Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic disease caused by mutation or deletion of the survival of motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. A paralogous gene in humans, SMN2, produces low, insufficient levels of functional SMN protein due to alternative splicing that truncates the transcript. The decreased levels of SMN protein lead to progressive neuromuscular degeneration and high rates of mortality. Through chemical screening and optimization, we identified orally available small molecules that shift the balance of SMN2 splicing toward the production of full-length SMN2 messenger RNA with high selectivity. Administration of these compounds to Δ7 mice, a model of severe SMA, led to an increase in SMN protein levels, improvement of motor function, and protection of the neuromuscular circuit. These compounds also extended the life span of the mice. Selective SMN2 splicing modifiers may have therapeutic potential for patients with SMA.

Phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) is an important mechanism regulating global and gene-specific translation in response to different environmental stresses. Central to the eIF2 kinase response is the preferential translation of ATF4 mRNA, encoding a transcriptional activator of genes involved in stress remediation. In this report, we addressed whether there are additional transcription factors whose translational expression is regulated by eIF2 kinases. We show that the expression of the basic zipper transcriptional regulator ATF5 is induced in response to many different stresses, including endoplasmic reticulum stress, arsenite exposure, and proteasome inhibition, by a mechanism requiring eIF2 phosphorylation. ATF5 is subject to translational control as illustrated by the preferential association of ATF5 mRNA with large polyribosomes in response to stress. ATF5 translational control involves two upstream open reading frames (uORFs) located in the 5-leader of the ATF5 mRNA, a feature shared with ATF4. Mutational analyses of the 5-leader of ATF5 mRNA fused to a luciferase reporter suggest that the 5-proximal uORF1 is positive-acting, allowing scanning ribosomes to reinitiate translation of a downstream ORF. During non-stressed conditions, when eIF2 phosphorylation is low, ribosomes reinitiate translation at the next ORF, the inhibitory uORF2. Phosphorylation of eIF2 during stress delays translation reinitiation, allowing scanning ribosomes to bypass uORF2, and instead translate the ATF5 coding region. In addition to translational control, ATF5 mRNA levels are significantly reduced in ATF4 ؊/؊ mouse embryo fibroblasts, suggesting that ATF4 contributes to basal ATF5 transcription. These results demonstrate that eIF2 kinases direct the translational expression of multiple transcription regulators by a mechanism involving delayed translation reinitiation.Phosphorylation of the ␣ subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (eIF2) 2 is an important mechanism regulating protein synthesis in response to a diverse range of environmental stresses (1-3). Four eIF2␣ kinases have been described in mammals, each responding to different stress arrangements through their unique regulatory regions. For example, phosphorylation of eIF2␣ by PEK (also known as Perk or EIF2AK3) is induced by accumulation of malfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (4 -6). Phosphorylation of eIF2␣ during this so-called ER stress inhibits global translation by lowering the levels of eIF2-GTP that are central for binding of initiator Met-tRNA i Met to the translational machinery (1-3). Together with reduced protein synthesis, eIF2␣ phosphorylation increases the preferential translation of ATF4 mRNA, encoding a basic zipper (bZIP) transcription activator that is important for directing the expression of genes involved in metabolism, the redox status of cells, and apoptosis (7-9). Decreased protein synthesis conserves energy and provides sufficient time for ATF4, and other stress-responsive transcription factors, to reconf...

The biological effects of the ISG15 protein arise in part from its conjugation to cellular targets as a primary response to interferon-alpha/beta induction and other markers of viral or parasitic infection. Recombinant full-length ISG15 has been produced for the first time in high yield by mutating Cys78 to stabilize the protein and by cloning in a C-terminal arginine cap to protect the C terminus against proteolytic inactivation. The cap is subsequently removed with carboxypeptidase B to yield mature biologically active ISG15 capable of stoichiometric ATP-dependent thiolester formation with its human UbE1L activating enzyme. The three-dimensional structure of recombinant ISG15C78S was determined at 2.4-A resolution. The ISG15 structure comprises two beta-grasp folds having main chain root mean square deviation (r.m.s.d.) values from ubiquitin of 1.7 A (N-terminal) and 1.0 A (C-terminal). The beta-grasp domains pack across two conserved 3(10) helices to bury 627 A2 that accounts for 7% of the total solvent-accessible surface area. The distribution of ISG15 surface charge forms a ridge of negative charge extending nearly the full-length of the molecule. Additionally, the N-terminal domain contains an apolar region comprising almost half its solvent accessible surface. The C-terminal domain of ISG15 was superimposed on the structure of Nedd8 (r.m.s.d. = 0.84 A) bound to its AppBp1-Uba3 activating enzyme to model ISG15 binding to UbE1L. The docking model predicts several key side-chain interactions that presumably define the specificity between the ubiquitin and ISG15 ligation pathways to maintain functional integrity of their signaling.

