LeishIF4E2 is a cap-binding protein that plays a role in Leishmania cell cycle progression.

Leishmania encode six paralogs of the cap-binding protein eIF4E and five eIF4G candidates, forming unique complexes. Two cap-binding proteins, LeishIF4E1 and LeishIF4E2, do not bind any identified LeishIF4Gs, thus their roles are intriguing. Here, we combine structural prediction, proteomic analysis, and interaction assays to shed light on LeishIF4E2 function. A nonconserved C-terminal extension was identified through structure prediction and sequence alignment. m7 GTP-binding assays involving both recombinant and transgenic LeishIF4E2 with and without the C-terminal extension revealed that this extension functions as a regulatory gate, modulating the cap-binding activity of LeishIF4E2. The interactomes of the two LeishIF4E2 versions were investigated, highlighting the role of the C-terminal extension in binding to SLBP2. SLBP2 is known to interact with a stem-loop structure in the 3' UTRs of histone mRNAs. Consistent with the predicted inhibitory effect of SLBP2 on histone expression in Xenopus laevis, a hemizygous deletion mutant of LeishIF4E2, exhibited an upregulation of several histones. We therefore propose that LeishIF4E2 is involved in histone expression, possibly through its interaction between SLBP2 and LeishIF4E2, thus affecting cell cycle progression. In addition, cell synchronization showed that LeishIF4E2 expression decreased during the S-phase, when histones are known to be synthesized. Previous studies in T. brucei also highlighted an association between TbEIF4E2 and SLBP2, and further reported on an interaction between TbIF4E2 and S-phase-abundant mRNAs. Our results show that overexpression of LeishIF4E2 correlates with upregulation of cell cycle and chromosome maintenance proteins. Along with its effect on histone expression, we propose that LeishIF4E2 is involved in cell cycle progression.

A newly identified Leishmania IF4E-interacting protein, Leish4E-IP2, modulates the activity of cap-binding protein paralogs.

Translation of most cellular mRNAs in eukaryotes proceeds through a cap-dependent pathway, whereby the cap-binding complex, eIF4F, anchors the preinitiation complex at the 5' end of mRNAs and regulates translation initiation. The requirement of Leishmania to survive in changing environments can explain why they encode multiple eIF4E (LeishIF4Es) and eIF4G (LeishIF4Gs) paralogs, as each could be assigned a discrete role during their life cycle. Here we show that the expression and activity of different LeishIF4Es change during the growth of cultured promastigotes, urging a search for regulatory proteins. We describe a novel LeishIF4E-interacting protein, Leish4E-IP2, which contains a conserved Y(X)4LΦ IF4E-binding-motif. Despite its capacity to bind several LeishIF4Es, Leish4E-IP2 was not detected in m7GTP-eluted cap-binding complexes, suggesting that it could inhibit the cap-binding activity of LeishIF4Es. Using a functional assay, we show that a recombinant form of Leish4E-IP2 inhibits the cap-binding activity of LeishIF4E-1 and LeishIF4E-3. Furthermore, we show that transgenic parasites expressing a tagged version of Leish4E-IP2 also display reduced cap-binding activities of tested LeishIF4Es, and decreased global translation. Given its ability to bind more than a single LeishIF4E, we suggest that Leish4E-IP2 could serve as a broad-range repressor of Leishmania protein synthesis.

