Knockdown of eIF3a attenuated cell growth in K1 human thyroid cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: In ribosome establishment and the initiation of translation, eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF) 3a is a pivotal functional subunit of the eIF3 complex. In various cancer types, abnormal eIF3a expression plays an important role in tumorigenesis. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the role of eIF3a in human thyroid cancer (TC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The expression of eIF3a was determined in TC tissues by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay, respectively. In addition, the expression of eIF3a in K1 and BCPAP cells were detected by qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation, cell cycle, and cell apoptosis were assessed after eIF3a knockdown in K1 in cell line. RESULTS: The expression of eIF3a mRNA was high in TC tissues and cancer cell lines. Moreover, eIF3a expression in TC tissues indicated that high eIF3a level was associated with tumor grade. In addition, eIF3a knockdown resulted in a significantly decrease in cell proliferation and increased the apoptosis of K1 cells. Cell cycle was arrested in both the S and G2/M phase. The levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 and surviving were decreased after eIF3a knockdown. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that eIF3a contributed to TC cell proliferation. It may be a promising target for gene therapy in human thyroid cancer.

NS38 is required for aquareovirus replication via interaction with viral core proteins and host eIF3A.

Aquareoviruses contain an 11-segmented double-stranded RNA genome. Previous studies indicated that NS38, a virus-encoded putative single-stranded RNA binding protein, interacts with NS80 in viral inclusion bodies (VIBs). However, the role of NS38 in aquareovirus infection remained unclear. Here, we found that NS38 interacts with inner-capsid proteins (VP1-VP4 and VP6) and the NS80-RNA complex in both transfected and infected cells. Knockdown of NS38 by siRNAs-115/219 clearly reduced viral infection, with decreased mRNA and protein yields. Moreover, NS38 can interact with host cellular eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit A (eIF3A) in transfected cells, while no association was detected between eIF3A and NS80. This study is the first to define that the NS38 is essential to viral replication. Together, our findings indicate that NS38 might function as a mediator by interacting with viral and host cellular components in VIBs during replication.

eIF3a: A new anticancer drug target in the eIF family.

eIF3a is the largest subunit of eIF3, which is a key player in all steps of translation initiation. During the past years, eIF3a is recognized as a proto-oncogene, which is an important discovery in this field. It is widely reported to be correlated with cancer occurrence, metastasis, prognosis, and therapeutic response. Recently, the mechanisms of eIF3a action in the carcinogenesis are unveiled gradually. A number of cellular, physiological, and pathological processes involving eIF3a are identified. Most importantly, it is emerging as a new potential drug target in the eIF family, and some small molecule inhibitors are being developed. Thus, we perform a critical review of recent advances in understanding eIF3a physiological and pathological functions, with specific focus on its role in cancer and anticancer drug targets.

Aberration in translation initiation and associated diseases: Role of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3A.

Translation control in eukaryotes contributes significantly to gene expression regulation during cellular processes, which enables rapid changes of specific proteins to maintain cellular homeostasis. Eukaryotic translation is a multiple-step process that comprised of four phases: initiation, elongation, termination and ribosome recycling. The initiation phase is rate-limiting and orchestrated by a set of eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs). Defects in translation initiation can result in a series of diseases. Among all eIFs, eIF3 is the largest and less-known initiation factor due to its intrinsic complexity. Aberration in eIF3A, the largest subunit of eIF3, is known to contribute to carcinogenesis and protection against evolution into higher-grade malignancy, and the altered expression or mutation of eIF3A affects the responses of cancer patients to platinum-based chemotherapy. Besides its role in cancinogenesis, eIF3A is also implicated in fibrosis, and the agents inhibiting eIF3A delay the progression of this disorder. The dual roles of eIF3A in tumorigenesis are probably due to the regulation of translation of different mRNAs at different stages of tumor progression by eIF3A. In turn the encoded products serve as pro-tumor or anti-tumor proteins at different stages.

eIF3 Regulation of Protein Synthesis, Tumorigenesis, and Therapeutic Response.

