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Molecular and Cellular Biology, April 2008, p. 2648-2658, Vol. 28, No. 8
0270-7306/08/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/MCB.01631-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Carolina Arias,1,
Cesar Perez,1
David Halladin,1
Martin Escandon,1
Takeshi Ueda,3
Rie Watanabe-Fukunaga,3
Rikiro Fukunaga,3 and
Ian Mohr1*
Department of Microbiology and New York University Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York,1 National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland,2 Department of Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine and Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan3
Received 4 September 2007/ Returned for modification 28 September 2007/ Accepted 22 January 2008
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FIG. 1. Characterization of eIF4F in poxvirus-infected cells. (A) eIF4F recruits 40S subunits to the mRNA 5' end. eIF4F is composed of the cap-binding protein (eIF4E), a large protein scaffold (eIF4G), and an RNA helicase (eIF4A). In addition to these core eIF4F components, the PABP and the cellular eIF4E kinase (Mnk1) also associate with eIF4G. The 40S ribosomal subunit is recruited to the 5' end of the mRNA through an association between eIF4G and eIF3. Once it is localized to the 5' end, the 40S ribosome commences scanning for the AUG initiator codon. (B) Kinetic profile of newly synthesized proteins in primary human cells infected with VV. NHDFs growth arrested by serum starvation were mock infected (0 h.p.i.) or infected with VV (MOI = 5). At the indicated times (h.p.i.), the cultures were radiolabeled for 1 h with 35S-labeled amino acids. Total protein was subsequently isolated and fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and the fixed, dried gel was exposed to X-ray film. The migration of molecular mass standards (in kDa) appears at the left of the autoradiograph. (C) The abundance of eIF4F core components and ancillary factors remains unchanged following poxvirus infection. As in panel B, except for the following fractionation of total protein by SDS-PAGE, the samples were analyzed by immunoblotting using antisera specific for the indicated proteins.
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This report examines how vaccinia virus (VV), a model poxvirus, effectively manipulates the cellular translation initiation factors required for cap-dependent translation in normal primary human cells. Here, we establish that VV infection results in the destruction of the translational repressor 4E-BP1. Active eIF4F complexes are assembled, and cellular signaling pathways that stimulate the cellular eIF4G-associated kinase Mnk1 to phosphorylate the cap-binding protein eIF4E are triggered. Not only were VV replication and protein production compromised in Mnk1-deficient murine fibroblasts, but preventing eIF4E phosphorylation with the small molecule Mnk1 inhibitor dramatically reduced VV mRNA translation and viral replication in quiescent primary human cells. Remarkably, these changes to eIF4F architecture are accompanied by the redistribution of eIF4E and eIF4G within cytosolic viral replication compartments surrounded by PABP. This establishes that poxvirus infection redistributes, assembles and modifies the core and associated components of eIF4F, concentrating them within discrete subcellular compartments. Furthermore, it suggests that the subcellular distribution of eIF4F components can influence complex assembly. Interfering with this process may provide unique opportunities to develop novel anti-poxvirus compounds.
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Cells and virus. Primary normal human diploid fibroblasts (NHDFs; Clonetics, Walkersville, MD) were cultured, growth arrested by serum starvation in 0.2% fetal bovine serum (FBS), and infected as described previously (46). Spontaneously immortalized murine fibroblasts from wild-type (WT) or Mnk1-deficient (Mnk1–/–) mice (44) were maintained in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) plus 10% FBS and were growth arrested by serum starvation for 72 h in DMEM plus 0.5% FBS. For infections of growth-arrested, serum-starved cells, virus was diluted from concentrated stocks such that a final serum concentration of 0.2% (NHDFs) or 0.5% (murine cells) was maintained at all times during infections. BSC40 cells were maintained in DMEM plus 10% FBS. VV (Western Reserve strain) was propagated in BSC40 cells (at a multiplicity of infection [MOI] of 0.05). Once the cytopathic effect was visible in 100% of the culture, the medium was replaced with serum-free DMEM, and the plates were frozen at –80°C. Under these conditions, the overwhelming majority of virus remained cell associated (D. Walsh and I. Mohr, unpublished observations). Cell-free lysates were prepared by three freeze-thaw cycles, and small aliquots were stored at –80°C. Prior to the infection of cells, the virus stock was treated with 0.125% trypsin for 30 min at 37°C. Samples were adjusted to 1 ml with DMEM, and FBS was added to a final concentration of 0.5%. The virus stock titer was quantified by plaque assay of BSC40 cells.
