Translation termination factor eRF3 is targeted for caspase-mediated proteolytic cleavage and degradation during DNA damage-induced apoptosis

Polypeptide chain release factor eRF3 plays pivotal roles in translation termination and post-termination events including ribosome recycling and mRNA decay. It is not clear, however, if eRF3 is targeted for the regulation of gene expression. Here we show that DNA-damaging agents (UV and etoposide) induce the immediate cleavage and degradation of eRF3 in a caspase-dependent manner. The effect is selective since the binding partners of eRF3, eRF1 and PABP, and an unrelated control, GAPDH, were not affected. Point mutations of aspartate residues within overlapping DXXD motifs near the amino terminus of eRF3 prevented the appearance of the UV-induced cleavage product, identifying D32 as the major cleavage site. The cleavage and degradation occurred in a similar time-dependent manner to those of eIF4G, a previously established caspase-3 target involved in the inhibition of translation during apoptosis. siRNA-mediated knockdown of eRF3 led to inhibition of cellular protein synthesis, supporting the idea that the decrease in the amount of eRF3 caused by the caspase-mediated degradation contributes to the inhibition of translation during apoptosis. This is the first report showing that eRF3 could serve as a target in the regulation of gene expression.