mutants containing different temperature-sensitive aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. These cells exhibit a large decline in the rate of initiation when cultures are shifted from the permissive temperature of 34 degrees C to the non-permissive temperature of 39.5 degrees C. During a brief incubation with [35S]Met-tRNAMetf or [35S]methionine, formation of initiation complexes on native 40S ribosomal subunits and 80S ribosomes is severely impaired in extracts from the mutant cell lines exposed to 39.5 degrees C. Wild-type cells exposed to 39.5 degrees C do not show any inhibition of protein synthesis or initiation complex formation. Inhibition of formation of 40S initiation complexes in the extracts from mutant cells, incubated at the non-permissive temperature, is shown to be independent of possible changes in mRNA binding or the rate of polypeptide chain elongation and is not due to any decrease in the total amount of initiation factor eIF-2 present. However, assays of eIF-2 X GTP X Met-tRNAMetf ternary complex formation in postribosomal supernatants from the temperature-sensitive mutants reveal a marked defect in the activity of eIF-2 after exposure of the cells to 39.5 degrees C and addition of exogenous eIF-2 to cell-free protein-synthesizing systems from cells incubated at 34 degrees C and 39.5 degrees C eliminates the difference in activity between them. The activity of the initiation factor itself is not directly temperature-sensitive in the mutant CHO cells. The results suggest that the activity of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases can affect the ability of eIF-2 to bind Met-tRNAMetf and form 40S initiation complexes in intact cells, indicating a regulatory link between polypeptide chain elongation and chain initiation.     

Inhibition of protein synthesis by a tryptic polypeptide of Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxin

The biological activity of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin can be tested more precisely and with a much higher sensitivity by using the inhibition of protein synthesis by Vero cells, rather than the guinea pig skin test. Tryptic peptides of the enterotoxin produced in the presence of different concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate (0-1%) have been tested for biological activity (Vero cells) and inhibitory effect on cell-free protein synthesis (rabbit reticulocyte lysate). A fraction of tryptic peptides, about 16,000 daltons, was able to inhibit the cell-free protein synthesis, while the native enterotoxin had no such effect. The 16 kDa fraction had, however, lost the ability to disrupt the Vero cells (normal biological activity). It is probable that the enterotoxin has the double function (A and B chain), known from several other toxins, confined in its single polypeptide chain.     

Translational control of protein synthesis in stimulated WI-38 fibroblasts.

A cell-free protein synthesis system employing ribosomes from WI-38 human diploid fibroblasts was developed and its optimum MgC12 and KC1 levels and pH value found. The rate at which ribosomes are able to incorporate radioactive leucine into proteins ([14C]leucine incorporation/10 min/100 mug rRNA) and the number of growing peptide chains [3H]puromycinpeptides formed/100 mug rRNA) was determined. When confluent monolayers of WI-38 cells were stimulated to proliferate by serum, a transient increase in the rate of peptide elongation by ribosomes was observed at 60 min after stimulation. This increase was not affected by the presence of actinomycin D (10 mug/ml) in the stimulating medium. A change in the relative amount of certain ribosome-associated proteins accompanied the increased elongation rate of peptide growth. The alteration in associated proteins could not be accounted for by an increased synthesis of protein. Finally, the early activation of ribosomes in stimulated WI-38 cells appears to result from the removal of an inhibitor(s) of ribosome function.     

Partial characterizatio and proposed mode of action of inhibitory heLa cell surface polypeptides

Polypeptides removed from the HeLa cell surface by mild pronase treatment rapidly inhibit protein synthesis when added to HeLa cells or cell-free translation system derived from HeLa cells. The inhibitory activity is heat stable. Protein and carbohydrate components of these polypeptides are required for inhibition of protein synthesis in vivo and in vitro. Two peaks of activity can be recovered from polyacrylamide gels, corresponding to polypeptides with molecular weights of approximately 29 000 and 41 000. Inhibition of protein synthesis in cell-free translation systems appears to be primarily an effect on elongation of polypeptide chains, whereas in the intact cell the primary target may be polypeptide chain initiation.     

