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S Ochoa

Publications and source records attributed to S Ochoa.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Mode of action of the heme-controlled translational inhibitor: relationship of eukaryotic initiation factor 2-stimulating protein to translation restoring factor.

We have purified the translation restoring factor (RF) and the eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2) stimulating protein (ESP) to near homogeneity from the postribosomal supernatant and the ribosomal salt wash, respectively, of rabbit reticulocyte lysate. They were isolated in the form of eIF-2 complexes, apparently in a 1:1 ratio. Their virtually identical NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic patterns show, in addition to the eIF-2 alpha (38,000), beta (52,000), and gamma (54,000) bands, peptide bands at approximately 80, 65, 57, 40, and 32 kilodaltons. The apparent Mr of either complex is about 450,000, whereas that of free translation restoring factor (RF) is approximately 25,000. At 0.5 mM Mg2+, both ESP and RF stimulate ternary complex (eIF-2.GTP.Met-tRNAi) formation catalytically with unphosphorylated eIF-2. Phosphorylation of the eIF-2 alpha subunit by preincubation with eIF-2 alpha kinase and ATP, which virtually blocks eIF-2-ESP interaction, results in only partial blocking of the interaction with RF. This may explain the translation restoring activity of RF.

Animals↗

Removal of beta subunit of the eukaryotic polypeptide chain initiation factor 2 by limited proteolysis.

It is generally considered that the eukaryotic polypeptide chain initiation factor 2 (eIF-2) from rabbit reticulocytes consists of three nonidentical subunits termed alpha, beta, and gamma, in order of increasing molecular weight. However, a recent report [Stringer, E. A., Chaudhuri, A., Valenzuela, D. & Maitra, U. (1980) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77, 3356-3359] suggested that this factor is made up of only two subunits. In this paper we show that limited proteolysis of rabbit reticulocyte eIF-2 leads to loss of the beta subunit. This modified eIF-2 has the same activity as the native factor in promoting ternary (eIF-2.GTP.Met-tRNAi) and 40S (eIF-2.GTP.Met-tRNAi.40S ribosome) initiation complex formation. Like native eIF-2, the protease-treated factor can restore translation in heme-deficient lysates. On the other hand, the treated factor is less stable than the native protein.

Animals↗

Inherited male pseudohermaphroditism due to gonadotrophin unresponsiveness.

An inherited form of incomplete male pseudohermaphroditism was studied in two post-pubertal and one pre-pubertal sibling. All patients presented a 46XY karyotype infantile female external genitalia, lack of breast development and sexual hair. Persistently elevated serum levels of gonadotrophins with normal pituitary responsiveness to LRH were found. Serum 17-OH progesterone, androstenedione, and testosterone levels were extremely low before and after gonadal stimulation with hCG. Laparotomy revealed absence of Wolffian and Mullerian derivatives. Testes were small and cryptorchidic. Microscopic and ultrastructural examination revealed seminiferous tubules with absence of spermatogenesis and normal Sertoli cells. The interstitial spaces were mainly occupied by poorly differentiated cells although in the post-pubertal patients there were small and randomly distributed nodules of Leydig cells without crystaloids. Incubation of testicular tissue from one post-pubertal patient with [14C]acetate showed lack of 14C-incorporation into appropriate steroid carriers. These data were interpreted as demonstrating that gonadotrophin resistance was the underlying abnormality of this syndrome, representing the human counter part of the "vet" pseudohermaphroditic rat.

Adolescent↗

Molecular mechanisms of control of protein biosynthesis.

Reticulocytes contain two protein kinases which, when activated, phosphorylate the alpha subunit of the chain initiation factor eIF-2 interfering with its function. One kinase is activated in the absence of heme, the other is activated by low concentrations of double-stranded RNA. Both appear to be active in a phosphorylated form. Phosphorylation of the eIF-2 alpha subunit does not modify the basic properties of the factor but prevents its interaction with a stimulating protein (SP) required for binary complex formation at low, physiological concentrations of eIF-2 and Mg 2+. SP, isolated in the form of an eIF-2 complex (eIF-2. SP) of high molecular weight (approximately 450000), promotes formation of a GTP . eIF-2 binary complex, the first step of initiation, in a catalytic fashion. The available evidence suggests that eIF-2 . SP can form in the presence of Mg 2+ a GTP . eIF-2 . SP complex that interacts with free eIF-2 forming GTP . eIF-2 (binary complex) and eIF-2. SP.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Purification and properties of the double-stranded RNA-activated eukaryotic initiation factor 3 kinase from rabbit reticulocytes.

