Post-transcriptional Regulatory Protein Research Articles

Translational Repression of Cyclin E Prevents Precocious Mitosis and Embryonic Gene Activation during C. elegans Meiosis

Germ cells, the cells that give rise to sperm and egg, maintain the potential to recreate all cell types in a new individual. This wide developmental potential, or totipotency, is manifested in unusual tumors called teratomas, in which germ cells undergo somatic differentiation. Although recent studies have implicated RNA regulation, the mechanism that normally prevents the loss of germ cell identity remains unexplained. In C. elegans, a teratoma is induced in the absence of the conserved RNA-binding protein GLD-1. Here, we demonstrate that GLD-1 represses translation of CYE-1/cyclin E during meiotic prophase, which prevents germ cells from re-entering mitosis and inducing embryonic-like transcription. We describe a mechanism that prevents precocious mitosis in germ cells undergoing meiosis, propose that this mechanism maintains germ cell identity by delaying the onset of embryonic gene activation until after fertilization, and provide a paradigm for the possible origin of human teratomas.

General and Target-Specific RNA Binding Properties of Epstein-Barr Virus SM Posttranscriptional Regulatory Protein

General and Target-Specific RNA Binding Properties of Epstein-Barr Virus SM Posttranscriptional Regulatory Protein

Herpesvirus saimiri ORF57: a post-transcriptional regulatory protein

Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) is the prototype gamma-2 herpesvirus and is a useful model to study the basic mechanisms of lytic replication in this herpesvirus subfamily. This review focuses upon the role of an essential lytic protein, ORF57, which is functionally conserved in all classes of herpesviruses. ORF57 is a multidomain, multifunctional protein responsible for both activation and repression of viral gene expression at a post-transcriptional level. ORF57-mediated repression of gene expression is determined by mRNA processing signals, in particular the presence of an intron within the target gene. This may also be linked to the ability of ORF57 to redistribute SC-35 and U2 splicing factors into specific nuclear domains. ORF57 also plays a pivotal role in transactivating viral gene expression by specifically mediating the nuclear export of HVS intronless transcripts. ORF57 has the ability to shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, bind viral RNA and recruit cellular nuclear export proteins, such as hTREX components and TAP, onto the viral mRNA. This enables the efficient nuclear export and cytoplasmic accumulation of virus intronless mRNA.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa RsmA Plays an Important Role during Murine Infection by Influencing Colonization, Virulence, Persistence, and Pulmonary Inflammation

The ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to cause a broad range of infections in humans is due, at least in part, to its adaptability and its capacity to regulate the expression of key virulence genes in response to specific environmental conditions. Multiple two-component response regulators have been shown to facilitate rapid responses to these environmental conditions, including the coordinated expression of specific virulence determinants. RsmA is a posttranscriptional regulatory protein which controls the expression of a number of virulence-related genes with relevance for acute and chronic infections. Many membrane-bound sensors, including RetS, LadS, and GacS, are responsible for the reciprocal regulation of genes associated with acute infection and chronic persistence. In P. aeruginosa this is due to sensors influencing the expression of the regulatory RNA RsmZ, with subsequent effects on the level of free RsmA. While interactions between an rsmA mutant and human airway epithelial cells have been examined in vitro, the role of RsmA during infection in vivo has not been determined yet. Here the function of RsmA in both acute and chronic models of infection was examined. The results demonstrate that RsmA is involved in initial colonization and dissemination in a mouse model of acute pneumonia. Furthermore, while loss of RsmA results in reduced colonization during the initial stages of acute infection, the data show that mutation of rsmA ultimately favors chronic persistence and results in increased inflammation in the lungs of infected mice.

Catabolite repression of the SirA regulatory cascade in Salmonella enterica

Orthologs of the Salmonella BarA/SirA two-component system are required for virulence, motility, secondary metabolism and stress survival throughout the γ-proteobacteria. BarA is a sensor kinase that responds to an unknown signal by phosphorylating the response regulator SirA. SirA increases the expression of genes within Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI1) that encode a type III secretion system (TTSS-1). SirA does this by directly activating the hilA and hilC regulatory genes encoded within SPI1. SirA also directly activates the csrB regulatory RNA gene. This RNA antagonizes the activity of the post-transcriptional regulatory protein CsrA that binds the mRNA of its targets to regulate SPI1, motility and secondary metabolism. A second regulatory RNA, csrC, is also strongly regulated by SirA, although gel mobility shift assays do not demonstrate a direct interaction. Additionally, we have determined that the sirA gene is activated by crp and cya. The effects of crp and cya were also observed on the downstream members of the SirA regulon, hilA, sopB, csrB, and csrC. However, gel mobility shift experiments and DNA sequence analysis suggest that the regulation of sirA by CRP is probably indirect. Although SirA does not regulate csrA, this gene was also under crp/ cya control. Supplementation of a rich medium with phosphate diminished the catabolite control of the csr portion but not the virulence portion of the SirA regulon.