ZnJ6 Is a Thylakoid Membrane DnaJ-Like Chaperone with Oxidizing Activity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Assembly of photosynthetic complexes is sensitive to changing light intensities, drought and pathogens, each of which induces a redox imbalance that requires the assistance of specific chaperones to maintain protein structure. Here we report a thylakoid membrane-associated DnaJ-like protein, ZnJ6 (Cre06.g251716.t1.2), in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The protein has four CXXCX(G)X(G) motifs that form two zinc fingers (ZFs). Site-directed mutagenesis (Cys > Ser) eliminates the ability to bind zinc. An intact ZF is required for ZnJ6 stability at elevated temperatures. Chaperone assays with recombinant ZnJ6 indicate that it has holding and oxidative activities. ZnJ6 is unable to reduce the disulfide bonds of insulin but prevents its aggregation in a reducing environment. It also assists in the reactivation of reduced denatured RNaseA, possibly by its oxidizing activity. ZnJ6 pull-down assays revealed interactions with oxidoreductases, photosynthetic proteins and proteases. In vivo experiments with a C. reinhardtii insertional mutant (∆ZnJ6) indicate enhanced tolerance to oxidative stress but increased sensitivity to heat and reducing conditions. Moreover, ∆ZnJ6 has reduced photosynthetic efficiency shown by the Chlorophyll fluorescence transient. Taken together, we identify a role for this thylakoid-associated DnaJ-like oxidizing chaperone that assists in the prevention of protein misfolding and aggregation, thus contributing to stress endurance, redox maintenance and photosynthetic balance.

Characterization of an Atypical eIF4E Ortholog in Leishmania, LeishIF4E-6.

Leishmania parasites are digenetic protists that shuffle between sand fly vectors and mammalian hosts, transforming from flagellated extracellular promastigotes that reside within the intestinal tract of female sand flies to the obligatory intracellular and non-motile amastigotes within mammalian macrophages. Stage differentiation is regulated mainly by post-transcriptional mechanisms, including translation regulation. Leishmania parasites encode six different cap-binding proteins, LeishIF4E1-6, that show poor conservation with their counterparts from higher eukaryotes and among themselves. In view of the changing host milieu encountered throughout their life cycle, we propose that each LeishIF4E has a unique role, although these functions may be difficult to determine. Here we characterize LeishIF4E-6, a unique eIF4E ortholog that does not readily associate with m7GTP cap in either of the tested life forms of the parasite. We discuss the potential effect of substituting two essential tryptophan residues in the cap-binding pocket, expected to be involved in the cap-binding activity, as judged from structural studies in the mammalian eIF4E. LeishIF4E-6 binds to LeishIF4G-5, one of the five eIF4G candidates in Leishmania. However, despite this binding, LeishIF4E-6 does not appear to function as a translation factor. Its episomal overexpression causes a general reduction in the global activity of protein synthesis, which was not observed in the hemizygous deletion mutant generated by CRISPR-Cas9. This genetic profile suggests that LeishIF4E-6 has a repressive role. The interactome of LeishIF4E-6 highlights proteins involved in RNA metabolism such as the P-body marker DHH1, PUF1 and an mRNA-decapping enzyme that is homologous to the TbALPH1.

LeishIF4E-5 Is a Promastigote-Specific Cap-Binding Protein in Leishmania.

Leishmania parasites cycle between sand fly vectors and mammalian hosts, transforming from extracellular promastigotes that reside in the vectors' alimentary canal to obligatory intracellular non-motile amastigotes that are harbored by macrophages of the mammalian hosts. The transition between vector and host exposes them to a broad range of environmental conditions that induces a developmental program of gene expression, with translation regulation playing a key role. The Leishmania genome encodes six paralogs of the cap-binding protein eIF4E. All six isoforms show a relatively low degree of conservation with eIF4Es of other eukaryotes, as well as among themselves. This variability could suggest that they have been assigned discrete roles that could contribute to their survival under the changing environmental conditions. Here, we describe LeishIF4E-5, a LeishIF4E paralog. Despite the low sequence conservation observed between LeishIF4E-5 and other LeishIF4Es, the three aromatic residues in its cap-binding pocket are conserved, in accordance with its cap-binding activity. However, the cap-binding activity of LeishIF4E-5 is restricted to the promastigote life form and not observed in amastigotes. The overexpression of LeishIF4E-5 shows a decline in cell proliferation and an overall reduction in global translation. Immuno-cytochemical analysis shows that LeishIF4E-5 is localized in the cytoplasm, with a non-uniform distribution. Mass spectrometry analysis of proteins that co-purify with LeishIF4E-5 highlighted proteins involved in RNA metabolism, along with two LeishIF4G paralogs, LeishIF4G-1 and LeishIF4G-2. These vary in their conserved eIF4E binding motif, possibly suggesting that they can form different complexes.