The double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase (DAI) that phosphorylates the alpha subunit of the eukaryotic initiation factor eIF-2 and inhibits chain initiation has been isolated from rabbit reticulocyte lysates. The nonactivated enzyme or the enzyme partially activated by incubation with low levels of dsRNA (pro-DAI) could be purified only to a slight extent. However, the enzyme that was fully activated by incubation with both dsRNA and ATP was purified to near homogeneity. Active DAI is a phosphoprotein with an apparent subunit mass of 68,000 daltons. It can phosphorylate histone as well as the alpha subunit of eIF-2. Our results suggest that, after interaction with dsRNA, the enzyme phosphorylates itself and is thereby activated to phosphorylate alpha eIF-2 and histone.

Animals↗

Further studies on the mode of action of the heme-controlled translational inhibitor.

We have isolated [de Haro, C. & Ochoa, S. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75, 2713-2716] a protein factor (eIF-2 stimulating protein, ESP) that is essential for formation of ternary and 40S initiation complexes by the eukaryotic polypeptide chain initiation factor 2 (eIF-2) at the low concentrations of eIF-2 present in reticulocyte lysates. The fact that stimulation of complex formation by ESP is virtually abolished when the small (38,000 daltons) subunit of eIF-2 is phosphorylated by ATP in the presence of eIF-2 kinase (heme-controlled inhibitor, HCI) is consistent with the notion that HCI inhibits translation in lysates by blocking the interaction of eIF-2 with ESP. Our present work, with highly purified eIF-2 and ESP, has additionally established that, unlike phosphorylation of the small subunit, phosphorylation of the middle (52,000 daltons) subunit of eIF-2, which does not lead to translational inhibition in lysates, does not affect eIF-2-ESP interaction. This provides further support for our model of translational inhibition by HCI.

Animals↗

Further studies on the mode of action of the heme-controlled translational inhibitor: stimulating protein acts at level of binary complex formation.

Previous work has shown that (i) at physiological concentrations of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2), formation of the ternary complex eIF-2-GTP-Met-tRNAi, which precedes the assembly of a 40S initiation complex, requires the presence of eIF-2 stimulating protein (ESP) and (ii) the interaction of eIF-2 with ESP is blocked by the translational inhibitor which, in reticulocyte lysates, is activated in the absence of hemin. Present evidence indicates that formation of the ternary complex is preceded by formation of the binary complex eIF-2-GTP and that ESP acts at the level of binary complex formation.

Animals↗

Regulation of protein synthesis.

Synthesis of globin in reticulocyte lysates depends on the presence of heme, the prosthetic group of hemoglobin. In the absence of heme, an inhibitor of polypeptide chain initiation is activated. The inhibitor is a cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase that catalyzes the phosphorylation by ATP of the small subunit of the initiation factor eIF-2. This blocks the interaction of eIF-2 with eIF-2-stimulating protein (ESP) that is essential for initiation. Our observations are consistent with the view that the inhibitor is activated by phosphorylation catalyzed by a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Heme inhibits this enzyme and, in this way, prevents activation of the inhibitor of chain initiation.

Animals↗

Regulation of protein synthesis.

A system of translational control in eukaryotes consists of (a) a proinhibitor and (b) an inhibitor of polypeptide chain initiation. The inhibitor (active eIF-2 kinase), a cAMP-independent protein kinase, catalyzes the phosphorylation by ATP of the small subunit of the polypeptide chain initiation factor eIF-2. This blocks the interaction of eIF-2 with eIF-2 stimulating protein (ESP) without which eIF-2 is unable to form an initiation complex, a prerequisite for translation. Our observations are consistent with the view that the proinhibitor (inactive eIF-2 kinase) is converted to the inhibitor by phosphorylation catalyzed by a cAMP-dependent protein kinase. This is analogous to the conversion of inactive phosphorylase kinase to active phosphorylase kinase. As in the case of phosphorylase kinase and phosphorylase, the modification of activity produced by phosphorylation of eIF-2 kinase and eIF-2 itself is probably reversed by dephosphorylation catalyzed by specific protein phosphatases (see diagram in Fig. 12) but no evidence bearing on this aspect of the problem is yet available. Hemin inhibits the cAMP-induced dissociation of the regulatory and catalytic subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase by binding to the regulatory subunit of the enzyme and blocking, through an allosteric effect, the binding of cAMP. Thus, hemin prevents the activation of eIF-2 kinase by inhibiting the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Mode of action of the hemin-controlled inhibitor of protein synthesis.