Influence of the regulatory protein RsmA on cellular functions in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, as revealed by transcriptome analysis

RsmA is a posttranscriptional regulatory protein in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that works in tandem with a small non-coding regulatory RNA molecule, RsmB (RsmZ), to regulate the expression of several virulence-related genes, including the N-acyl-homoserine lactone synthase genes lasI and rhlI, and the hydrogen cyanide and rhamnolipid biosynthetic operons. Although these targets of direct RsmA regulation have been identified, the full impact of RsmA on cellular activities is not as yet understood. To address this issue the transcriptome profiles of P. aeruginosa PAO1 and an isogenic rsmA mutant were compared. Loss of RsmA altered the expression of genes involved in a variety of pathways and systems important for virulence, including iron acquisition, biosynthesis of the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS), the formation of multidrug efflux pumps, and motility. Not all of these effects can be explained through the established regulatory roles of RsmA. This study thus provides both a first step towards the identification of further genes under RsmA posttranscriptional control in P. aeruginosa and a fuller understanding of the broader impact of RsmA on cellular functions.

RNA target specificity of the STAR/GSG domain post-transcriptional regulatory protein GLD-1.

The post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression underlies several critical developmental phenomena. In metazoa, gene products that are expressed, silenced and packaged during oogenesis govern early developmental processes prior to nascent transcription activation. Furthermore, tissue-specific alternative splicing of several transcription factors controls pattern formation and organ development. A highly conserved family of proteins containing a STAR/GSG RNA-binding domain is essential to both processes. Here, we identify the consensus STAR-binding element (SBE) required for specific mRNA recognition by GLD-1, a key regulator of Caenorhabditis elegans germline development. We have identified and verified new GLD-1 repression targets containing this sequence. The results suggest additional functions of GLD-1 in X-chromosome silencing and early embryogenesis. The SBE is present in Quaking and How mRNA targets, suggesting that STAR protein specificity is highly conserved. Similarities between the SBE and the branch-site signal indicate a possible competition mechanism for STAR/GSG regulation of splicing variants.

Polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of TNFalpha mRNA impairs binding of the post-transcriptional regulatory protein HuR to TNFalpha mRNA.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) acts as a beneficial mediator in the process of host defence. In recent years major interest has focused on the AU-rich elements (AREs) present in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of TNFalpha mRNA as this region plays a pivotal role in post-transcriptional control of TNFalpha production. Certain stimuli, such as lipopolysaccharides, a component of the Gram-negative bacterial cell wall, have the ability to relinquish the translational suppression of TNFalpha mRNA imposed by these AREs in macrophages, thereby enabling the efficient production of the TNFalpha. In this study we show that the polymorphism (GAU trinucleotide insertional mutation) present in the regulatory 3'-UTR of TNFalpha mRNA of NZW mice results in the hindered binding of RNA-binding proteins, thereby leading to a significantly reduced production of TNFalpha protein. We also show that the binding of macrophage proteins to the main ARE is also decreased by another trinucleotide (CAU) insertion in the TNFalpha 3'-UTR. One of the proteins affected by the GAU trinucleotide insertional mutation was identified as HuR, a nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling protein previously shown to play a prominent role in the stability and translatability of mRNA containing AREs. Since binding of this protein most likely modulates the stability, translational efficiency and transport of TNFalpha mRNA, these results suggest that mutations in the ARE of TNFalpha mRNA decrease the production of TNFalpha protein in macrophages by hindering the binding of HuR to the ARE.

The Herpes Simplex Virus Immediate-Early Protein ICP27 Shuttles between Nucleus and Cytoplasm

ICP27 is an essential herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) nuclear protein which regulates viral early and late genes during infection. The exact mechanism by which ICP27 modulates viral gene expression is unknown, but considerable evidence suggests that it functions posttranscriptionally. In this study, we have asked whether ICP27, like some other viral and cellular posttranscriptional regulatory proteins, shuttles between the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments of the cell. Using an interspecies heterokaryon assay, we demonstrate that ICP27, but not the HSV-1 nuclear proteins ICP4 or ICP8, is an efficient shuttling protein. ICP27's shuttling ability does not depend on viral infection or other HSV-1 proteins, as it shuttles even when transiently expressed in uninfected cells. To understand the importance of shuttling for ICP27's regulatory functions, we examined several mutant forms of ICP27 to see whether they exhibited altered shuttling. We identified three ICP27 mutations which partially disrupt shuttling, as well as one mutation, M15, which completely abrogates this activity. The M15 mutation alters residues 465 and 466 near the carboxyl terminus of ICP27 and was previously shown to inactivate ICP27's ability to induce certain viral late mRNAs. These results suggest that ICP27's nuclear shuttling activity is involved in its viral late gene activation function.

