Siddharth Balachandran

Essential Role for the dsRNA-Dependent Protein Kinase PKR in Innate Immunity to Viral Infection

The double-stranded (ds) RNA-dependent protein kinase PKR is considered to play an important role in interferons (IFNs) response to viral infection. Here, we demonstrate that mice lacking PKR are predisposed to lethal intranasal infection by the usually innocuous vesicular stomatitis virus, and also display increased susceptibility to influenza virus infection. Our data indicate that in normal cells, PKR primarily prevents virus replication by inhibiting the translation of viral mRNAs through phosphorylation of eIF2alpha, while concomitantly assisting in the production of autocrine IFN and the establishment of an antiviral state. These results show that PKR is an essential component of innate immunity that acts early in host defense prior to the onset of IFN counteraction and the acquired immune response.

Activation of the dsRNA‐dependent protein kinase, PKR, induces apoptosis through FADD‐mediated death signaling

The dsRNA‐dependent protein kinase (PKR) is considered to play a key role in interferon‐mediated host defense against viral infection and conceivably malignant transformation. To investigate further the mechanisms of PKR‐induced growth inhibition, we have developed tetracycline‐inducible murine cell lines that express wild‐type PKR or a catalytically inactive PKR variant, PKRΔ6. Following induction, the growth of the wild‐type PKR‐expressing cells was similar to that of cells transfected with vector alone, while cells expressing PKRΔ6 became malignantly transformed. Significantly, treatment with dsRNA caused the wild‐type PKR‐overexpressing cells to undergo programed cell death while, conversely, cells expressing PKRΔ6 were completely resistant. Our studies demonstrated that activation of PKR induces the expression of members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family, including Fas (CD95/Apo‐1) and pro‐apopotic Bax. In contrast, transcripts representing Fas, TNFR‐1, FADD (Fas‐associated death domain), FLICE, Bad and Bax were ablated in cells expressing PKRΔ6. The involvement of the death receptors in PKR‐induced apoptosis was underscored by demonstrating that murine fibroblasts lacking FADD were almost completely resistant to dsRNA‐mediated cell death. Thus, PKR, a key cellular target for viral repression, is a receptor/inducer for the induction of pro‐apoptotic genes by dsRNA and probably functions in interferon‐mediated host defense to trigger cell death in response to virus infection and perhaps tumorigenesis.

Alpha/Beta Interferons Potentiate Virus-Induced Apoptosis through Activation of the FADD/Caspase-8 Death Signaling Pathway

ABSTRACT Interferon (IFN) mediates its antiviral effects by inducing a number of responsive genes, including the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-dependent protein kinase, PKR. Here we report that inducible overexpression of functional PKR in murine fibroblasts sensitized cells to apoptosis induced by influenza virus, while in contrast, cells expressing a dominant-negative variant of PKR were completely resistant. We determined that the mechanism of influenza virus-induced apoptosis involved death signaling through FADD/caspase-8 activation, while other viruses such as vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and Sindbis virus (SNV) did not significantly provoke PKR-mediated apoptosis but did induce cytolysis of fibroblasts via activation of caspase-9. Significantly, treatment with IFN-α/β greatly sensitized the fibroblasts to FADD-dependent apoptosis in response to dsRNA treatment or influenza virus infection but completely protected the cells against VSV and SNV replication in the absence of any cellular destruction. The mechanism by which IFN increases the cells susceptibility to lysis by dsRNA or certain virus infection is by priming cells to FADD-dependent apoptosis, possibly by regulating the activity of the death-induced signaling complex (DISC). Conversely, IFN is also able to prevent the replication of viruses such as VSV that avoid triggering FADD-mediated DISC activity, by noncytopathic mechanisms, thus preventing destruction of the cell.

A FADD-dependent innate immune mechanism in mammalian cells.

