Analysis of PKR activation using analytical ultracentrifugation

Regulation of Protein Kinase R by Epstein-Barr Virus EBER1 RNA

Protein kinase R (PKR) is a key antiviral component of the innate immune pathway and is activated by viral double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs). Adenovirus-associated RNA 1 (VAI) is an abundant, noncoding viral RNA that functions as a decoy by binding PKR but not inducing activation, thereby inhibiting the antiviral response. In VAI, coaxial stacking produces an extended helix that mediates high-affinity PKR binding but is too short to result in activation. Like adenovirus, Epstein-Barr virus produces high concentrations of a noncoding RNA, EBER1. Here, we compare interactions of PKR with VAI and EBER1 and present a structural model of EBER1. Both RNAs function as inhibitors of dsRNA-mediated PKR activation. However, EBER1 weakly activates PKR whereas VAI does not. PKR binds EBER1 more weakly than VAI. Assays at physiological ion concentrations indicate that both RNAs can accommodate two PKR monomers and induce PKR dimerization. A structural model of EBER1 was obtained using constraints derived from chemical structure probing and small-angle X-ray scattering experiments. The central stem of EBER1 coaxially stacks with stem loop 4 and stem loop 1 to form an extended RNA duplex of ∼32 bp that binds PKR and promotes activation. Our observations that EBER1 binds PKR much more weakly than VAI and exhibits weak PKR activation suggest that EBER1 is less well suited to function as an RNA decoy.

The Methods Employed in Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Posttranslational Modifications (PTMs) and Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs)

Mass Spectrometry (MS) has revolutionized the way we study biomolecules, especially proteins, their interactions and posttranslational modifications (PTM). As such MS has established itself as the leading tool for the analysis of PTMs mainly because this approach is highly sensitive, amenable to high throughput and is capable of assigning PTMs to specific sites in the amino acid sequence of proteins and peptides. Along with the advances in MS methodology there have been improvements in biochemical, genetic and cell biological approaches to mapping the interactome which are discussed with consideration for both the practical and technical considerations of these techniques. The interactome of a species is generally understood to represent the sum of all potential protein-protein interactions. There are still a number of barriers to the elucidation of the human interactome or any other species as physical contact between protein pairs that occur by selective molecular docking in a particular spatiotemporal biological context are not easily captured and measured.PTMs massively increase the complexity of organismal proteomes and play a role in almost all aspects of cell biology, allowing for fine-tuning of protein structure, function and localization. There are an estimated 300 PTMS with a predicted 5% of the eukaryotic genome coding for enzymes involved in protein modification, however we have not yet been able to reliably map PTM proteomes due to limitations in sample preparation, analytical techniques, data analysis, and the substoichiometric and transient nature of some PTMs. Improvements in proteomic and mass spectrometry methods, as well as sample preparation, have been exploited in a large number of proteome-wide surveys of PTMs in many different organisms. Here we focus on previously published global PTM proteome studies in the Apicomplexan parasites T. gondii and P. falciparum which offer numerous insights into the abundance and function of each of the studied PTM in the Apicomplexa. Integration of these datasets provide a more complete picture of the relative importance of PTM and crosstalk between them and how together PTM globally change the cellular biology of the Apicomplexan protozoa. A multitude of techniques used to investigate PTMs, mostly techniques in MS-based proteomics, are discussed for their ability to uncover relevant biological function.

Auto-phosphorylation Represses Protein Kinase R Activity

The central role of protein kinases in controlling disease processes has spurred efforts to develop pharmaceutical regulators of their activity. A rational strategy to achieve this end is to determine intrinsic auto-regulatory processes, then selectively target these different states of kinases to repress their activation. Here we investigate auto-regulation of the innate immune effector protein kinase R, which phosphorylates the eukaryotic initiation factor 2α to inhibit global protein translation. We demonstrate that protein kinase R activity is controlled by auto-inhibition via an intra-molecular interaction. Part of this mechanism of control had previously been reported, but was then controverted. We account for the discrepancy and extend our understanding of the auto-inhibitory mechanism by identifying that auto-inhibition is paradoxically instigated by incipient auto-phosphorylation. Phosphor-residues at the amino-terminus instigate an intra-molecular interaction that enlists both of the N-terminal RNA-binding motifs of the protein with separate surfaces of the C-terminal kinase domain, to co-operatively inhibit kinase activation. These findings identify an innovative mechanism to control kinase activity, providing insight for strategies to better regulate kinase activity.

