RESUMO
Translational control plays a pivotal role in the regulation of the pluripotency network in embryonic stem cells, but its effect on reprogramming somatic cells to pluripotency has not been explored. Here, we show that eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) binding proteins (4E-BPs), which are translational repressors, have a multifaceted effect on the reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Loss of 4E-BP expression attenuates the induction of iPSCs at least in part through increased translation of p21, a known inhibitor of somatic cell reprogramming. However, MEFs lacking both p53 and 4E-BPs show greatly enhanced reprogramming resulting from a combination of reduced p21 transcription and enhanced translation of endogenous mRNAs such as Sox2 and Myc and can be reprogrammed through the expression of only exogenous Oct4. Thus, 4E-BPs exert both positive and negative effects on reprogramming, highlighting the key role that translational control plays in regulating this process.
Assuntos
Reprogramação Celular/fisiologia , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal , Animais , Proteínas de Transporte/genética , Proteínas de Transporte/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular , Células Cultivadas , Reprogramação Celular/genética , Células-Tronco Embrionárias/citologia , Células-Tronco Embrionárias/metabolismo , Fatores de Iniciação em Eucariotos/genética , Fatores de Iniciação em Eucariotos/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/citologia , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/metabolismo , Camundongos , Modelos Biológicos , Fosfoproteínas/genética , Fosfoproteínas/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição SOXB1/genética , Fatores de Transcrição SOXB1/metabolismoRESUMO
Type I interferon is an integral component of the antiviral response, and its production is tightly controlled at the levels of transcription and translation. The eukaryotic translation-initiation factor eIF4E is a rate-limiting factor whose activity is regulated by phosphorylation of Ser209. Here we found that mice and fibroblasts in which eIF4E cannot be phosphorylated were less susceptible to virus infection. More production of type I interferon, resulting from less translation of Nfkbia mRNA (which encodes the inhibitor IκBα), largely explained this phenotype. The lower abundance of IκBα resulted in enhanced activity of the transcription factor NF-κB, which promoted the production of interferon-ß (IFN-ß). Thus, regulated phosphorylation of eIF4E has a key role in antiviral host defense by selectively controlling the translation of an mRNA that encodes a critical suppressor of the innate antiviral response.