Tamim Salehzada

A 37 kDa 2-5A binding protein as a potential biochemical marker for chronic fatigue syndrome.

PURPOSE Recent studies have revealed abnormalities in the ribonuclease L pathway in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome. We conducted a blinded study to detect possible differences in the distribution of 2-5A binding proteins in the cells of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and controls. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied 57 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and 53 control subjects (28 healthy subjects and 25 patients with depression or fibromyalgia). A radioactive probe was used to label 2-5A binding proteins in unfractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cell extracts and to compare their distribution in the three groups. RESULTS A 37 kDa 2-5A binding polypeptide was found in 50 (88%) of the 57 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome compared with 15 (28%) of the 53 controls (P < 0.01). When present, the amount of 37 kDa protein was very low in the control groups. When expressed as the ratio of the 37 kDa protein to the 80 kDa protein, 41 (72%) of the 57 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome had a ratio > 0.05, compared with 3 (11%) of the 28 healthy subjects and none of the patients with fibromyalgia or depression. CONCLUSION The presence of a 37 kDa 2-5A binding protein in extracts of peripheral blood mononuclear cells may distinguish patients with chronic fatigue syndrome from healthy subjects and those suffering from other diseases.

The 2′-5′ Oligoadenylate/RNase L/RNase L Inhibitor Pathway Regulates Both MyoD mRNA Stability and Muscle Cell Differentiation

ABSTRACT The 2′-5′ oligoadenylate (2-5A)/RNase L pathway is one of the enzymatic pathways induced by interferon. RNase L is a latent endoribonuclease which is activated by 2-5A and inhibited by a specific protein known as RLI (RNase L inhibitor). This system has an important role in regulating viral infection. Additionally, variations in RNase L activity have been observed during cell growth and differentiation but the significance of the 2-5A/RNase L/RLI pathway in these latter processes is not known. To determine the roles of RNase L and RLI in muscle differentiation, C2 mouse myoblasts were transfected with sense and antisense RLI cDNA constructs. Importantly, the overexpression of RLI in C2 cells was associated with diminished RNase L activity, an increased level of MyoD mRNA, and accelerated kinetics of muscle differentiation. Inversely, transfection of the RLI antisense construct was associated with increased RNase L activity, a diminished level of MyoD mRNA, and delayed differentiation. In agreement with these data, MyoD mRNA levels were also decreased in C2 cells transfected with an inducible RNase L construct. The effect of RNase L activity on MyoD mRNA levels was relatively specific because expression of several other mRNAs was not altered in C2 transfectants. Therefore, RNase L is directly involved in myoblast differentiation, probably through its role in regulating MyoD stability. This is the first identification of a potential mRNA target for RNase L.

The 2–5A/RNase L/RNase L Inhibitor (RNI) Pathway Regulates Mitochondrial mRNAs Stability in Interferon α-treated H9 Cells

Interferon α (IFNα) belongs to a cytokine family that exhibits antiviral properties, immuno-modulating effects, and antiproliferative activity on normal and neoplasic cells in vitro and in vivo. IFNα exerts antitumor action by inducing direct cytotoxicity against tumor cells. This toxicity is at least partly due to induction of apoptosis. Although the molecular basis of the inhibition of cell growth by IFNα is only partially understood, there is a direct correlation between the sensitivity of cells to the antiproliferative action of IFNα and the down-regulation of their mitochondrial mRNAs. Here, we studied the role of the 2–5A/RNase L system and its inhibitor RLI in this regulation of the mitochondrial mRNAs by IFNα. We found that a fraction of cellular RNase L and RLI is localized in the mitochondria. Thus, we down-regulated RNase L activity in human H9 cells by stably transfecting (i) RNase L antisense cDNA or (ii) RLI sense cDNA constructions. In contrast to control cells, no post-transcriptional down-regulation of mitochondrial mRNAs and no cell growth inhibition were observed after IFNα treatment in these transfectants. These results demonstrate that IFNα exerts its antiproliferative effect on H9 cells at least in part via the degradation of mitochondrial mRNAs by RNase L.

A newly discovered function for RNase L in regulating translation termination.

The antiviral and antiproliferative effects of interferons are mediated in part by the 2′-5′ oligoadenylate–RNase L RNA decay pathway. RNase L is an endoribonuclease that requires 2′-5′ oligoadenylates to cleave single-stranded RNA. In this report we present evidence demonstrating a role for RNase L in translation. We identify and characterize the human translation termination factor eRF3/GSPT1 as an interacting partner of RNase L. We show that interaction of eRF3 with RNase L leads to both increased translation readthrough efficiency at premature termination codons and increased +1 frameshift efficiency at the antizyme +1 frameshift site. On the basis of our results, we present a model describing how RNase L is involved in regulating gene expression by modulating the translation termination process.