Structural basis for LeishIF4E-1 modulation by an interacting protein in the human parasite Leishmania major.

Leishmania parasites are unicellular pathogens that are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected sandflies. Most of the regulation of their gene expression occurs post-transcriptionally, and the different patterns of gene expression required throughout the parasites' life cycle are regulated at the level of translation. Here, we report the X-ray crystal structure of the Leishmania cap-binding isoform 1, LeishIF4E-1, bound to a protein fragment of previously unknown function, Leish4E-IP1, that binds tightly to LeishIF4E-1. The molecular structure, coupled to NMR spectroscopy experiments and in vitro cap-binding assays, reveal that Leish4E-IP1 allosterically destabilizes the binding of LeishIF4E-1 to the 5' mRNA cap. We propose mechanisms through which Leish4E-IP1-mediated LeishIF4E-1 inhibition could regulate translation initiation in the human parasite.

The eIF3 complex of Leishmania-subunit composition and mode of recruitment to different cap-binding complexes.

Eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) is a multi-protein complex and a key participant in the assembly of the translation initiation machinery. In mammals, eIF3 comprises 13 subunits, most of which are characterized by conserved structural domains. The trypanosomatid eIF3 subunits are poorly conserved. Here, we identify 12 subunits that comprise the Leishmania eIF3 complex (LeishIF3a-l) by combining bioinformatics with affinity purification and mass spectrometry analyses. These results highlight the strong association of LeishIF3 with LeishIF1, LeishIF2 and LeishIF5, suggesting the existence of a multi-factor complex. In trypanosomatids, the translation machinery is tightly regulated in the different life stages of these organisms as part of their adaptation and survival in changing environments. We, therefore, addressed the mechanism by which LeishIF3 is recruited to different mRNA cap-binding complexes. A direct interaction was observed in vitro between the fully assembled LeishIF3 complex and recombinant LeishIF4G3, the canonical scaffolding protein of the cap-binding complex in Leishmania promastigotes. We further highlight a novel interaction between the C-terminus of LeishIF3a and LeishIF4E1, the only cap-binding protein that efficiently binds the cap structure under heat shock conditions, anchoring a complex that is deficient of any MIF4G-based scaffolding subunit.

HSP33 in eukaryotes - an evolutionary tale of a chaperone adapted to photosynthetic organisms.

HSP33 was originally identified in bacteria as a redox-sensitive chaperone that protects unfolded proteins from aggregation. Here, we describe a eukaryote ortholog of HSP33 from the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, which appears to play a protective role under light-induced oxidizing conditions. The algal HSP33 exhibits chaperone activity, as shown by citrate synthase aggregation assays. Studies from the Jakob laboratory established that activation of the bacterial HSP33 upon its oxidation initiates by the release of pre-bound Zn from the well conserved Zn-binding motif Cys-X-Cys-Xn -Cys-X-X-Cys, and is followed by significant structural changes (Reichmann et al., ). Unlike the bacterial protein, the HSP33 from C. reinhardtii had lost the first cysteine residue of its center, diminishing Zn-binding activity under all conditions. As a result, the algal protein can be easily activated by minor structural changes in response to oxidation and/or excess heat. An attempt to restore the missing first cysteine did not have a major effect on Zn-binding and on the mode of activation. Replacement of all remaining cysteines abolished completely any residual Zn binding, although the chaperone activation was maintained. A phylogenetic analysis of the algal HSP33 showed that it clusters with the cyanobacterial protein, in line with its biochemical localization to the chloroplast. Indeed, expression of the algal HSP33 increases in response to light-induced oxidative stress, which is experienced routinely by photosynthetic organisms. Despite the fact that no ortholog could be found in higher eukaryotes, its abundance in all algal species examined could have a biotechnological relevance.

Orchestration of thiamin biosynthesis and central metabolism by combined action of the thiamin pyrophosphate riboswitch and the circadian clock in Arabidopsis.

