Regulation of polypeptide chain initiation in Chinese hamster ovary cells with a temperature-sensitive leucyl-tRNA synthetase. Changes in phosphorylation of initiation factor eIF-2 and in the activity of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor GEF.
When cultures of the temperature-sensitive Chinese hamster ovary cell mutant tsH1 are shifted from 34 degrees C (permissive temperature) to 39.5 degrees C (nonpermissive temperature), protein synthesis is inhibited by more than 80%. This is due principally to a block in activity of polypeptide chain initiation factor eIF-2. In this paper we show that there is impairment of the ability of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) to displace GDP from eIF-2 X GDP complexes in extracts from cells incubated at the nonpermissive temperature. Addition of GEF or of high concentrations of eIF-2 stimulates protein synthesis to the level observed in control cell extracts, suggesting that GEF is rate-limiting for eIF-2 activity and overall protein synthesis at the nonpermissive temperature. Analysis of eIF-2 by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting reveals an increase in the proportion of the alpha subunit in the phosphorylated form from 5.5 +/- 2.4% to 17.2 +/- 3.9% on shifting tsH1 cells from 34 to 39.5 degrees C. No such effect is seen in wild-type cells, which do not exhibit temperature-sensitive protein synthetic activity. Since the primary lesion in tsH1 cells is in their leucyl-tRNA synthetase, these results suggest a role for eIF-2 phosphorylation and GEF activity in coupling the rate of polypeptide chain initiation to the activity of the chain elongation machinery.
D000818:Animals; D002286:Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D015852:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2; D005260:Female; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D007935:Leucine-tRNA Ligase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D010053:Ovary; D010442:Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational; D010448:Peptide Initiation Factors / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011506:Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D013696:Temperature
D015852:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D010448:Peptide Initiation Factors; D011506:Proteins; D007935:Leucine-tRNA Ligase