Identification and function analysis of the three dsRBMs in the N terminal dsRBD of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) PKR

The protein kinase R (PKR) can inhibit protein translation and lead to apoptosis under the circumstances of virus invasion and multiple other stress conditions. PKR is a dsRNA binding protein with a dsRBD and a kinase domain (KD). dsRBD is mostly composed of two (in mammal PKR) or three (in some fish PKR) dsRNA binding motifs (dsRBMs). Multiple sequences alignment and Phylogenetic analysis indicate that the three dsRBMs of fish PKR share analogous structure but show to be divergence origination. In this study, we have identified and analyzed the three dsRBMs from grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) PKR (CiPKR), which was cloned previously in our laboratory. dsRBMs of CiPKR have two or three conserved regions involved in dsRNA binding. Among the three dsRBMs, dsRBM1 was peculiar to some fish PKRs, while dsRBM2 and dsRBM3 were closely related to the dsRBM1 and dsRBM2 of mammal PKRs respectively. Dimerization assay indicated that dsRBM1 and dsRBM2 formed not only homo-dimer but also homo-multimer; whereas dsRBM3 formed merely homo-dimer. Meanwhile, dsRBM1-2, dsRBM2-3 and dsRBM1-2-3 could homo-dimerize and homo-multimerize also. Poly I:C pull-down assay showed that the binding of dsRBM to Poly I:C needed two or three dsRBMs to cooperate in vitro, meaning one dsRBM from CiPKR could not bind to dsRNA efficiently. To further investigate the effect of dsRBM on the function of CiPKR, we constructed pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-wt and a series of CiPKR mutants recombined plasmids including pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM2-3, pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM1,3, pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM1-2, pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM3, pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM1. The recombined plasmids respectively were co-transfected with plasmid PGL3 promoter into CIK cells. In comparison with the control group, the luciferase translation inhibitions were 78.7%, 15%, 0, 0.5%, 61.8%, 67.3% respectively. The results indicated that the protein translation inhibition caused by CiPKR mutants with only one dsRBM were very weak, while those with two or three dsRBMs inhibited the protein translation powerfully. Cell viability were 34.2%, 98.2%, 112%, 108%, 50.3%, 47.5% respectively after transfected with pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-wt, pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM2-3, pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM1,3, pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM1-2, pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM3, pcDNA3.1/CiPKR-ΔdsRBM1 in order into CIK cells for 48 h. The results from cell counting also indicated that transfection of CiPKR-wt and the mutants CiPKR-ΔdsRBM3, CiPKR-ΔdsRBM1 could inhibit the protein translation and facilitated the decrease of CIK cells number. In conclusion, our observations suggested that two dsRBMs ranking in tandem at N terminal were essential for the function of CiPKR, and the presence of the extra dsRBM1 enhanced its function.

Protein-protein interactions: switch from classical methods to proteomics and bioinformatics-based approaches

Following the sequencing of the human genome and many other organisms, research on protein-coding genes and their functions (functional genomics) has intensified. Subsequently, with the observation that proteins are indeed the molecular effectors of most cellular processes, the discipline of proteomics was born. Clearly, proteins do not function as single entities but rather as a dynamic network of team players that have to communicate. Though genetic (yeast two-hybrid Y2H) and biochemical methods (co-immunoprecipitation Co-IP, affinity purification AP) were the methods of choice at the beginning of the study of protein-protein interactions (PPI), in more recent years there has been a shift towards proteomics-based methods and bioinformatics-based approaches. In this review, we first describe in depth PPIs and we make a strong case as to why unraveling the interactome is the next challenge in the field of proteomics. Furthermore, classical methods of investigation of PPIs and structure-based bioinformatics approaches are presented. The greatest emphasis is placed on proteomic methods, especially native techniques that were recently developed and that have been shown to be reliable. Finally, we point out the limitations of these methods and the need to set up a standard for the validation of PPI experiments.