[35S]methionine labeling, gel electrophoresis, and immunoblotting. NHDF cells (6 x 105 cells/dish) were incubated for 1 h in 1 ml of methionine-free DMEM containing 77 µCi of a [35S]methionine-cysteine mixture (catalog no. NEG072; Amersham). Total cellular protein was subsequently solubilized in 250 µl of sample buffer (62.5 mM Tris-HCl [pH 6.8], 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS], 10% glycerol, 0.7 M β-mercaptoethanol), boiled for 3 min, and fractionated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Labeled proteins were visualized by exposing the fixed, dried gel to X-ray film. Alternatively, where indicated, proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose following SDS-PAGE. Immunoblots were processed, incubated with primary antibody, and developed by using an enhanced chemiluminescence reagent according to the manufacturer's instructions (Amersham). Vertical slab isoelectric focusing (IEF) was performed as described previously (46).
Immunoblotting, IEF, and analysis of eIF4E binding proteins by batch chromatography on 7-methyl GTP Sepharose. These procedures were performed essentially as described previously (46), with the following minor modifications. NLB buffer containing 50 mM HEPES (pH 7.5), 100 mM NaCl, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 2 mM EDTA, 2 mM Na3VO4, 25 mM glycerophosphate, 0.25% NP-40, and complete miniprotease inhibitor cocktail (Roche) was used to lyse the cells prior to 7-methyl GTP Sepharose chromatography.
Multicycle growth experiments. NHDF cells (8 x105 cells/dish) were seeded in 60-mm dishes, serum starved, and treated with either dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or CGP57380, as described previously (46). At the indicated times following infection with either 8,000 PFU (MOI = 10–2), 800 PFU (MOI = 10–3), or 45 PFU (5.6 x 10–5 PFU) of VV, the medium was replaced with serum-free DMEM, and the NHDF cultures were frozen at –80°C. After three freeze-thaw cycles, the amount of infectious virus was quantified by plaque assay of BSC40 cells. WT or Mnk1–/– murine cells were seeded (8 x 105 cells per dish) and serum starved as described above. At the indicated times following infection with 45 PFU of VV, the medium was replaced with serum-free DMEM, and the cultures were frozen at –80°C. After three freeze-thaw cycles, the amount of infectious virus was quantified by plaque assay of BSC40 cells.
Immunofluorescence analysis. Cells were seeded onto glass coverslips for 24 h and growth arrested by serum deprivation, as described previously (46). Mock-infected or VV-infected cells were fixed with 3.7% formaldehyde for 20 min and permeabilized with 0.1% Triton X-100 plus RNase A. Samples were next incubated with the specified primary antisera for 1 h at 37°C, followed by incubation with the appropriate fluorescently conjugated secondary antibody (anti-mouse fluorescein isothiocyanate [FITC] [Vector Laboratories], anti-rabbit, or anti-goat Alexa flour 633 [Molecular Probes]). Nuclei were counterstained with propidium iodide or 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). The fluorescent images were collected with a Zeiss LSM510 Meta confocal laser scanning microscope or a Zeiss Axiovert fluorescence microscope, using Metamorph software.
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Inactivation of the translational repressor 4E-BP1 and eIF4F complex assembly in VV-infected cells. Depending upon their abundance, a family of small 4E-BPs can sequester eIF4E in a phosphorylation-dependent manner (Fig. 2a). In their hypophosphorylated form, 4E-BPs inhibit cap-dependent translation by preventing eIF4E from associating with eIF4G (reviewed in reference 36). Hyperphosphorylation of the 4E-BPs by the mTOR kinase results in the release of the cap-binding protein, exposing the surface of the eIF4E that interacts with eIF4G, an important step in eIF4F assembly. VV infection results in the appearance of slower-migrating hyperphosphorylated forms of 4E-BP1, visible by 3 h.p.i. and subsequently sustained at later time points, which is clearly resolved by electrophoresis in a high-percentage SDS-polyacrylamide gel (Fig. 2B). The appearance of these hyperphosphorylated forms was blocked by rapamycin, an inhibitor of the cellular kinase mTOR (Fig. 2B). Inactivation of the 4E-BP1 translational repressor was sensitive to the DNA synthesis inhibitor PAA or AraC (Fig. 2C), suggesting that either viral DNA synthesis or an event tightly associated with viral DNA replication such as late viral gene expression is required. Finally, VV infection noticeably reduced the intensity of the 4E-BP1 signal, which could be due to either a reduction in protein abundance or a redistribution of the initial hypophosphorylated population into multiple distinct, phosphorylated species.