Vertebrate innate immunity provides a first line of defence against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Viral infection activates a potent innate immune response, which can be triggered by double-stranded (ds)RNA produced during viral replication. Here, we report that mammalian cells lacking the death-domain-containing protein FADD are defective in intracellular dsRNA-activated gene expression, including production of type I (α/β) interferons, and are thus very susceptible to viral infection. The signalling pathway incorporating FADD is largely independent of Toll-like receptor 3 and the dsRNA-dependent kinase PKR, but seems to require receptor interacting protein 1 as well as Tank-binding kinase 1-mediated activation of the transcription factor IRF-3. The requirement for FADD in mammalian host defence is evocative of innate immune signalling in Drosophila, in which a FADD-dependent pathway responds to bacterial infection by activating the transcription of antimicrobial genes. These data therefore suggest the existence of a conserved pathogen recognition pathway in mammalian cells that is essential for the optimal induction of type I interferons and other genes important for host defence.

Oncolytic Activity of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Is Effective against Tumors Exhibiting Aberrant p53, Ras, or Myc Function and Involves the Induction of Apoptosis

ABSTRACT We have recently shown that vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) exhibits potent oncolytic activity both in vitro and in vivo (S. Balachandran and G. N. Barber, IUBMB Life 50:135–138, 2000). In this study, we further demonstrated, in vivo, the efficacy of VSV antitumor action by showing that tumors that are defective in p53 function or transformed with myc or activatedras are also susceptible to viral cytolysis. The mechanism of viral oncolytic activity involved the induction of multiple caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways was effective in the absence of any significant cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response, and occurred despite normal PKR activity and eIF2α phosphorylation. In addition, VSV caused significant inhibition of tumor growth when administered intravenously in immunocompetent hosts. Our data indicate that VSV shows significant promise as an effective oncolytic agent against a wide variety of malignant diseases that harbor a diversity of genetic defects.

Defective translational control facilitates vesicular stomatitis virus oncolysis

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) exerts potent antitumor activity, although the molecular mechanisms underlying its oncolytic properties remain to be fully clarified. Here, we demonstrate that normally resistant murine embryonic fibroblasts are rendered highly permissive to VSV replication following cellular transformation, a progression that appears to compromise the antiviral effects of interferon (IFN). Subsequent studies revealed normal dsRNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) activation and phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) alpha. Nevertheless, eIF2B-mediated guanine nucleotide exchange activity downstream of eIF2 was frequently aberrant in transformed cells, neutralizing eIF2alpha phosphorylation and permitting VSV mRNA translation. Thus, defects in translational regulation can cooperate with impaired IFN signaling to facilitate VSV replication, and may represent a common hallmark of tumorigenesis.

The IRF-3 Transcription Factor Mediates Sendai Virus-Induced Apoptosis

ABSTRACT Virus infection of target cells can result in different biological outcomes: lytic infection, cellular transformation, or cell death by apoptosis. Cells respond to virus infection by the activation of specific transcription factors involved in cytokine gene regulation and cell growth control. The ubiquitously expressed interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) transcription factor is directly activated following virus infection through posttranslational modification. Phosphorylation of specific C-terminal serine residues results in IRF-3 dimerization, nuclear translocation, and activation of DNA-binding and transactivation potential. Once activated, IRF-3 transcriptionally up regulates alpha/beta interferon genes, the chemokine RANTES, and potentially other genes that inhibit viral infection. We previously generated constitutively active [IRF-3(5D)] and dominant negative (IRF-3 ΔN) forms of IRF-3 that control target gene expression. In an effort to characterize the growth regulatory properties of IRF-3, we observed that IRF-3 is a mediator of paramyxovirus-induced apoptosis. Expression of the constitutively active form of IRF-3 is toxic, preventing the establishment of stably transfected cells. By using a tetracycline-inducible system, we show that induction of IRF-3(5D) alone is sufficient to induce apoptosis in human embryonic kidney 293 and human Jurkat T cells as measured by DNA laddering, terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay, and analysis of DNA content by flow cytometry. Wild-type IRF-3 expression augments paramyxovirus-induced apoptosis, while expression of IRF-3 ΔN blocks virus-induced apoptosis. In addition, we demonstrate an important role of caspases 8, 9, and 3 in IRF-3-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that IRF-3, in addition to potently activating cytokine genes, regulates apoptotic signalling following virus infection.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) therapy of tumors