Multi-level regulation of cellular recognition of viral dsRNA

Effective antiviral immunity depends on accurate recognition of viral RNAs by the innate immune system. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) often accumulates in virally infected cells and was initially considered a unique viral signature that was sufficient to initiate antiviral response through dsRNA receptors and dsRNA-dependent effectors such as Toll-like receptor 3, retinoic acid inducible gene-1, protein kinase RNA-activated and oligoadenylate synthetase. However, dsRNA is also present in many cellular RNAs, raising a question of how these receptors and effectors discriminate between viral and cellular dsRNAs. Accumulating evidence suggests that innate immune sensors detect not only dsRNA structure but also other and often multiple features of RNA such as length, sequence, cellular location, post-transcriptional processing and modification, which are divergent between viral and cellular RNAs. This review summarizes recent findings on the substrate specificities of a few selected dsRNA-dependent effectors and receptors, which have revealed more complex mechanisms involved in cellular discrimination between self and non-self RNA.

Heparin activates PKR by inducing dimerization

Protein kinase R (PKR) is an interferon-induced kinase that plays a pivotal role in the innate immunity pathway. PKR is activated to undergo autophosphorylation upon binding to double-stranded RNAs or RNAs that contain duplex regions. Activated PKR phosphorylates the α subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis. PKR is also activated by heparin, a highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan. We have used biophysical methods to define the mechanism of PKR activation by heparin. Heparins as short as hexasaccharide bind strongly to PKR and activate autophosphorylation. In contrast to double-stranded RNA, heparin activates PKR by binding to the kinase domain. Analytical ultracentrifugation measurements support a thermodynamic linkage model where heparin binding allosterically enhances PKR dimerization, thereby activating the kinase. These results indicate that PKR can be activated by small molecules and represents a viable target for the development of novel antiviral agents.

The use of analytical sedimentation velocity to extract thermodynamic linkage

For 25 years, the Gibbs Conference on Biothermodynamics has focused on the use of thermodynamics to extract information about the mechanism and regulation of biological processes. This includes the determination of equilibrium constants for macromolecular interactions by high precision physical measurements. These approaches further reveal thermodynamic linkages to ligand binding events. Analytical ultracentrifugation has been a fundamental technique in the determination of macromolecular reaction stoichiometry and energetics for 85 years. This approach is highly amenable to the extraction of thermodynamic couplings to small molecule binding in the overall reaction pathway. In the 1980s this approach was extended to the use of sedimentation velocity techniques, primarily by the analysis of tubulin-drug interactions by Na and Timasheff. This transport method necessarily incorporates the complexity of both hydrodynamic and thermodynamic nonideality. The advent of modern computational methods in the last 20 years has subsequently made the analysis of sedimentation velocity data for interacting systems more robust and rigorous. Here we review three examples where sedimentation velocity has been useful at extracting thermodynamic information about reaction stoichiometry and energetics. Approaches to extract linkage to small molecule binding and the influence of hydrodynamic nonideality are emphasized. These methods are shown to also apply to the collection of fluorescence data with the new Aviv FDS.

Regulation of innate immunity through RNA structure and the protein kinase PKR

Molecular recognition of RNA structure is key to innate immunity. The protein kinase PKR differentiates self from non-self by recognition of molecular patterns in RNA. Certain biological RNAs induce autophosphorylation of PKR, activating it to phosphorylate eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), which leads to inhibition of translation. Additional biological RNAs inhibit PKR, while still others have no effect. The aim of this article is to develop a cohesive framework for understanding and predicting PKR function in the context of diverse RNA structure. We present effects of recently characterized viral and cellular RNAs on regulation of PKR, as well as siRNAs. A central conclusion is that assembly of accessible long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) elements within biological RNAs plays a key role in regulation of PKR kinase. Strategies for forming such elements include RNA dimerization, formation of symmetrical helical defects, A-form dsRNA mimicry, and coaxial stacking of helices.