Riboswitches are natural RNA elements that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression by binding small molecules and thereby autonomously control intracellular levels of these metabolites. Although riboswitch-based mechanisms have been examined extensively, the integration of their activity with global physiology and metabolism has been largely overlooked. Here, we explored the regulation of thiamin biosynthesis and the consequences of thiamin pyrophosphate riboswitch deficiency on metabolism in Arabidopsis thaliana. Our results show that thiamin biosynthesis is largely regulated by the circadian clock via the activity of the THIAMIN C SYNTHASE (THIC) promoter, while the riboswitch located at the 3' untranslated region of this gene controls overall thiamin biosynthesis. Surprisingly, the results also indicate that the rate of thiamin biosynthesis directs the activity of thiamin-requiring enzymes and consecutively determines the rate of carbohydrate oxidation via the tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose-phosphate pathway. Our model suggests that in Arabidopsis, the THIC promoter and the thiamin-pyrophosphate riboswitch act simultaneously to tightly regulate thiamin biosynthesis in a circadian manner and consequently sense and control vital points of core cellular metabolism.

Serine protease inhibitors interact with IFN-γ through up-regulation of FasR; a novel therapeutic strategy against cancer.

Among the many immunomodulatory and anti-tumor activities, IFN-γ up-regulates tumor cell death mediated by Fas receptor (FasR). Our and several other studies have demonstrated the involvement of trypsin-like proteases (TLPs) in the mode of action of IFN-γ. In the present study, we tried to unravel the role of serine proteases in IFN-γ induced Fas-mediated cell death. Our present results show that both tosyl-l-Lysine chloromethylketone (TLCK), a trypsin like protease inhibitor and tosyl-l-phenylalanine chloromethylketone (TPCK) - a chymotrypsin like protease (CLP) inhibitor, sensitize HeLa cells to Fas-mediated cell death. The combined effect of these protease inhibitors with anti-Fas was stronger than additive. In contrast, elastase inhibitor III (EI), which also contains the chloromethyl ketone moiety, was not active. Furthermore, co-addition of TLCK or TPCK with IFN-γ markedly enhanced Fas-induced cell death. IFN-γ led to up-regulation of FasR on its own, which was further enhanced by the co-addition of TLCK or TPCK. This was evident both by increased expression of Fas receptor on cell surface and by elevated Fas mRNA level. This study may provide the basis for the design of a novel combinatory therapeutic strategy that could enhance the eradication of tumors.

The BSD2 ortholog in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a polysome-associated chaperone that co-migrates on sucrose gradients with the rbcL transcript encoding the Rubisco large subunit.

The expression of the CO2 -fixation enzyme ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), which is affected by light, involves the cysteine-rich protein bundle-sheath defective-2 (BSD2) that was originally identified in maize bundle-sheath cells. We identified the BSD2 ortholog in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a small protein (17 kDa) localized to the chloroplast. The algal BSD2-ortholog contains four CXXCXGXG DnaJ-like elements, but lacks the other conserved domains of DnaJ. BSD2 co-migrated with the rbcL transcript on heavy polysomes, and both BSD2 and rbcL mRNA shifted to the lighter fractions under oxidizing conditions that repress the translation of the Rubisco large subunit (RbcL). This profile of co-migration supports the possibility that BSD2 is required for the de novo synthesis of RbcL. Furthermore, BSD2 co-migrated with the rbcL transcript in a C. reinhardtii premature-termination mutant that encodes the first 60 amino acids of RbcL. In both strains, BSD2 shared its migration profile with the rbcL transcript but not with psbA mRNA. The chaperone activity of BSD2 was exemplified by its ability to prevent the aggregation of both citrate synthase (CS) and RbcL in vitro following their chemical denaturation. This activity did not depend on the presence of the thiol groups on BSD2. In contrast, the activity of BSD2 in preventing the precipitation of reduced ß-chains in vitro in the insulin turbidity assay was thiol-dependent. We conclude that BSD2 combines a chaperone 'holdase' function with the ability to interact with free thiols, with both activities being required to protect newly synthesized RbcL chains.

Regulation of autophagy by α1-antitrypsin: "a foe of a foe is a friend".