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FIG. 2. Inactivation of the 4E-BP1 translational repressor and assembly of eIF4F complexes in poxvirus-infected cells. (A) Inactivation of 4E-BP1 by phosphorylation. In its hypophosphorylated state, the translational repressor 4E-BP1 binds eIF4E and prevents its association with the other eIF4F components. Upon the activation of mTOR, hyperphosphorylation of 4E-BP1 results in the release of eIF4E, exposing a surface on eIF4E that associates with eIF4G. Rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, prevents 4E-BP1 hyperphosphorylation. (B) Phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 in VV-infected cells. Growth-arrested NHDFs were mock infected (Mock) or infected (VV) with vaccinia virus (MOI = 5) in the presence (+) or absence (–) of rapamycin (RAPA). At 16 h.p.i, total protein was isolated, fractionated by SDS-PAGE in 17.5% gels, and analyzed by immunoblotting using anti-4E-BP1 serum. The slow-migrating hyperphosphorylated (hyper) and fast-migrating hypophosphorylated (hypo) forms of 4E-BP1 are noted at the right of the panel. (C) Sensitivity of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation to viral DNA synthesis inhibitors in VV-infected cells. As in panel B, except cells were infected in the presence (+) or absence (–) of either PAA (300 µg/ml) or AraC (40 µg/ml). (D) VV infection decreases 4E-BP1 abundance. As in panel B, except the indicated cultures were additionally treated with the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Total protein was fractionated by SDS-PAGE in 7.5% gels, which do not resolve phosphorylated 4E-BP1 isoforms, and analyzed by immunoblotting with the indicated antisera.
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As the release of the 4E-BP1 repressor exposes a surface on eIF4E that binds to eIF4G, repressor inactivation contributes to eIF4F assembly (16, 23, 25). Collecting eIF4E-containing complexes present in cell lysates on 7-methyl GTP Sepharose beads and analyzing the composition of the bound proteins by immunoblotting can measure the extent of eIF4F assembly. Whereas eIF4E-containing complexes isolated from mock-infected, growth-arrested NHDFs contain an abundance of 4E-BP1 and basal amounts of eIF4G, together with PABP, VV infection or serum stimulation results in the displacement of 4E-BP1 from the complex and the recruitment of greater amounts of PABP and eIF4G (Fig. 3A). Rapamycin or MG132 each blocked the ejection of 4E-BP1 from eIF4E, consistent with our previous observation that mTOR-mediated 4E-BP1 phosphorylation is followed by proteasomal degradation (Fig. 3B). Notably, the amount of PABP recruited into the complex in VV-infected cells exceeds the amount detected in serum-stimulated cells (Fig. 3A). Conceivably, this could reflect a peculiar property of VV mRNAs, which contain polyadenylated 3' and 5' ends (2, 18, 39). Nevertheless, VV infection clearly stimulates the assembly of eIF4F core components together with the eIF4F-associated protein PABP. Thus, in addition to suppressing host protein synthesis and inactivating the 4E-BP1 translational repressor, viral functions promote the assembly of the cap-binding protein eIF4E into an eIF4F complex and recruit eIF4F-associated proteins such as PABP.
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FIG. 3. Stimulation of eIF4F assembly in VV-infected cells. (A) Growth-arrested NHDFs were either serum stimulated (serum), mock-infected (Mock), or infected with VV (VV). At 16 h.p.i., detergent lysates were prepared and incubated with 7-methyl GTP Sepharose beads. Material bound to the beads was fractionated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed by immunoblotting with the indicated antisera. (B) Sensitivity of 4E-BP1 release from eIF4E in VV-infected cells to rapamycin and MG132. As in panel A, except cells were infected in the absence (–) or presence (+) of rapamycin (RAPA) or MG132. Material bound to 7-methyl GTP beads was fractionated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed by immunoblotting with the indicated antisera.