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an essentially nonpathogenic negative‐stranded RNA virus, the replication of which is extremely sensitive to the antiviral effects of interferon (IFN). We demonstrate here that VSV selectively induces the cytolysis of numerous transformed human cell lines in vitro, with all the morphological characteristics of apoptotic cell death. Importantly, VSV can also potently inhibit the growth of p53‐null C6 glioblastoma tumors in vivo without infecting and replicating in normal tissue. With our previous findings demonstrating that primary cells containing the double‐stranded RNA‐activated protein kinase PKR and a functional IFN system are not permissive to VSV replication, these results suggest that signaling by IFN may be defective in many malignancies. Thus VSV might be useful in novel therapeutic strategies for targeting neoplastic disease.

The cellular protein P58IPK regulates influenza virus mRNA translation and replication through a PKR-mediated mechanism.

ABSTRACT We previously hypothesized that efficient translation of influenza virus mRNA requires the recruitment of P58IPK, the cellular inhibitor of PKR, an interferon-induced kinase that targets the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2α. P58IPK also inhibits PERK, an eIF2α kinase that is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and induced during ER stress. The ability of P58IPK to interact with and inhibit multiple eIF2α kinases suggests it is a critical regulator of both cellular and viral mRNA translation. In this study, we sought to definitively define the role of P58IPK during viral infection of mammalian cells. Using mouse embryo fibroblasts from P58IPK−/− mice, we demonstrated that the absence of P58IPK led to an increase in eIF2α phosphorylation and decreased influenza virus mRNA translation. The absence of P58IPK also resulted in decreased vesicular stomatitis virus replication but enhanced reovirus yields. In cells lacking the P58IPK target, PKR, the trends were reversed—eIF2α phosphorylation was decreased, and influenza virus mRNA translation was increased. Although P58IPK also inhibits PERK, the presence or absence of this kinase had little effect on influenza virus mRNA translation, despite reduced levels of eIF2α phosphorylation in cells lacking PERK. Finally, we showed that influenza virus protein synthesis and viral mRNA levels decrease in cells that express a constitutively active, nonphosphorylatable eIF2α. Taken together, our results support a model in which P58IPK regulates influenza virus mRNA translation and infection through a PKR-mediated mechanism which is independent of PERK.

PKR in innate immunity, cancer, and viral oncolysis.

The mammalian innate immune system provides a first line of defense against microbial pathogens and also serves to activate an antigen specific acquired immune program. Key components of innate immunity are the interferons (IFNs), a family of related cytokines with potent antimicrobial and immuno-modulatory activities. The IFNs exert their effects through the induction of numerous genes, one of which is the double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR), a pivotal antiviral protein found in most human cells. Following activation by double stranded (ds) RNAs produced during viral replication, PKR phosphorylates the alpha-subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF) 2, causing a severe inhibititon of cellular and viral protein synthesis. Phosphorylation of eIF2alpha and consequent inhibition of protein synthesis is a major cell growth checkpoint utilized by at least three other kinases, in addition to PKR, following exposure to such cellular stresses as amino acid deprivation and the presence of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that disruption of the eIF2alpha checkpoint can lead to the transformation of immortalized rodent and human cells, plausibly by increasing the protein synthesis rates of proto-oncogenes. Further, it has been shown that disregulation of the eIF2alpha checkpoint and consequent permissiveness to virus infection may be a common occurrence in tumorigenic mammalian cell lines. These findings have been exploited to develop potent oncolytic RNA viruses that can selectively replicate in and destroy a variety of neoplasias in vitro and in vivo. In this chapter, we describe some of the techniques commonly used in our laboratory to examine PKR activity and eIF2 regulation. Protocols for the generation and use of recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus variants are also described.