Effects of growth rate on cell extract performance in cell-free protein synthesis

Cell-free protein synthesis is a useful research tool and now stands poised to compete with in vivo expression for commercial production of proteins. However, both the extract preparation and protein synthesis procedures must be scaled up. A key challenge is producing the required amount of biomass that also results in highly active cell-free extracts. In this work, we show that the growth rate of the culture dramatically affects extract performance. Extracts prepared from cultures with a specific growth rate of 0.7/h or higher produced approximately 0.9 mg/mL of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) in a batch reaction. In contrast, when the source culture growth rate was 0.3/h, the resulting extract produced only 0.5 mg/mL CAT. Examination of the ribosome content in the extracts revealed that the growth rate of the source cells strongly influenced the final ribosome concentration. Polysome analysis of cell-free protein synthesis reactions indicated that about 22% of the total 70S ribosomes are in polysomes for all extracts regardless of growth rate. Furthermore, the overall specific production from the 70S ribosomes is about 22 CAT proteins per ribosome over the course of the reaction in all cases. It appears that rapid culture growth rates are essential for producing a productive extract. However, growth rate does not seem to influence specific ribosome activity. Rather, the increase in extract productivity is a result of a higher ribosome concentration. These results are important for cell-free technology and also suggest an assay for intrinsic in vivo protein synthesis activity.     

Heat shock-related decline in activity and amounts of active elongation factor 1 alpha in ageing and immortal human cells

A significant decline in amount of active elongation factor, EF-1 alpha, and in its catalytic activity was observed in cell-free extracts prepared from normal human diploid fibroblasts (MRC-5) and their SV40-transformed counterparts, after subjecting the cells to 60 min heat shock at different temperatures. Old MRC-5 cells which had become senescent on serial passaging were more sensitive to heat shock-related changes in activity and amounts of active EF-1 alpha than were rapidly proliferating normal and transformed cells.     

Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase confers tolerance to stress conditions in cancer cells

Eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) is a member of the GTP-binding translation elongation factor family that is essential for protein synthesis. eEF2 kinase (eEF2K) is a structurally and functionally unique protein kinase in the calmodulin-mediated signaling pathway. eEF2K phosphorylates eEF2, thereby inhibiting eEF2 function under stressful conditions. eEF2K regulates numerous processes, such as protein synthesis, cell cycle progression, and induction of autophagy and apoptosis in cancer cells. This review will demonstrate the mechanisms underlying eEF2K activity in cancer cells under different stresses, such as nutrient deprivation, hypoxia, and DNA damage via eEF2 regulation. In vivo, in vitro, and clinical studies indicated that eEF2K may be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for cancer.     

Regulation of polypeptide chain initiation in Chinese hamster ovary cells with a temperature-sensitive leucyl-tRNA synthetase. Changes in phosphorylation of initiation factor eIF-2 and in the activity of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor GEF

When cultures of the temperature-sensitive Chinese hamster ovary cell mutant tsH1 are shifted from 34 degrees C (permissive temperature) to 39.5 degrees C (nonpermissive temperature), protein synthesis is inhibited by more than 80%. This is due principally to a block in activity of polypeptide chain initiation factor eIF-2. In this paper we show that there is impairment of the ability of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) to displace GDP from eIF-2 X GDP complexes in extracts from cells incubated at the nonpermissive temperature. Addition of GEF or of high concentrations of eIF-2 stimulates protein synthesis to the level observed in control cell extracts, suggesting that GEF is rate-limiting for eIF-2 activity and overall protein synthesis at the nonpermissive temperature. Analysis of eIF-2 by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting reveals an increase in the proportion of the alpha subunit in the phosphorylated form from 5.5 +/- 2.4% to 17.2 +/- 3.9% on shifting tsH1 cells from 34 to 39.5 degrees C. No such effect is seen in wild-type cells, which do not exhibit temperature-sensitive protein synthetic activity. Since the primary lesion in tsH1 cells is in their leucyl-tRNA synthetase, these results suggest a role for eIF-2 phosphorylation and GEF activity in coupling the rate of polypeptide chain initiation to the activity of the chain elongation machinery.     