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FIG. 4. Phosphorylation of eIF4E is stimulated through multiple pathways in poxvirus-infected cells. (A) Activation of both ERK and p38 in VV-infected cells. Growth-arrested NHDFs were either mock-infected (0 h.p.i.) or infected with VV (MOI = 5). At the indicated times (h.p.i.), total protein was isolated, fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and analyzed by immunoblotting using antisera recognizing phospho-ERK [(P) ERK], total ERK [(T) ERK], phospho-p38 [(P) p38], or total p38 [(T) p38]. (B) Accumulation of the phosphorylated eIF4E in poxvirus infected cells. As in panel A, except total protein was fractionated by IEF and analyzed by immunoblotting using anti-eIF4E antisera. The migration of phosphorylated eIF4E [(P)-4E] and unphosphorylated eIF4E (4E) are noted at the left of the panel. A lysate from uninfected, arsenite-treated cells was included in the last lane as a positive control (+) for eIF4E phosphorylation. (C) Inhibition of viral DNA synthesis prevents eIF4E phosphorylation. Cells were infected as shown in panel A in the presence of 300 µg/ml PAA, and total protein was isolated at 16 h.p.i. eIF4E phosphorylation was evaluated by IEF as in panel B. (D) Phosphorylation of eIF4E requires Mnk1 in VV-infected cells. Immortalized murine fibroblasts derived from WT (+/+) or Mnk1-deficient (–/–) embryos were mock infected (M) or infected with VV as shown in panel A. At 8 h.p.i, eIF4E phosphorylation was evaluated by IEF, as shown in panel B. A short and long exposure of the immunoblot from –/– cells is shown. (E) A small-molecule Mnk1 inhibitor prevents eIF4E phosphorylation in VV-infected human cells. Growth-arrested NHDFs were mock infected (M) or infected with VV (MOI = 5) in the presence (+) or absence (–) of CGP57380. eIF4E phosphorylation was evaluated by IEF, as described in the legend to panel B. Both normal (short) exposure and overexposure (long) of the immunoblot are shown.
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FIG. 5. Interfering with Mnk1 suppresses poxvirus replication. (A) Reduction of poxvirus-induced cytopathic effect in Mnk1-deficient cells. Serum-starved murine cells (Mnk1+/+ or Mnk1–/–) were infected with VV at a low MOI, as described in Materials and Methods. At 72 h.p.i., the cultures were photographed. (B) Limited poxvirus replication in the absence of Mnk1. (Left panel) Cultures were infected as shown in panel A and subsequently lysed by repeated freeze-thaw cycles at 72 h.p.i. The amount of infectious virus produced was quantified by plaque assay of permissive BSC40 cells. (Right panel) Following infection with VV, as described in the legend to panel A, total protein was isolated at 72 h.p.i., fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and analyzed by immunoblotting with anti-VV-specific sera. (C) A small-molecule inhibitor of Mnk1 suppresses poxvirus replication. (Left panel) Growth-arrested NHDFs treated with either DMSO or the Mnk1 inhibitor CGP57380 were infected with VV in duplicate at a low MOI. After 4 days, cell-free lysates were prepared by repeated freeze-thaw cycles, and the amount of infectious virus in each independent sample was quantified by plaque assay in BSC40 cells. (Right panel) VV-infected cells were treated with CGP57380 (+) or DMSO (–) as described above. At 4 days postinfection, total protein was isolated and either (i) fractionated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed by immunoblotting with anti-VV specific sera (top panel) or (ii) fractionated by IEF and analyzed by immunoblotting using anti-eIF4E antisera. The migrations of phosphorylated eIF4E [(P)-4E] and unphosphorylated eIF4E (4E) are noted at the left of the panel. (D) Growth-arrested NHDFs treated with either DMSO or the Mnk1 inhibitor CGP57380 were infected with VV in duplicate (MOI = 0.01). At the indicated times (h.p.i.), cell-free lysates were prepared by repeated freeze-thaw cycles, and the amount of infectious virus in each independent sample was quantified by plaque assay of BSC40 cells.