Translation initiation is the rate-limiting step of protein synthesis and highly regulated. Eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) is the largest and most complex initiation factor consisting of 13 putative subunits. A growing number of studies suggest that eIF3 and its subunits may represent a new group of proto-oncogenes and associates with prognosis. They regulate translation of a subset of mRNAs involved in many cellular processes including proliferation, apoptosis, DNA repair, and cell cycle. Therefore, unveiling the mechanisms of eIF3 action in tumorigenesis may help identify attractive targets for cancer therapy. Here, we describe a series of methods used in the study of eIF3 function in regulating protein synthesis, tumorigenesis, and cellular response to therapeutic treatments.

Human eIF3b and eIF3a serve as the nucleation core for the assembly of eIF3 into two interconnected modules: the yeast-like core and the octamer.

The 12-subunit mammalian eIF3 is the largest and most complex translation initiation factor and has been implicated in numerous steps of translation initiation, termination and ribosomal recycling. Imbalanced eIF3 expression levels are observed in various types of cancer and developmental disorders, but the consequences of altered eIF3 subunit expression on its overall structure and composition, and on translation in general, remain unclear. We present the first complete in vivo study monitoring the effects of RNAi knockdown of each subunit of human eIF3 on its function, subunit balance and integrity. We show that the eIF3b and octameric eIF3a subunits serve as the nucleation core around which other subunits assemble in an ordered way into two interconnected modules: the yeast-like core and the octamer, respectively. In the absence of eIF3b neither module forms in vivo, whereas eIF3d knock-down results in severe proliferation defects with no impact on eIF3 integrity. Disrupting the octamer produces an array of subcomplexes with potential roles in translational regulation. This study, outlining the mechanism of eIF3 assembly and illustrating how imbalanced expression of eIF3 subunits impacts the factor's overall expression profile, thus provides a comprehensive guide to the human eIF3 complex and to the relationship between eIF3 misregulation and cancer.

INT6/EIF3E Controls the RNF8-Dependent Ubiquitylation Pathway and Facilitates DNA Double-Strand Break Repair in Human Cells.

Unrepaired DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) are the most destructive chromosomal lesions driving genomic instability, a core hallmark of cancer. Here, we identify the antioncogenic breast cancer factor INT6/EIF3E as an essential regulator of DSB repair that promotes homologous recombination (HR)-mediated repair and, to a lesser extent, nonhomologous end-joining repair. INT6 silencing impaired the accrual of the ubiquitin ligase RNF8 at DSBs and the formation of ubiquitin conjugates at DSB sites, especially Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains, resulting in impaired recruitment of BRCA1, BRCA2, and RAD51, which are all involved in HR repair. In contrast, INT6 deficiency did not affect the accumulation of RNF168, 53BP1, or RPA at DSBs. In INT6-silenced cells, there was also an alteration in DNA damage-induced localization of MDC1, a key target for ATM phosphorylation, which is a prerequisite for RNF8 recruitment. The attenuated DNA damage localization of RNF8 resulting from INT6 depletion could be attributed to the defective retention of ATM previously reported by us. Our findings deepen insights into how INT6 protects against breast cancer by showing how it functions in DSB repair, with potential clinical implications for cancer therapy. Cancer Res; 76(20); 6054-65. ©2016 AACR.

Molecular characterization and functional analysis of subunit 7 of eukaryotic initiation factor 3 from Eimeria tenella.