Myocardial ischemia and increased heart work modulate the phosphorylation state of eukaryotic elongation factor-2

Protein synthesis, in particular peptide chain elongation, is an energy-consuming biosynthetic process. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulatory enzyme involved in cellular energy homeostasis. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that, as in liver, it could mediate the inhibition of protein synthesis by oxygen deprivation in heart by modulating the phosphorylation of eukaryotic elongation factor-2 (eEF2), which becomes inactive in its phosphorylated form. In anoxic cardiomyocytes, AMPK activation was associated with an inhibition of protein synthesis and an increase in phosphorylation of eEF2. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), did not mimic the effect of oxygen deprivation to inhibit protein synthesis in cardiomyocytes or lead to eEF2 phosphorylation in perfused hearts, suggesting that AMPK activation did not inhibit mTOR/p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K) signaling. Human recombinant eEF2 kinase (eEF2K) was phosphorylated by AMPK in a time- and AMP-dependent fashion, and phosphorylation led to eEF2K activation, similar to that observed in extracts from ischemic hearts. In contrast, increasing the workload resulted in a dephosphorylation of eEF2, which was rapamycin-insensitive, thus excluding a role for mTOR in this effect. eEF2K activity was unchanged by increasing the workload, suggesting that the decrease in eEF2 phosphorylation could result from the activation of an eEF2 phosphatase.     

In vitro translation with adenovirus polyribosomes.

Polyribosomes isolated from adenovirus type 2 (Ad2)-infected HeLa cells late in productive infection can be used for translation in cell-free systems. At least eight viral polypeptides are synthesized, including the precursors to virion polypeptides VI and VII. Separation of polyribosomes by zonal rate centrifugation followed by translation in a cell-free system reveals a correlation between the sizes of the polyribosomes and the polypeptides synthesized. The cell-free extracts incorporate amino acid linearly for only 10 min and show little or no capacity to reinitiate protein synthesis. The elongation efficiency measured as the number of amino acids incorporated per ribosome in 20 min is low, ranging from 10 to 100. The maximum chain elongation rate is estimated to be 10 to 20 amino acids per min. The limited elongation has been used to assess the relative concentration of mRNA's engaged in translation.     

Concentration of elongation factor 2 in rat skeletal muscle during protein depletion and re-feeding (Short Communication)

Rat skeletal-muscle elongation factor 2 was assayed by causing it to react with NAD(+) by using fragment A of diphtheria toxin as the catalyst. Dietary protein restriction decreased the concentration of elongation factor 2 in homogenates of whole muscle. These decreases paralleled a decline in muscle RNA so that the number of molecules of elongation factor 2 per ribosome appeared to be independent of the diet. We conclude that elongation factor 2 is probably not the factor limiting the rate of muscle protein synthesis and is not responsible for the fall in the protein-synthetic rate in vivo observed in the muscles of animals whose dietary protein intake is inadequate.     

Studies on the inhibition of protein synthesis by selenodiglutathione.

Amino acid incorporation in a cell-free system derived from rat liver has previously been found to be inhibited by GSSeSG (selenodiglutathione). In the present experiments the effect of GSSeSG on protein synthesis in 3T3-f cells, on growth and protein synthesis in Escherichia coli, and on amino acid incorporation in a cell-free system derived from E. coli, was studied. GSSeSG inhibits the incorporation of [3H]leucine into protein by 3T3-f cells. This inhibition cannot be reversed by removing GSSeSG and is correlated with the uptake of GSSeSG. Sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) and oxidized glutathione had no inhibitory effect in this system. [3H]Uridine or [3H]thymidine incorporation into RNA or DNA was not inhibited, indicating that the primary action of GSSeSG was on protein synthesis. GSSeSG did not influence the growth of E. coli in a synthetic medium, although enhanced amino acid incorporation was observed. In the cell-free system derived from E. coli, amino acid incorporation was not changed by GSSeSG, indicating that elongation factor G, in contrast to elongation factor 2 of mammalian cell systems, is not blocked by GSSeSG.