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FIG. 6. Redistribution of eIF4E, eIF4G, and PABP in VV-infected cells. (A) Time course of eIF4E-eIF4G redistribution. Growth-arrested NHDFs were infected with VV at high MOI. At the indicated time postinfection (h.p.i.), the cells were fixed with 3.7% formaldehyde, permeabilized with 0.1% Triton X-100, and stained with antisera specific for either eIF4E or eIF4G. Following incubation with a fluorescence-conjugated secondary antibody (eIF4E, FITC, green stain; eIF4G, Alexa Fluor, red stain in merge panel), the samples were viewed with a Zeiss Axiovert fluorescence microscope. Nuclei and cytoplasmic DNA-containing VV replication compartments were visualized by DAPI staining (bodies stained with DAPI alone are shown as white or as blue in the merge panels). White arrowheads (12- and 22-h.p.i. panels) denote representative VV replication compartments (DAPI panels) and the corresponding foci of eIF4E or eIF4G. (B) Growth-arrested cells were mock infected (UN) or infected with vaccinia virus (VV) at a high MOI in the presence or absence of PAA. At 12 to 16 h.p.i., the cells were fixed with 3.7% formaldehyde, permeabilized with 0.1% Triton X-100, and stained with the indicated antibodies (eIF4E, eIF4G, and PABP). DNA was stained red with propidium iodide (eIF4E panel) or blue with DAPI (PABP and eIF4G panels). Following incubation with a fluorescence-conjugated secondary antibody (eIF4E, FITC, green stain; eIF4G or PABP, Alexa Fluor, red stain), the samples were viewed with either a Zeiss LSM510 Meta confocal or a Zeiss Axiovert fluorescence microscope. The bottom center panel shows an enlarged section from the eIF4G-stained VV-infected panel immediately above it (marked by the white *). Note that eIF4G is concentrated in small DNA-containing viral replication factories but is absent from large host nuclei. The accumulation of eIF4G in replication factories is abolished by PAA, an inhibitor of viral DNA synthesis. (C) Cells were infected as shown in panel B in the presence of rifampin (RIF). Fixed and permeabilized cells were incubated with antibodies directed against both eIF4E and eIF4G. Following incubation with the appropriate fluorescence-conjugated secondary antibodies (eIF4E, FITC, green stain; eIF4G, Alexa Fluor, red stain), the samples were viewed with a Zeiss LSM510 Meta confocal microscope, and the extent of colocalization was evaluated. (D) Cells were infected, fixed, and permeabilized as shown in panel B but stained with anti-Dcp1 antiserum. Following incubation with an Alexa Fluor-conjugated secondary antibody (red stain), the samples were viewed with a Zeiss Axiovert fluorescence microscope. DNA was stained with DAPI. For greater contrast, the bodies shown as white were stained with DAPI alone. In the merged image panels, DAPI stained the bodies blue. (E) HeLa cells were infected with VV or treated with arsenite (As), fixed, and permeabilized as shown in panel B but stained with anti-TIA-1 antiserum. Cells were visualized as described in the legend to panel D. Arsenite treatment serves as a positive control known to induce SG formation.
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kinases, stalled translation initiation complexes including 40S ribosome subunits, initiation factors, mRNA, and a collection of RNA binding proteins, one of which is TIA-1, accumulate in foci (3). As TIA-1 is a widely used marker of SG formation, VV-infected cells were stained with antisera specific for TIA-1. While TIA-1 was concentrated within nuclei of uninfected cells and exhibited nucleolar sparing, diffuse TIA-1 staining was also detected in the cytosol. Arsenite treatment reproducibly induced the distinctive accumulation of TIA-1 into dense SGs in virtually every cell in multiple visual fields. In contrast, while TIA-1 nuclear staining was abrogated by VV infection, dense granules were not observed with any infected cells in the population. Instead, TIA-1 remained diffusely distributed in the cytosol and was not observed either to accumulate into aggregates in the cytosol proper or to concentrate within viral DNA replication compartments (Fig. 6E). Thus, while nuclear TIA-1 staining was eliminated, canonical stress granule formation could conceivably be impaired in VV-infected cells, as has been reported for some other viruses (13). This could involve characterized VV functions that prevent the accumulation of phosphorylated eIF2
or perhaps the usurpation of another cellular SG constituent, the rasGAP-associated endoribonuclease G3BP (42), as a transcription factor for viral intermediate-class genes (20). Taken together, the P body marker Dcp1 and the SG marker TIA-1 were not observed to concentrate and accumulate within cytoplasmic DAPI-staining bodies in VV-infected cells, suggesting that the eIF4E-eIF4G-containing foci observed with VV replication compartments are unlikely to be canonical P bodies or SGs. We cannot at this time, however, rule out the possibility that the eIF4E-eIF4G foci are noncanonical P bodies or SGs that lack the well-characterized Dcp1 or TIA-1 subunits thought to contribute to their function. |
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The numerous profound changes to cellular translation initiation factors and key translational control pathways in infected cells likely result from the actions of discrete VV-encoded or -induced functions. While the identity of these factors and the precise mechanism(s) with which they interface with the host machinery remain to be explained, they are likely to act either by direct binding to cellular translation initiation factors or by triggering critical cellular signaling pathways. For example, functions related to the M-T5 ankyrin repeat containing host range protein encoded by myxoma virus, a rabbit-specific poxvirus that activates Akt, could contribute to mTOR activation (49). Other DNA viruses have successfully utilized a similar strategy of destroying the 4E-BP1 repressor following its phosphorylation by mTOR in infected cells, although the mechanistic details that result in 4E-BP1 destruction remain obscure (46). It is likely, however, to involve the conjugation of ubiquitin to 4E-BP1 (12; D. Walsh and I. Mohr, unpublished observations). Finally, viral functions also regulate eIF4E phosphorylation by producing eIF4G-binding proteins, some of which enhance eIF4F assembly and stimulate eIF4E phosphorylation (47), whereas others displace Mnk1 and effectively reduce the abundance of phospo-eIF4E (10).