Posttranscriptional Regulation by the HIV-1 Rev Protein

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) encodes a range of mRNA species derived by partial or complete splicing of a single initial RNA transcript. The nuclear export of the incompletely spliced class of HIV-1 RNAs, which encode critical viral structural proteins, is dependent on the Rev post-transcriptional regulatory protein, a viral RNA binding factor that is expressed early in the HIV-1 replication cycle. Rev contains a potent nuclear export signal that mediates the nucleocytoplasmic transport of bound RNAs subsequent to an interaction with components of the nuclear pore. It has now become evident that the nuclear export pathway utilized by HIV-1 Rev is also critical for the nuclear export of a range of cellular proteins and RNAs.

Identification of the activation domain of equine infectious anemia virus rev

Several members of the lentivirus family of complex retroviruses have been shown to encode proteins that are functionally equivalent to the Rev posttranscriptional regulatory protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Furthermore, the domain organization of HIV-1 Rev, featuring a highly basic N-terminal RNA binding domain and a leucin-rich C-terminal effector domain, has also been shown to be highly conserved among Rev proteins derived from not only the primate but also the ovine and caprine lentiviruses. Although it has therefore appeared highly probable that the lentivirus equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) also encodes a Rev, the predicted amino acid sequence of this putative EIAV regulatory protein does not display any evident homology to the basic and leucine-rich motifs characteristic of other known Rev proteins. By fusion of different segments of the proposed EIAV Rev protein to the well-defined RNA binding domain of either HIV-1 or visna virus Rev, we have identified a segment of this EIAV protein that can efficiently substitute in cis for the otherwise essential activation motif. Interestingly, the minimal EIAV Rev activation motif identified in this study comprises approximately 18 amino acids located toward the protein N terminus that lack any evident similarity to the leucine-rich activation domains found in these other lentivirus Rev proteins. It therefore appears that the Rev protein of EIAV, while analogous in function to Rev proteins defined in lentiviruses of primate, ovine, and caprine origin, is nevertheless distinguished by an entirely novel domain organization.

Functional analysis of human foamy virus accessory reading frames

Foamy viruses belong to the retroviruses which possess a complex genome structure. The human foamy virus (HFV) isolate bears three open reading frames (the so-called bel genes) in the 3' region of the genome which have been reported to give rise to possibly six different proteins via alternative splicing (W. Muranyi and R. M. Flügel, J. Virol. 65:727-735, 1991). In order to analyze the requirements of these proteins for HFV replication in vitro, we constructed a set of single and combinatory bel gene mutants of an infectious molecular clone of HFV. The mutant which lacked the transacting activator, bel-1, was found to be replication incompetent. All other mutants replicated equally well and gave rise to comparable titers of infectious cell-free virus. When HFV proviruses were put under the control of a heterologous promoter (simian virus 40), none of the accessory gene products was found to be required for expression of structural (gag) proteins. There was no evidence for a posttranscriptional regulatory protein that is present in other complex retroviruses.

Effector domains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Rev and human T-cell leukemia virus type I Rex are functionally interchangeable and share an essential peptide motif

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Rev and human T-cell leukemia virus type I Rex transactivators are posttranscriptional regulatory proteins that promote retroviral gene expression by interacting with specific viral mRNAs. Rev and Rex have markedly dissimilar amino acid sequences and RNA target specificities but are thought to act through the same cellular pathway. In this report, we demonstrate that short peptide domains which are required for effector activity in Rev and Rex are functionally interchangeable. Activity of these effector domains depends upon a previously unrecognized tetrapeptide motif that is present in both Rev and Rex and also in analogous proteins from other complex retroviruses. The conserved effector motif may mediate essential interactions of Rev, Rex, and other transactivators of this type with a common cellular cofactor.

The mRNA-binding protein which controls ferritin and transferrin receptor expression is conserved during evolution

A post-transcriptional regulatory protein, termed iron regulatory factor (IRF), that binds specifically to the iron-responsive elements of ferritin and transferrin receptor mRNA, has recently been identified in the cytoplasm of human and mouse cells. Activation of this factor by low intracellular iron levels leads to inhibition of ferritin translation and an increase of TR mRNA stability. To investigate whether these feedback regulatory mechanisms are conserved during evolution, we analysed cytoplasmic extracts from 12 different species for a specific IRE-binding activity. We found mRNA-binding proteins in chicken, frog, fish and fly, which are equivalent to human and mouse IRF in gel-retardation assays with radiolabeled RNA transcripts. Competition experiments, molecular weight determinations, and modulation of the mRNA-binding activity in response to intracellular iron levels or reduction by beta-mercaptoethanol indicate that IRF has similar structural and functional properties in these different species.