Autophagy is involved in both the cell protective and the cell death process but its mechanism is largely unknown. The present work unravels a novel intracellular mechanism by which the serpin α1-antitrypsin (AAT) acts as a novel negative regulator of autophagic cell death. For the first time, the role of intracellularly synthesized AAT, other than in liver cells, is demonstrated. Autophagic cell death was induced by N-α-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK) and tamoxifen. By utilizing a fluorescently tagged TPCK analog, AAT was "fished out" (pulled out) as a TPCK intracellular protein target. The interaction was further verified by competition binding experiments. Both inducers caused downregulation of AAT expression associated with activation of trypsin-like proteases. Furthermore, silencing AAT by siRNA induced autophagic cell death. Moreover, AAT administration to cultured cells prevented autophagic cell death. This new mechanism could have implications in the treatment of diseases by the regulation of AAT levels in which autophagy has a detrimental function. Furthermore, the results imply that the high synthesis of endogenous AAT by cancer cells could provide a novel resistance mechanism of cancer against autophagic cell death.

A novel 4E-interacting protein in Leishmania is involved in stage-specific translation pathways.

In eukaryotes, exposure to stress conditions causes a shift from cap-dependent to cap-independent translation. In trypanosomatids, environmental switches are the driving force of a developmental program of gene expression, but it is yet unclear how their translation machinery copes with their constantly changing environment. Trypanosomatids have a unique cap structure (cap-4) and encode four highly diverged paralogs of the cap-binding protein, eIF4E; none were found to genetically complement a yeast mutant failing to express eIF4E. Here we show that in promastigotes, a typical cap-binding complex is anchored through LeishIF4E-4, which associates with components of the cap-binding pre-initiation complex. In axenic amastigotes, expression of LeishIF4E-4 decreases and the protein does not bind the cap, whereas LeishIF4E-1 maintains its expression level and associates with the cap structure and with translation initiation factors. However, LeishIF4E-1 does not interact with eIF4G-like proteins in both life stages, excluding its involvement in cap-dependent translation. Using pull-down assays and mass-spectrometry, we identified a novel, non-conserved 4E-Interacting Protein (Leish4E-IP), which binds to LeishIF4E-1 in promastigotes, but not in amastigotes. Yeast two-hybrid and NMR spectroscopy confirmed the specificity of this interaction. We propose that Leish4E-IP is a translation regulator that is involved in switching between cap-dependent and alternative translation pathways.

LeishIF3d is a non-canonical cap-binding protein in Leishmania.

Translation of most cellular mRNAs in eukaryotes proceeds through a cap-dependent pathway, whereby the cap-binding complex, eIF4F, anchors the pre-initiation complex at the 5' end of mRNAs driving translation initiation. The genome of Leishmania encodes a large repertoire of cap-binding complexes that fulfill a variety of functions possibly involved in survival along the life cycle. However, most of these complexes function in the promastigote life form that resides in the sand fly vector and decrease their activity in amastigotes, the mammalian life form. Here we examined the possibility that LeishIF3d drives translation in Leishmania using alternative pathways. We describe a non-canonical cap-binding activity of LeishIF3d and examine its potential role in driving translation. LeishIF3d is required for translation, as reducing its expression by a hemizygous deletion reduces the translation activity of the LeishIF3d(+/-) mutant cells. Proteomic analysis of the mutant cells highlights the reduced expression of flagellar and cytoskeletal proteins, as reflected in the morphological changes observed in the mutant cells. Targeted mutations in two predicted alpha helices diminish the cap-binding activity of LeishIF3d. Overall, LeishIF3d could serve as a driving force for alternative translation pathways, although it does not seem to offer an alternative pathway for translation in amastigotes.