The initiation of translation in eukaryotic cells is stimulated by proteins known as initiation factors (eIFs). A structurally complex eIF composed of multiple subunits, eIF3 has been shown to have various functions in translation in a variety of eukaryotes. Until now, little is known about eIF3 in Eimeria tenella. Based on a previously identified expressed sequence tag(EST), we cloned the eIF3 subunit 7 gene (EteIF3s7) from E. tenella by rapid amplification of the cDNA ends(RACE). The 2278-bp full-length complementary DNA of EteIF3s7 contained a 1716-bp open reading frame (ORF) that encoded a 571-amino acid (aa) polypeptide. The EteIF3s7 protein contained the subunit 7 domain that is characteristic of members of the eIF3 zeta superfamily. The levels of EteIF3s7 messenger RNA and protein were higher in second generation merozoites than in sporulated oocysts, unsporulated oocysts, or sporozoites, and the EteIF3s7 protein was barely detectable in unsporulated oocysts. Our immunofluorescence analysis showed that the EteIF3s7 protein was uniformly distributed throughout the cytoplasm of sporozoites. After sporozoites were incubated in complete medium, the EteIF3s7 protein localized to the anterior region of the parasite. Following the first schizogenous division, the protein was uniformly dispersed in trophozoites, immature schizonts, and mature schizonts, and the EteIF3s7 protein was observed to be closely associated with the parasitophorous vacuole membrane. An anti-rEteIF3s7 polyclonal antibody inhibited the ability of E. tenella to invade DF-1 cells, which suggested that EteIF3s7 might be involved in host cell invasion and required for the growth of the parasite in the host.

TRIP-1 via AKT modulation drives lung fibroblast/myofibroblast trans-differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Myofibroblasts are the critical effector cells in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis which carries a high degree of morbidity and mortality. We have previously identified Type II TGFß receptor interacting protein 1 (TRIP-1), through proteomic analysis, as a key regulator of collagen contraction in primary human lung fibroblasts--a functional characteristic of myofibroblasts, and the last, but critical step in the process of fibrosis. However, whether or not TRIP-1 modulates fibroblast trans-differentiation to myofibroblasts is not known. METHODS: TRIP-1 expression was altered in primary human lung fibroblasts by siRNA and plasmid transfection. Transfected fibroblasts were then analyzed for myofibroblast features and function such as α-SMA expression, collagen contraction ability, and resistance to apoptosis. RESULTS: The down-regulation of TRIP-1 expression in primary human lung fibroblasts induces α-SMA expression and enhances resistance to apoptosis and collagen contraction ability. In contrast, TRIP-1 over-expression inhibits α-SMA expression. Remarkably, the effects of the loss of TRIP-1 are not abrogated by blockage of TGFß ligand activation of the Smad3 pathway or by Smad3 knockdown. Rather, a TRIP-1 mediated enhancement of AKT phosphorylation is the implicated pathway. In TRIP-1 knockdown fibroblasts, AKT inhibition prevents α-SMA induction, and transfection with a constitutively active AKT construct drives collagen contraction and decreases apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: TRIP-1 regulates fibroblast acquisition of phenotype and function associated with myofibroblasts. The importance of this finding is it suggests TRIP-1 expression could be a potential target in therapeutic strategy aimed against pathological fibrosis.

Eif3ba regulates cranial neural crest development by modulating p53 in zebrafish.

Congenital diseases caused by abnormal development of the cranial neural crest usually present craniofacial malformations and heart defects while the precise mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we show that the zebrafish eif3ba mutant caused by pseudo-typed retrovirus insertion exhibited a similar phenotype due to the hypogenesis of cranial neural crest cells (NCCs). The derivatives of cranial NCCs, including the NCC-derived cell population of pharyngeal arches, craniofacial cartilage, pigment cells and the myocardium derived from cardiac NCCs, were affected in this mutant. The expression of several neural crest marker genes, including crestin, dlx2a and nrp2b, was specifically reduced in the cranial regions of the eif3ba mutant. Through fluorescence-tracing of the cranial NCC migration marker nrp2b, we observed reduced intensity of NCC-derived cells in the heart. In addition, p53 was markedly up-regulated in the eif3ba mutant embryos, which correlated with pronounced apoptosis in the cranial area as shown by TUNEL staining. These findings suggest a novel function of eif3ba during embryonic development and a novel level of regulation in the process of cranial NCC development, in addition to providing a potential animal model to mimic congenital diseases due to cranial NCC defects. Furthermore, we report the identification of a novel transgenic fish line Et(gata2a:EGFP)pku418 to trace the migration of cranial NCCs (including cardiac NCCs); this may serve as an invaluable tool for investigating the development and dynamics of cranial NCCs during zebrafish embryogenesis.

