title: Inhibition of CHOP translation by a peptide encoded by an open reading frame localized in the chop 5'UTR.
abstract: Chop is a ubiquitously expressed mammalian gene encoding a small nuclear protein related to the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family of transcription factors. CHOP protein plays an important role in various cellular processes such as growth, differentiation and programmed cell death. CHOP expression is strongly increased in response to a large variety of stresses including perturbation of the endoplasmic reticulum function, DNA damage and nutrient deprivation. Multiple mechanisms including transcriptional and post-transcriptional controls are involved in the regulation of CHOP expression. We show here that the 5'UTR of the Chop transcript plays an important role in controlling the synthesis of CHOP protein. In particular, the 5'UTR contains a conserved uORF which encodes a 31 amino acid peptide that inhibits the expression of the downstream ORF. Mutational analysis of the 5' leader region and peptide coding sequences suggests that the peptide itself inhibits expression of the downstream ORF. Such results suggest a role for uORF in limiting ribosomal access to downstream initiation sites. With respect to the importance of CHOP protein in the regulation of cellular functions, the mechanisms that regulate its basal level are of considerable interest.
authors.affiliation: UR 238 - Unité de Nutrition Cellulaire et Moléculaire, INRA de Theix, 63122 Saint Genès Champanelle, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jousse
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bruhat
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Urano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ron
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fafournoux
mesh_terms: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D018387:Codon, Initiator / Q000235:genetics; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005796:Genes / Q000235:genetics; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics*; D010442:Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational / Q000235:genetics; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D051742:Transcription Factor CHOP; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D018387:Codon, Initiator; C497249:DDIT3 protein, human; D010455:Peptides; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051742:Transcription Factor CHOP