Regulation of mitochondrial mRNA stability by RNase L is translation-dependent and controls IFN α -induced apoptosis

Interferons (IFNs) inhibit the growth of many different cell types by altering the expression of specific genes. IFNs activities are partly mediated by the 2′-5′ oligoadenylates-RNase L RNA decay pathway. RNase L is an endoribonuclease requiring activation by 2′-5′ oligoadenylates to cleave single-stranded RNA. Here, we present evidence that degradation of mitochondrial mRNA by RNase L leads to cytochrome c release and caspase 3 activation during IFNα-induced apoptosis. We identify and characterize the mitochondrial translation initiation factor (IF2mt) as a new partner of RNase L. Moreover, we show that specific inhibition of mitochondrial translation with chloramphenicol inhibits the IFNα-induced degradation of mitochondrial mRNA by RNase L. Finally, we demonstrate that overexpression of IF2mt in human H9 cells stabilizes mitochondrial mRNA, inhibits apoptosis induced by IFNα and partially reverses IFNα-cell growth inhibition. On the basis of our results, we propose a model describing how RNase L regulates mitochondrial mRNA stability through its interaction with IF2mt.

Endoribonuclease L (RNase L) Regulates the Myogenic and Adipogenic Potential of Myogenic Cells

Skeletal muscle maintenance and repair involve several finely coordinated steps in which pluripotent stem cells are activated, proliferate, exit the cell cycle and differentiate. This process is accompanied by activation of hundreds of muscle-specific genes and repression of genes associated with cell proliferation or pluripotency. Mechanisms controlling myogenesis are precisely coordinated and regulated in time to allow the sequence of activation/inactivation of genes expression. Muscular differentiation is the result of the interplay between several processes such as transcriptional induction, transcriptional repression and mRNA stability. mRNA stability is now recognized as an essential mechanism of control of gene expression. For instance, we previously showed that the endoribonuclease L (RNase L) and its inhibitor (RLI) regulates MyoD mRNA stability and consequently muscle differentiation. We now performed global gene expression analysis by SAGE to identify genes that were down-regulated upon activation of RNase L in C2C12 myogenic cells, a model of satellite cells. We found that RNase L regulates mRNA stability of factors implicated in the control of pluripotency and cell differentiation. Moreover, inappropriate RNase L expression in C2C12 cells led to inhibition of myogenesis and differentiation into adipocytes even when cells were grown in conditions permissive for muscle differentiation. Conversely, over-expression of RLI allowed muscle differentiation of myogenic C2C12 cells even in non permissive conditions. These findings reveal the central role of RNase L and RLI in controlling gene expression and cell fate during myogenesis. Our data should provide valuable insights into the mechanisms that control muscle stem cell differentiation and into the mechanism of metaplasia observed in aging or muscular dystrophy where adipose infiltration of muscle occurs.

CDNA cloning and expression analysis of the murine ribonuclease L inhibitor

The 2-5A/RNase L system is one of the pathways induced by interferon (IFN). It plays a major role in the antiviral and antiproliferative activities of IFNs. Recently, we have shown that the activity of the RNase L could be inhibited by a proteic inhibitor, the RNase L Inhibitor (RLI). Human RLI (Hu-RLI) was cloned and characterized. We describe here the isolation and characterization of the cDNA encoding the murine RLI (Mu-RLI). Hu-RLI and Mu-RLI protein have 98% amino acid identity. Mu-RLI is functionally homologous to Hu-RLI, and all the structural features and amino acid sequence motifs of Hu-RLI are conserved in Mu-RLI. Moreover, reticulocyte lysate translated Mu-RLI protein is also able to inhibit 2-5A binding on 2-5A-dependent RNAse-L. Northern blot analysis revealed that Mu-RLI cDNA hybridizes with one mRNA of 3.5 kb except for the testis where two mRNA of 3.5 and 2.1 kb, respectively, are detected, suggesting a tissue-specific regulation.

Decreased RNF41 expression leads to insulin resistance in skeletal muscle of obese women

CONTEXT Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation contributes to obesity-associated insulin resistance in skeletal muscles (SM). TLR4 signaling involves two pathways: the myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) leading to inflammatory cytokines production and the toll/interleukin-1 receptor domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon (IFN) I (TRIF)-dependent pathways leading to type 1 interferon (IFNI) and interferon stimulated genes (ISG) expression. The E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF41 allows the preferential activation of the TRIF-IFNI pathway; however, its role in insulin response has not been reported. METHODS We measured RNF41 level and IFNI pathway activation (ISG expression) in SM biopsies of obese insulin sensitive (OIS) and obese insulin resistant (OIR) women. Then we isolated and differentiated in myotubes, primary human SM cell progenitors from OIS and OIR SM biopsies. We modulated RNF41 and ISG expression in these myotubes and investigated their effects on insulin response. RESULTS RNF41 expression is down-regulated in vivo in OIR SM and myotubes compared to OIS SM and myotubes. TLR4 activation with palmitate induces TRIF-IFNI pathway and ISG in OIS myotubes but not in OIR myotubes. Inhibition of RNF41 expression with siRNF41 in OIS myotubes treated with palmitate attenuates insulin response, IFNI pathway activation and ISG induction, mimicking OIR phenotype. Further, overexpression of RNF41 in OIR myotubes increases insulin response and ISG expression. Exposure to IFNI or to its inducer polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid, restores ISG expression and insulin sensitivity in OIR myotubes and OIS myotubes transfected with siRNF41. CONCLUSION Our results identify RNF41 as essential to IFNI pathway activation in order to maintain muscle insulin sensitivity during human obesity.