Overexpressed-eIF3I interacted and activated oncogenic Akt1 is a theranostic target in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

UNLABELLED: Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit I (eIF3I) with transforming capability is often overexpressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but its oncogenic mechanisms remain unknown. We demonstrate that eIF3I is overexpressed in various cancers along with activated Akt1 phosphorylation and kinase activity in an eIF3I dose-dependent manner. A novel eIF3I and Akt1 protein interaction was identified in HCC cell lines and tissues and was required for eIF3I-mediated activation of Akt1 signaling. Expression of either antisense eIF3I or dominant negative Akt1 mutant suppressed eIF3I-mediated Akt1 oncogenic signaling and various other tumorigenic effects. Oncogenic domain mapping of the eIF3I and Akt1 interaction suggested that the C-terminal eIF3I interacted with the Akt1 kinase domain and conferred the majority of oncogenic functions. In addition, eIF3I interaction with Akt1 prevented PP2A dephosphorylation of Akt1 and resulted in constitutively active Akt1 oncogenic signaling. Importantly, concordant expression of endogenous eIF3I and phospho-Akt1 was detected in HCC cell lines and tissues. Treatment of eIF3I overexpressing HCC cells with the Akt1 specific inhibitor API-2 suppressed eIF3I-mediated tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: We describe a constitutive Akt1 oncogenic mechanism resulting from interaction of overexpressed eIF3I with Akt1 that prevents PP2A-mediated dephosphorylation. Overexpression of eIF3I in HCC is oncogenic and is a surrogate marker and therapeutic target for treatment with Akt1 inhibitors.

The tumor suppressive role of eIF3f and its function in translation inhibition and rRNA degradation.

Deregulated translation plays an important role in human cancer. We previously reported decreased eukaryotic initiation factor 3 subunit f (eIF3f) expression in pancreatic cancer. Whether decreased eIF3f expression can transform normal epithelial cells is not known. In our current study, we found evidence that stable knockdown of eIF3f in normal human pancreatic ductal epithelial cells increased cell size, nuclear pleomorphism, cytokinesis defects, cell proliferation, clonogenicity, apoptotic resistance, migration, and formation of 3-dimensional irregular masses. Our findings support the tumor suppressive role of eIF3f in pancreatic cancer. Mechanistically, we found that eIF3f inhibited both cap-dependent and cap-independent translation. An increase in the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) level was suggested to promote the generation of cancer. The regulatory mechanism of rRNA degradation in mammals is not well understood. We demonstrated here that eIF3f promotes rRNA degradation through direct interaction with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) K. We showed that hnRNP K is required for maintaining rRNA stability: under stress conditions, eIF3f dissociates hnRNP K from rRNA, thereby preventing it from protecting rRNA from degradation. We also demonstrated that rRNA degradation occurred in non-P body, non-stress granule cytoplasmic foci that contain eIF3f. Our findings established a new mechanism of rRNA decay regulation mediated by hnRNP K/eIF3f and suggest that the tumor suppressive function of eIF3f may link to impaired rRNA degradation and translation.

The translation initiation factor 3f (eIF3f) exhibits a deubiquitinase activity regulating Notch activation.