Preferential translation of Hsp83 in Leishmania requires a thermosensitive polypyrimidine-rich element in the 3' UTR and involves scanning of the 5' UTR.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) provide a useful system for studying developmental patterns in the digenetic Leishmania parasites, since their expression is induced in the mammalian life form. Translation regulation plays a key role in control of protein coding genes in trypanosomatids, and is directed exclusively by elements in the 3' untranslated region (UTR). Using sequential deletions of the Leishmania Hsp83 3' UTR (888 nucleotides [nt]), we mapped a region of 150 nt that was required, but not sufficient for preferential translation of a reporter gene at mammalian-like temperatures, suggesting that changes in RNA structure could be involved. An advanced bioinformatics package for prediction of RNA folding (UNAfold) marked the regulatory region on a highly probable structural arm that includes a polypyrimidine tract (PPT). Mutagenesis of this PPT abrogated completely preferential translation of the fused reporter gene. Furthermore, temperature elevation caused the regulatory region to melt more extensively than the same region that lacked the PPT. We propose that at elevated temperatures the regulatory element in the 3' UTR is more accessible to mediators that promote its interaction with the basal translation components at the 5' end during mRNA circularization. Translation initiation of Hsp83 at all temperatures appears to proceed via scanning of the 5' UTR, since a hairpin structure abolishes expression of a fused reporter gene.

Cloning, mutagenesis, and characterization of the microalga Parietochloris incisa acetohydroxyacid synthase, and its possible use as an endogenous selection marker.

Parietochloris incisa is an oleaginous fresh water green microalga that accumulates an unusually high content of the valuable long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) arachidonic acid within triacylglycerols in cytoplasmic lipid bodies. Here, we describe cloning and mutagenesis of the P. incisa acetohydroxyacid synthase (PiAHAS) gene for use as an herbicide resistance selection marker for transformation. Use of an endogenous gene circumvents the risks and regulatory difficulties of cultivating antibiotic-resistant organisms. AHAS is present in plants and microorganisms where it catalyzes the first essential step in the synthesis of branched-chain amino acids. It is the target enzyme of the herbicide sulfometuron methyl (SMM), which effectively inhibits growth of bacteria and plants. Several point mutations of AHAS are known to confer herbicide resistance. We cloned the cDNA that encodes PiAHAS and introduced a W605S point mutation (PimAHAS). Catalytic activity and herbicide resistance of the wild-type and mutant proteins were characterized in the AHAS-deficient E. coli, BUM1 strain. Cloned PiAHAS wild-type and mutant genes complemented AHAS-deficient bacterial growth. Furthermore, bacteria expressing the mutant PiAHAS exhibited high resistance to SMM. Purified PiAHAS wild-type and mutant proteins were assayed for enzymatic activity and herbicide resistance. The W605S mutation was shown to cause a twofold decrease in enzymatic activity and in affinity for the Pyruvate substrate. However, the mutant exhibited 7 orders of magnitude higher resistance to the SMM herbicide than that of the wild type.

Nutritional stress affects an atypical cap-binding protein in Leishmania.

Many eukaryotes encode multiple isoforms of the cap-binding translation initiation factor (eIF4E). Leishmanias and other trypanosomatids encode four paralogs of this protein, but none can complement the eIF4E function in a yeast mutant. A low conservation is observed between the four paralogs, suggesting they assist these organisms survive a multitude of conditions encountered throughout the life cycle. Earlier attempts to decipher their function led to identification of LeishIF4E-4 as the canonical translation initiation factor. LeishIF4E-1 appears to function during thermal stress, via a mechanism not yet understood. LeishIF4E-3 hardly binds cap-4 and is, therefore, less likely to serve as a typical initiation factor. Although it interacts with an eIF4G homolog, LeishIF4G-4, the two polypeptides do not co-migrate on sucrose gradients. While LeishIF4E-3 enters large particles that increase in size during nutritional stress, LeishIF4G-4 is found only in the top fractions. Confocal microscopy localized LeishIF4E-3 (but not LeishIF4G-4) within nutritional stress-induced granules. Accordingly, interaction between the two proteins reduced upon starvation. We therefore propose that under normal conditions, LeishIF4G-4 sequesters LeishIF4E-3 in the cytoplasm. During a nutritional stress, LeishIF4E-3 is modified and released from LeishIF4G-4 to enter stress granules, where inactive mRNAs are stored. Binding of LeishIF4G-4 to LeishIF4E-3 requires a short peptide within the LeishIF4G-4 N-terminus, which bears no similarity to the consensus 4E-binding peptide, YXXXXLΦ. Mutational analysis combined with structure prediction indicates that this interaction is based on an obligatory, conserved α helix in LeishIF4G-4. These features further highlight the uniqueness of LeishIF4E-3 and how it interacts with its binding partners.