Despite the finding that the hemin-controlled translational inhibitor in reticulocyte lysates is a cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase that phosphorylates the small subunit of the initiation factor eIF-2, the mechanism of inhibition of translation remained unexplained. Whereas treatment of hemin-containing lysates with inhibitor in the presence of ATP inhibited translation, the same treatment of highly purified eIF-2 did not affect its ability to form a ternary complex with initiator Met-tRNA and GTP or a 40S initiation complex. We have isolated from ribosomal salt washes a protein (eIF-2 stimulating protein) that enhances the capacity of unphosphorylated eIF-2 to form ternary or 40S initiation complexes but has no effect on the phosphorylated factor. At low concentrations, eIF-2 is virtually inactive without this stimulating protein. Therefore, the translational inhibitor acts by converting eIF-2 to a form that is not stimulated by the stimulating protein.

Heme↗

Translational control by hemin is due to binding to cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.

Our previous work [Proc. Natl, Acad. Sci. USA (1977) 74, 1463-1467, 3326-3329] is consistent with the view that (a) the hemin-controlled inhibitor of protein synthesis in reticulocyte lysates (active eIF-2 kinase) is formed by phosphorylation of proinhibitor (inactive eIF-2 kinase) catalyzed by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (ATP-protein phosphotransferase; EC 2.7.1.37), and (b) hemin prevents this conversion by blocking the interaction of cyclic AMP with the kinase's regulation subunit, thereby rendering the enzyme inactive. We now show that hemin blocks cyclic AMP binding because it itself binds specifically to the regulatory subunit. This binding is noncompetitive with respect to cyclic AMP. Whereas unlabeled hemin can displace bound [3H]hemin as well as cyclic [3H]AMP, unlabeled cyclic AMP can displace bound cyclic [3H]AMP but not [3H]hemin. This suggests that cyclic AMP and hemin bind to different sites on the protein and that hemin binding affects cyclic AMP binding in an allosteric manner.

Allosteric Regulation↗

Mode of action of the hemin-controlled inhibitor of protein synthesis: studies with factors from rabbit reticulocytes.

Previously [de Haro, C., Datta, A & Ochoa, S. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 75, 243--247] it was shown with initiation factors from Artemia salina embryos that the activity of the initiator methionyl-tRNA binding factor eIF-2 is stimulated by another factor (ESP, for eIF-2 stimulating protein) present, like eIF-2, in ribosomal salt washes. Incubation of eIF-2 with translational inhibitor from rabit reticulocytes, in the presence of ATP, abolished the ESP effect. At physiological concentrations eIF-2 was virtually inactive without ESP. These observations indicated that the translational inhibitor acts by converting eIF-2 to a form that is not stimulated by ESP. The same observations have now been made with eIF-2 and ESP from rabbit reticulocytes but, in this case, the dependence of eIF-2 activity on ESP is much more pronounced than with the A. salina factors. eIF-2 from reticulocytes interacts with ESP from A. salina and conversely.

Animals↗

Translational control by protein kinase in Artemia salina and wheat germ.

The catalytic subunit of cyclic 3':5'-AMP-dependent protein kinase (ATP:protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) inhibits translation in Artemia salina and wheat germ extracts. It acts, as in reticulocyte lysates [Datta, A., de Haro, C., Sierra, J. M. & Ochoa, S. (1977) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 1463-1467] by catalyzing the conversion of a proinhibitor to an inhibitor of polypeptide chain initiation. Addition of ATP and either cyclic AMP or catalytic subunit promotes the proinhibitor-inhibitor conversion in crude proinhibitor preparations from A. salina embryos. The effect of cyclic AMP is due to stimulation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, present in such preparations, and is inhibited by hemin. In similar preparations from wheat germ, addition of ATP and catalytic subunit promoted proinhibitor-inhibitor conversion, but addition of ATP and cyclic AMP has little or no effect. As assayed with histone as substrate, wheat germ preparations exhibit a protein kinase activity that is not stimulated by the addition of cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP. Our results suggest that a translational control system, similar to that existing in rabbit reticulocytes and other mammalian cells, is present in organisms evolutionarily far removed from mammals.

Animals↗