Activation of the mammalian Notch receptor after ligand binding relies on a succession of events including metalloprotease-cleavage, endocytosis, monoubiquitination, and eventually processing by the gamma-secretase, giving rise to a soluble, transcriptionally active molecule. The Notch1 receptor was proposed to be monoubiquitinated before its gamma-secretase cleavage; the targeted lysine has been localized to its submembrane domain. Investigating how this step might be regulated by a deubiquitinase (DUB) activity will provide new insight for understanding Notch receptor activation and downstream signaling. An immunofluorescence-based screening of an shRNA library allowed us to identify eIF3f, previously known as one of the subunits of the translation initiation factor eIF3, as a DUB targeting the activated Notch receptor. We show that eIF3f has an intrinsic DUB activity. Knocking down eIF3f leads to an accumulation of monoubiquitinated forms of activated Notch, an effect counteracted by murine WT eIF3f but not by a catalytically inactive mutant. We also show that eIF3f is recruited to activated Notch on endocytic vesicles by the putative E3 ubiquitin ligase Deltex1, which serves as a bridging factor. Finally, catalytically inactive forms of eIF3f as well as shRNAs targeting eIF3f repress Notch activation in a coculture assay, showing that eIF3f is a new positive regulator of the Notch pathway. Our results support two new and provocative conclusions: (1) The activated form of Notch needs to be deubiquitinated before being processed by the gamma-secretase activity and entering the nucleus, where it fulfills its transcriptional function. (2) The enzyme accounting for this deubiquitinase activity is eIF3f, known so far as a translation initiation factor. These data improve our knowledge of Notch signaling but also open new avenues of research on the Zomes family and the translation initiation factors.

The translational regulator eIF3a: the tricky eIF3 subunit!

Regulation of gene expression is a fundamental step in cellular physiology as abnormalities in this process may lead to de-regulated growth and cancer. Translation of mRNA is mainly regulated at the rate-limiting initiation step, where many eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) are involved. The largest and most complex initiation factor is eIF3 which plays a role in translational regulation, cell growth and cancer. The largest subunit of eIF3 is eIF3a, although it is not required for the general function of eIF3 in translation initiation. However, eIF3a may play a role as a regulator of a subset of mRNAs and has been demonstrated to regulate the expression of p27(kip1), tyrosinated α-tubulin and ribonucleotide reductase M2 subunit. These molecules have a pivotal role in the regulation of the cell cycle. Moreover, the eIF3a mRNA is ubiquitously expressed in all tissues at different levels and is found elevated in a number of cancer types. eIF3a can modulate the cell cycle and may be a translational regulator for proteins important for entrance into S phase. The expression of eIF3a is decreased in differentiated cells in culture and the suppression of eIF3a expression can reverse the malignant phenotype and change the sensitivity of cells to cell cycle modulators. However, the role of eIF3a in cancer is still unclear. In fact, some studies have identified eIF3a to be involved in cancer development, while other results indicate that it could provide protection against evolution into higher malignancy. Together, these findings highlight the "tricky" and interesting nature of eIF3a.

An oncogenic role of eIF3e/INT6 in human breast cancer.

Altered expression of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) subunit eIF3e/INT6 has been described in various types of human cancer, but the nature of its involvement in tumorigenesis is not yet clear. Using immunohistochemical analysis of 81 primary breast cancers, we found that high tumor grade correlated significantly with elevated cytoplasmic eIF3e level in epithelial tumor cells. Analysis of protein synthesis after siRNA-mediated knockdown in breast cancer cell lines indicated that eIF3e is not required for bulk translation. Microarray analysis of total and polysomal RNAs nonetheless identified distinct sets of mRNAs regulated either positively or negatively by eIF3e; functional classification of these revealed a marked enrichment of genes involved in cell proliferation, invasion and apoptosis. Validated mRNA targets regulated positively at the translational level by eIF3e included urokinase-type plasminogen activator and apoptotic regulator BCL-XL, whereas synthesis of proteins including the mitotic checkpoint component MAD2L1 was negatively regulated. Finally, eIF3e-depleted breast carcinoma cells showed reduced in vitro invasion and proliferation. Taken together, our study data suggest that eIF3e has a positive role in breast cancer progression. It regulates the translation, and in some cases abundance, of mRNAs involved in key aspects of cancer cell biology.

PCI complexes: Beyond the proteasome, CSN, and eIF3 Troika.

The bipartite PCI domain serves as the principal scaffold for proteasome lid, CSN, and eIF3, complexes that influence protein life span. PCI domains are also found in newly identified complexes directing nucleic acid regulation. The breadth of functions associated with the extended PCI family is a factor of shared subunits, among them a common factor Sem1/DSS1 that facilitates complex assembly.