Evolutionary conservation and diversification of the translation initiation apparatus in trypanosomatids.

Trypanosomatids are ancient eukaryotic parasites that migrate between insect vectors and mammalian hosts, causing a range of diseases in humans and domestic animals. Trypanosomatids feature a multitude of unusual molecular features, including polycistronic transcription and subsequent processing by trans-splicing and polyadenylation. Regulation of protein coding genes is posttranscriptional and thus, translation regulation is fundamental for activating the developmental program of gene expression. The spliced-leader RNA is attached to all mRNAs. It contains an unusual hypermethylated cap-4 structure in its 5' end. The cap-binding complex, eIF4F, has gone through evolutionary changes in accordance with the requirement to bind cap-4. The eIF4F components in trypanosomatids are highly diverged from their orthologs in higher eukaryotes, and their potential functions are discussed. The cap-binding activity in all eukaryotes is a target for regulation and plays a similar role in trypanosomatids. Recent studies revealed a novel eIF4E-interacting protein, involved in directing stage-specific and stress-induced translation pathways. Translation regulation during stress also follows unusual regulatory cues, as the increased translation of Hsp83 following heat stress is driven by a defined element in the 3' UTR, unlike higher eukaryotes. Overall, the environmental switches experienced by trypanosomatids during their life cycle seem to affect their translational machinery in unique ways.

Evolutionary changes in the Leishmania eIF4F complex involve variations in the eIF4E-eIF4G interactions.

Translation initiation in eukaryotes is mediated by assembly of the eIF4F complex over the m(7)GTP cap structure at the 5'-end of mRNAs. This requires an interaction between eIF4E and eIF4G, two eIF4F subunits. The Leishmania orthologs of eIF4E are structurally diverged from their higher eukaryote counterparts, since they have evolved to bind the unique trypanosomatid cap-4 structure. Here, we characterize a key eIF4G candidate from Leishmania parasites (LeishIF4G-3) that contains a conserved MIF4G domain. LeishIF4G-3 was found to coelute with the parasite eIF4F subunits from an m(7)GTP-Sepharose column and to bind directly to LeishIF4E. In higher eukaryotes the eIF4E-eIF4G interaction is based on a conserved peptide signature [Y(X(4))Lphi], where X is any amino acid and Phi is a hydrophobic residue. A parallel eIF4E-binding peptide was identified in LeishIF4G-3 (20-YPGFSLDE-27). However, the binding motif varies extensively: in addition to Y20 and L25, binding strictly requires the presence of F23, whereas the hydrophobic amino acid (Phi) is dispensable. The LeishIF4E-LeishIF4G-3 interaction was also confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies. In view of these diversities, the characterization of the parasite eIF4E-eIF4G interaction may not only serve as a novel target for inhibiting Leishmaniasis but also provide important insight for future drug discovery.

A case for a "middle-way career" in the history of psychology: The work of pioneering psychoanalyst Marjorie Brierley in early 20th century Britain.

Historians often focus on the most famous or radical, prolific theoreticians among psychoanalysts, thereby at times reproducing the self-centered biases of their subjects rather than providing a useful critique. I offer instead a revisionist view of this history of psychology, arguing that we should pay more attention to a variety of middle-way actors who combined diverse forms of often-dismissed labor that included practice, editorial, and administrative work, and who tried to find a less rigid theoretical middle ground to toil. These middle-way actors were often women and although scholars have commented on the prominence of women in the early societies of psychoanalysis, we have not conducted adequate research on all these early active members and their roles. This article presents an example of such an actor, Marjorie Brierley (1893-1984), one of the first women psychoanalysts in Britain who made unique, yet unresearched, varied contributions-intellectual and non-intellectual-to the famous interwar debate on femininity and to organizational and clinical work. If we are to fully understand the establishment, cultivation, and maintenance of the flourishing field of psychoanalysis in the early 20th century, we must account for the work of women like her. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).