A transcriptional signaling pathway in the IFN system mediated by 2′-5′-oligoadenylate activation of RNase L Article (Web of Science)

abstract

  • Virus replication in higher vertebrates is restrained by IFNs that cause cells to transcribe genes encoding antiviral proteins, such as 2′-5′ oligoadenylate synthetases. 2′-5′ oligoadenylate synthetase is stimulated by dsRNA to produce 5′-phosphorylated, 2′-5′-linked oligoadenylates (2-5A), whose function is to activate RNase L. Although RNase L is required for a complete IFN antiviral response and mutations in the RNase L gene ( RNASEL or HPC1 ) increase prostate cancer rates, it is unknown how 2-5A affects these biological endpoints through its receptor, RNase L. Presently, we show that 2-5A activation of RNase L produces a remarkable stimulation of transcription (≥20-fold) for genes that suppress virus replication and prostate cancer. Unexpectedly, exposure of DU145 prostate cancer cells to physiologic levels of 2-5A (0.1 μM) induced approximately twice as many RNA species as it down-regulated. Among the 2-5A-induced genes are several IFN-stimulated genes, including IFN-inducible transcript 1/P56, IFN-inducible transcript 2/P54, IL-8, and IFN-stimulated gene 15. 2-5A also potently elevated RNA for macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1/nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug-activated gene-1, a TGF-β superfamily member implicated as an apoptotic suppressor of prostate cancer. Transcriptional signaling to the macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1/nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug-activated gene-1 promoter by 2-5A was deficient in HeLa cells expressing a nuclease-dead mutant of RNase L and was dependent on the mitogen-activated protein kinases c-Jun N-terminal kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase, both of which were activated in response to 2-5A treatments. Because 2-5A and RNase L participate in defenses against viral infections and prostate cancer, our findings have implications for basic cellular mechanisms that control major pathogenic processes.

authors

  • Krishnamurthy, Malathi
  • Paranjape, Jayashree M.
  • Bulanova, Elena
  • Shim, Minsub
  • Guenther-Johnson, Jeanna M.
  • Faber, Pieter W.
  • Eling, Thomas E.
  • Williams, Bryan R. G.
  • Silverman, Robert H.

publication date

  • 2005

number of pages

  • 5

start page

  • 14533

end page

  • 14538

volume

  • 102

issue

  • 41