Role of eIF3a in regulating cell cycle progression.

Translational control is an essential process in regulation of gene expression, which occurs at the initiation step performed by a number of translation initiation factor complexes. eIF3a (eIF3 p170) is the largest subunit of the eIF3 complex. eIF3a has been suggested to play roles in regulating translation of a subset of mRNAs and in regulating cell cycle progression and cell proliferation. In this study, we examined the expression profile of eIF3a in cell cycle and its role in cell cycle progression. We found that eIF3a expression oscillated with cell cycle and peaked in S phase. Reducing eIF3a expression also reduced cell proliferation rate by elongating cell cycle but did not change the cell cycle distribution. However, eIF3a appears to play an important role in cellular responses to external cell cycle modulators likely by affecting synthesis of target proteins of these modulators.

Phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor 3f by cyclin-dependent kinase 11 during apoptosis.

eIF3f is a subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3). We previously showed that eIF3f is phosphorylated by cyclin dependent kinase 11 (CDK11(p46)) which is an important effector in apoptosis. Here, we identified a second eIF3f phosphorylation site (Thr119) by CDK11(p46) during apoptosis. We demonstrated that eIF3f is directly phosphorylated by CDK11(p46) in vivo. Phosphorylation of eIF3f plays an important role in regulating its function in translation and apoptosis. Phosphorylation of eIF3f enhances the association of eIF3f with the core eIF3 subunits during apoptosis. Our data suggested that eIF3f may inhibit translation by increasing the binding to the eIF3 complex during apoptosis.

Inhibition of HIV-1 replication by eIF3f.

Viruses often use host machinery in unusual ways to execute different steps during their replication. To identify host factors critical for virus replication, we screened cDNA expression libraries for genes or gene fragments that could interfere with HIV-1 vector transduction. The DNA clone that most potently inhibited HIV-1 expression encoded the N-terminal 91 aa of the eukaryotic initiation factor 3 subunit f (N91-eIF3f). Overexpression of N91-eIF3f or full-length eIF3f drastically restricted HIV-1 replication by reducing nuclear and cytoplasmic viral mRNA levels. N91-eIF3f and eIF3f specifically targeted the 3' long terminal repeat (3'LTR) region in the viral mRNA. We show that the 3' end cleavage of HIV-1 mRNA precursors is specifically reduced in N91-eIF3f expressing cells. Our results suggest a role of eIF3f in mRNA maturation and that it can specifically interfere with the 3' end processing of HIV-1 mRNAs.

eIF3a cooperates with sequences 5' of uORF1 to promote resumption of scanning by post-termination ribosomes for reinitiation on GCN4 mRNA.

Yeast initiation factor eIF3 (eukaryotic initiation factor 3) has been implicated in multiple steps of translation initiation. Previously, we showed that the N-terminal domain (NTD) of eIF3a interacts with the small ribosomal protein RPS0A located near the mRNA exit channel, where eIF3 is proposed to reside. Here, we demonstrate that a partial deletion of the RPS0A-binding domain of eIF3a impairs translation initiation and reduces binding of eIF3 and associated eIFs to native preinitiation complexes in vivo. Strikingly, it also severely blocks the induction of GCN4 translation that occurs via reinitiation. Detailed examination unveiled a novel reinitiation defect resulting from an inability of 40S ribosomes to resume scanning after terminating at the first upstream ORF (uORF1). Genetic analysis reveals a functional interaction between the eIF3a-NTD and sequences 5' of uORF1 that is critically required to enhance reinitiation. We further demonstrate that these stimulatory sequences must be positioned precisely relative to the uORF1 stop codon and that reinitiation efficiency after uORF1 declines with its increasing length. Together, our results suggest that eIF3 is retained on ribosomes throughout uORF1 translation and, upon termination, interacts with its 5' enhancer at the mRNA exit channel to stabilize mRNA association with post-termination 40S subunits and enable resumption of scanning for reinitiation downstream.