Lithium can relieve translational repression of TOP mRNAs elicited by various blocks along the cell cycle in a glycogen synthase kinase-3- and S6-kinase-independent manner.
TOP mRNAs are translationally controlled by mitogenic, growth, and nutritional stimuli through a 5'-terminal oligopyrimidine tract. Here we show that LiCl can alleviate the translational repression of these mRNAs when progression through the cell cycle is blocked at G(0), G(1)/S, or G(2)/M phases in different cell lines and by various physiological and chemical means. This derepressive effect of LiCl does not involve resumption of cell division. Unlike its efficient derepressive effect in mitotically arrested cells, LiCl alleviates inefficiently the repression of TOP mRNAs in amino acid-deprived cells and has no effect in lymphoblastoids whose TOP mRNAs are constitutively repressed even when they are proliferating. LiCl is widely used as a relatively selective inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3. However, inhibition per se of this enzyme by more specific drugs failed to derepress the translation of TOP mRNAs, implying that relief of the translational repression of TOP mRNAs by LiCl is carried out in a glycogen synthase kinase-3-independent manner. Moreover, this effect is apparent, at least in some cell lines, in the absence of S6-kinase 1 activation and ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation, thus further supporting the notion that translational control of TOP mRNAs does not rely on either of these variables.
Stolovich
Miri
M
Department of Biochemistry, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
Lerer
Tal
T
Bolkier
Yoav
Y
Cohen
Hannah
H
Meyuhas
Oded
O
D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D003260:Contact Inhibition; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D016195:G2 Phase / Q000187:drug effects; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019893:Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D016196:S Phase / Q000187:drug effects
D000596:Amino Acids; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; D003907:Dexamethasone; D008094:Lithium; D019893:Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3