A key problem in the treatment of numerous pathogenic eukaryotes centers on their development into latent forms during stress. For example, the opportunistic protist Toxoplasma gondii converts to latent cysts (bradyzoites) responsible for recrudescence of disease. We report that Toxoplasma eukaryotic initiation factor-2␣ (TgIF2␣) is phosphorylated during stress and establish that protozoan parasites utilize translation control to modulate gene expression during development. Importantly, TgIF2␣ remains phosphorylated in bradyzoites, explaining how these cells maintain their quiescent state. Furthermore, we have characterized novel eIF2 kinases; one in the endoplasmic reticulum and a likely regulator of the unfolded protein response (TgIF2K-A) and another that is a probable responder to cytoplasmic stresses (TgIF2K-B). Significantly, our data suggest that 1) the regulation of protein translation through eIF2 kinases is associated with development, 2) eIF2␣ phosphorylation is employed by cells to maintain a latent state, and 3) endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasmic stress responses evolved in eukaryotic cells before the early diverging Apicomplexa. Given its importance to pathogenesis, eIF2 kinase-mediated stress responses may provide opportunities for novel therapeutics.A well characterized mechanism by which eukaryotic cells respond to environmental stress involves phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (eIF2) 3 (1-3). The eIF2 combined with GTP delivers Met-tRNA i Met to the translational machinery during initiation of protein synthesis. In mammalian cells, four eIF2 kinases have been described that are each activated by unique stress arrangements. For example, in response to accumulation of malfolded protein in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (so-called ER stress), PEK/Perk (EIF2KA3) phosphorylates the ␣ subunit of eIF2 at serine 51, causing this translation factor to become an inhibitor of its own guanine nucleotide exchange factor, eIF2B. The resulting repression in general translation prevents further synthesis of secretory proteins that would further overload the ER and allows cells sufficient time to trigger the unfolded protein response (UPR) (2). The UPR is a program of mRNA expression involving genes that function in the assembly and transport of secretory proteins (4). In addition to ER stress, three other eIF2 kinases have been described that recognize different forms of cytoplasmic stress in mammalian cells. These include: GCN2 (EIF2KA4), which responds to nutrient deprivation and is well conserved among eukaryotes (3, 5), HRI (EIF2KA1), which is reported to be activated by heme deficiency, oxidative stress induced by arsenite treatment, and heat shock (6, 7), and PKR (EIF2KA2), which is involved in the antiviral defenses (8, 9).Very little research has been performed on eIF2 kinase and related stress response pathways in early-diverging eukaryotes, including pathogenic eukaryotes. However, viability, pathogenesis, and transmission of many parasites hinges on their ability to recogn...

When cells are subjected to nutritional stress, uncharged tRNAs accumulate and activate Gcn2p phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (eIF2) and the general amino acid control pathway. The Gcn2p regulatory domain homologous to histidyl-tRNA synthetases is proposed to bind to uncharged tRNA, directly contributing to activation of Gcn2p. Here we apply a microarray technology to analyze genome-wide changes in tRNA charging in yeast upon activation of Gcn2p in response to amino acid starvation and high salinity, a stress not directly linked to nutritional deficiency. This microarray technology is applicable for all eukaryotic cells. Strains were starved for histidine, leucine, or tryptophan and shown to rapidly induce Gcn2p phosphorylation of eIF2. The relative charging level of all tRNAs was measured before and after starvation, and Gcn2p activation and the intracellular levels of the starved amino acid correlate with the observed decrease in tRNA charging. Interestingly, in some cases, tRNAs not charged with the starved amino acid became deacylated more rapidly than tRNAs charged with the starved amino acid. This increase in uncharged tRNA levels occurred although the intracellular levels for these non-starved amino acids remained unchanged. Additionally, treatment of a wild-type strain with high salinity stress showed transient changes in the charging of several different tRNAs. These results suggest that Gcn2p can be activated by many different tRNA species in the cell. These results also depict a complex cellular relationship between tRNA charging, amino acid availability, and non-nutrient stress. These relationships are best revealed by simultaneous monitoring of the charging level of all tRNAs.Reductions in nutrient availability trigger stress responses that lower protein synthesis coincident with changes in gene expression that provide for adaptive modifications in metabolism and nutrient uptake. A major contributor to this stress adaptation is the general amino acid control (GAAC) 3 pathway (1-3). In the GAAC, starvation for amino acids induces phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor-2 (eIF2) by the protein kinase Gcn2p. The eIF2 binds GTP and Met-tRNA i Met and participates in the ribosomal selection of the mRNA start site during translation. Phosphorylation of the ␣ subunit of eIF2 at serine 51 lowers its activity. The resulting reduction in global protein synthesis conserves resources and allows cells time to reprogram the transcriptome to alleviate the underlying nutrient stress. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, eIF2␣ phosphorylation also leads to preferential translation of GCN4 mRNA, encoding a transcriptional activator of a large number of genes involved in amino acid metabolism and the salvaging of nutrients (1-5). Although S. cerevisiae has only a single eIF2␣ kinase, Gcn2p, mammalian cells have expanded this stress response pathway to include additional eIF2␣ kinases, which each respond to different environmental stresses (6). Like yeast, phosphorylation of mammalian eIF2␣ ...