Similarly, the dramatic redistribution of translation initiation factors and concentration within and around viral replication structures require viral gene expression. Indeed, eIF4F assembly, eIF4E phosphorylation, and translation factor redistribution all occur with similar late kinetics and are dependent upon viral DNA synthesis. Thus, the act of viral DNA synthesis or, more likely, the expression of one or more viral late-gene products (RNA or protein) plays essential roles in recruiting translation factors to viral factories. Incorporating eIF4E and eIF4G within these subcellular compartments could effectively elevate the local concentration of key initiation factors and thereby promote eIF4F subunit association or assembly without altering overall initiation factor abundance (48) or using a virus-specified chaperone (47). It further raises the possibility that VV factories, besides serving as focal sites of DNA synthesis and virus assembly, may also function as sites of local late-mRNA translation. This would in effect facilitate the accumulation of viral proteins within a subcellular compartment devoted to viral assembly, obviating the need for a specific import mechanism to transport the virion polypeptide components into the factory lumen. The means by which VV redistributes the translation initiation factors may have relevance to other biological systems where localized translation has been observed, such as in neuronal dendritic spines and during development (21, 41).
In addition, the net effect of incorporating eIF4E, eIF4G, and PABP within virus-specific subcellular domains could sequester these important initiation factors into compartments inaccessible to host mRNAs and thereby contribute to the selective translation of VV mRNAs observed with infected cells. Sequestration of eIF4G to perinuclear hsp27-containing structures has been observed with heat-shocked cells and correlates with the inhibition of the capped mRNA translation observed under these conditions (9). Likewise, SGs and P bodies represent discrete cytoplasmic subcellular aggregates associated with translational repression that contain translation initiation factors (3, 30). However, canonical markers of SGs (TIA-1) and P bodies (Dcp1) were not observed to concentrate in cytoplasmic viral replication compartments or colocalize with eIF4E and eIF4G in VV-infected cells. Instead, sequestering translation factors and their bound mRNA ligands within viral replication structures could also protect viral mRNAs from premature degradation and significantly extend their half-life. In particular, initiation factor-bound mRNAs within viral replication compartments might be less susceptible to the action of the VV-decapping enzyme that is unable to distinguish between host and VV mRNAs in vitro (33). At the same time, concentrating translation factors within viral structures would in effect synergize with the VV mRNA decapping enzyme to impair host mRNA translation by limiting their access to host mRNAs.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the virus-induced modifications to eIF4F observed with poxvirus-infected cells could provide new targets for antiviral drug discovery. This assumes even greater importance for biodefense and global health considering the risks associated with smallpox vaccination and the paucity of drugs active against variola virus, the etiological agent responsible for smallpox (1, 17). Along these lines, the inhibition of Mnk1, a nonessential regulatory component associated with the translational machinery, substantially reduces poxvirus protein production and replication without adversely affecting mRNA translation or viability of uninfected cells. Similarly, while cellular translation initiation factors and ancillary proteins are required for the translation of host and viral mRNAs, the redistribution of these factors to viral subcellular structures is uniquely observed with VV-infected cells. Preventing the concentration of eIF4E, eIF4G, and/or PABP within and around replication compartments could interfere with viral mRNA translation and arrest the virus life cycle. The test of this hypothesis awaits the identification of viral gene products required to promote eIF4F assembly, modification, and subcellular redistribution in infected cells.
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This work was supported by grants from the NIH to D.W. (2 P30 AI027742; while D.W. was in the United States) and to I.M. (GM056927). I.M. is a scholar of the Irma T. Hirshl Trust. Purchase of the confocal microscope was funded by a shared instrumentation grant from the NIH (S10 RR017970). Work in Ireland was supported by grants from the Science Foundation Ireland (06 IN.1 B80) and the Health Research Board (RP/2007/52) to D.W.
Published ahead of print on 4 February 2008. ![]()
These authors contributed equally to this work. ![]()
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