Inhibition of human T-cell proliferation by mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) antagonists requires noncoding RNA growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) (original) (raw)

A critical role for non-coding RNA GAS5 in growth arrest and rapamycin inhibition in human T-lymphocytes

2011

Non-coding RNA GAS5 (growth arrest-specific transcript 5) is a 5 -TOP (5 -terminal oligopyrimidine tract) RNA, whose translation, and consequently also stability, is controlled by the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway. GAS5 was identified by functional expression cloning and is necessary and sufficient for normal growth arrest in both leukaemic and untransformed human T-lymphocytes. GAS5 is also required for the inhibitory effects of rapamycin and its analogues on T-cells. The striking functional effects of GAS5 may be mediated through the snoRNAs (small nucleolar RNAs) encoded in its introns and/or through the unusual folding of the mRNA itself, which sequesters, and therefore inhibits, the glucocorticoid receptor.

Global and Specific Translational Control by Rapamycin in T Cells Uncovered by Microarrays and Proteomics

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2002

Rapamycin has been shown to affect translation. We have utilized two complementary approaches to identify genes that are predominantly affected by rapamycin in Jurkat T cells. One was to compare levels of polysomebound and total RNA using oligonucleotide microarrays complementary to 6,300 human genes. Another was to determine protein synthesis levels using two-dimensional PAGE. Analysis of expression changes at the polysome-bound RNA levels showed that translation of most of the expressed genes was partially reduced following rapamycin treatment. However, translation of 136 genes (6% of the expressed genes) was totally inhibited. This group included genes encoding RNA-binding proteins and several proteasome subunit members. Translation of a set of 159 genes (7%) was largely unaffected by rapamycin treatment. These genes included transcription factors, kinases, phosphatases, and members of the RAS superfamily. Analysis of [ 35 S]methionine-labeled proteins from the same cell populations using two-dimensional PAGE showed that the integrated intensity of 111 of 830 protein spots changed in rapamycin-treated cells by at least 3-fold (70 increased, 41 decreased). We identified 22 affected protein spots representing protein products of 16 genes. The combined microarray and proteomic approach has uncovered novel genes affected by rapamycin that may be involved in its immunosuppressive effect and other genes that are not affected at the level of translation in a context of general inhibition of cap-dependent translation.

Growth arrest in human T-cells is controlled by the non-coding RNA growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5)

Journal of Cell Science, 2008

The control of growth of lymphocyte populations is crucial to the physiological regulation of the immune system, and to the prevention of both leukaemic and autoimmune disease. This control is mediated through modulation of the cell cycle and regulation of cell death. During log-phase growth the rate of proliferation is high and there is a low rate of cell death. As the population density increases, the cell cycle is extended and apoptosis becomes more frequent as the population enters growth arrest. Here, we show that growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) plays an essential role in normal growth arrest in both T-cell lines and non-transformed lymphocytes. Overexpression of GAS5 causes both an increase in apoptosis and a reduction in the rate of progression through the cell-cycle. Consistent with this, downregulation of endogenous GAS5 inhibits apoptosis and maintains a more rapid cell cycle, indicating that GAS5 expression is both necessary and sufficient for normal growth arrest in T-cell lines as well as human peripheral blood T-cells. Control of apoptosis and the cell cycle by GAS5 has significant consequences for disease pathogenesis, because independent studies have already identified GAS5 as an important candidate gene in the development of autoimmune disease.

Rapamycin differentially inhibits S6Ks and 4E-BP1 to mediate cell-type-specific repression of mRNA translation

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008

The mammalian translational initiation machinery is a tightly controlled system that is composed of eukaryotic initiation factors, and which controls the recruitment of ribosomes to mediate cap-dependent translation. Accordingly, the mTORC1 complex functionally controls this cap-dependent translation machinery through the phosphorylation of its downstream substrates 4E-BPs and S6Ks. It is generally accepted that rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of mTORC1, is a potent translational repressor. Here we report the unexpected discovery that rapamycin's ability to regulate cap-dependent translation varies significantly among cell types. We show that this effect is mechanistically caused by rapamycin's differential effect on 4E-BP1 versus S6Ks. While rapamycin potently inhibits S6K activity throughout the duration of treatment, 4E-BP1 recovers in phosphorylation within 6 h despite initial inhibition . This reemerged 4E-BP1 phosphorylation is rapamycinresistant but still requires mTOR, Raptor, and mTORC1's activity. Therefore, these results explain how cap-dependent translation can be maintained in the presence of rapamycin. In addition, we have also defined the condition by which rapamycin can control cap-dependent translation in various cell types. Finally, we show that mTOR catalytic inhibitors are effective inhibitors of the rapamycin-resistant phenotype.

Regulation of global and specific mRNA translation by the mTOR signaling pathway

ABSTRACT The translation of mRNA into polypeptides is a key step in eukaryotic gene expression. Translation is mostly controlled at the level of initiation, which is partly regulated by the mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. Whereas mTOR controls global protein synthesis through specific effector proteins, its role in the translation of select groups of mRNAs, such as those harboring a terminal oligopyrimidine (TOP) tract at their 5’ end, remains more enigmatic. In this article, we describe the current knowledge on the role of mTOR in global mRNA translation, but also focus on the potential molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of specific translational programs.

Impact of Pyrrolidine Dithiocarbamate and Interleukin-6 on Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 Regulation and Global Protein Translation

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2011

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a proinflammatory cytokine that exerts a wide range of cellular, physiological, and pathophysiological responses. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) antagonizes the cellular responsiveness to IL-6 through impairment in signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 activation and downstream signaling. To further elucidate the biological properties of PDTC, global gene expression profiling of human HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells was carried out after treatment with PDTC or IL-6 for up to 8 h. Through an unbiased pathway analysis method, gene array analysis showed dramatic and temporal differences in expression changes in response to PDTC versus IL-6. A significant number of genes associated with metabolic pathways, inflammation, translation, and mitochondrial function were changed, with ribosomal protein genes and DNA damage-inducible transcript 4 protein (DDIT4) primarily up-regulated with PDTC but down-regulated with IL-6. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses validated the microarray data and showed the reciprocal expression pattern of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-negative regulator DDIT4 in response to PDTC versus IL-6. Cell treatment with PDTC resulted in a rapid and sustained activation of Akt and subsequently blocked the IL-6mediated increase in mTOR complex 1 function through upregulation in DDIT4 expression. Conversely, down-regulation of DDIT4 with small interfering RNA dampened the capacity of PDTC to block IL-6-dependent mTOR activation. The overall protein biosynthetic capacity of the cells was severely blunted by IL-6 but increased in a rapamycin-independent pathway by PDTC. These results demonstrate a critical effect of PDTC on mTOR complex 1 function and provide evidence that PDTC can reverse IL-6-related signaling via induction of DDIT4.

Not all substrates are treated equally: Implications for mTOR, rapamycin-resistance, and cancer therapy

Cell Cycle, 2009

The mTORC1 signaling pathway is a critical regulator of cell growth and is hyper activated in many different cancers. Rapamycin, an allosteric inhibitor of mTORC1, has been approved for treatment against renal cell carcinomas and is being evaluated for other cancers. Mechanistically, mTORC1 controls cell growth in part through its two well-characterized substrates S6K1 and 4E-BP1. In this review, we discuss the implications of a recent finding that showed differential inhibition of S6K1 and 4E-BP1 by rapamycin, leading to cell-type-specific repression of cap-dependent translation. We discuss potential mechanisms for this effect, and propose that mTOR-specific kinase inhibitors, instead of rapamycin, should be considered for mTOR-targeted cancer therapy.