bims-ershed 2022-11-13 papers

Issue of 2022‒11‒13
five papers selected by
Matías Eduardo González Quiroz
Worker’s Hospital

Viruses. 2022 Nov 10. pii: 2486. [Epub ahead of print]14(11):

Enteroviruses Manipulate the Unfolded Protein Response through Multifaceted Deregulation of the Ire1-Xbp1 Pathway.

Anna Shishova, Ilya Dyugay, Ksenia Fominykh, Victoria Baryshnikova, Alena Dereventsova, Yuriy Turchenko, Anna A Slavokhotova, Yury Ivin, Sergey E Dmitriev, Anatoly Gmyl.

Many viruses are known to trigger endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in host cells, which in turn can develop a protective unfolded protein response (UPR). Depending on the conditions, the UPR may lead to either cell survival or programmed cell death. One of three UPR branches involves the upregulation of Xbp1 transcription factor caused by the unconventional cytoplasmic splicing of its mRNA. This process is accomplished by the phosphorylated form of the endoribonuclease/protein kinase Ire1/ERN1. Here, we show that the phosphorylation of Ire1 is up-regulated in HeLa cells early in enterovirus infection but down-regulated at later stages. We also find that Ire1 is cleaved in poliovirus- and coxsackievirus-infected HeLa cells 4-6 h after infection. We further show that the Ire1-mediated Xbp1 mRNA splicing is repressed in infected cells in a time-dependent manner. Thus, our results demonstrate the ability of enteroviruses to actively modulate the Ire1-Xbp1 host defensive pathway by inducing phosphorylation and proteolytic cleavage of the ER stress sensor Ire1, as well as down-regulating its splicing activity. Inactivation of Ire1 could be a novel mode of the UPR manipulation employed by viruses to modify the ER stress response in the infected cells.

Keywords: ER stress; Ire1 proteolysis; Ire1-Xbp1 pathway; coxsackievirus; picornavirus; poliovirus; unfolded protein response

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v14112486

Plant Biotechnol (Tokyo). 2022 Sep 25. 39(3): 303-310

IRE1-mediated cytoplasmic splicing and regulated IRE1-dependent decay of mRNA in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha.

Sho Takeda, Taisuke Togawa, Kei-Ichiro Mishiba, Katsuyuki T Yamato, Yuji Iwata, Nozomu Koizumi.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) or the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response is a homeostatic cellular response conserved in eukaryotes to alleviate the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER. In the present study, we characterized the UPR in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha to obtain insights into the conservation and divergence of the UPR in the land plants. We demonstrate that the most conserved UPR transducer in eukaryotes, IRE1, is conserved in M. polymorpha, which harbors a single gene encoding IRE1. We showed that MpIRE1 mediates cytoplasmic splicing of mRNA encoding MpbZIP7, a M. polymorpha homolog of bZIP60 in flowering plants, and upregulation of ER chaperone genes in response to the ER stress inducer tunicamycin. We further showed that MpIRE1 also mediates downregulation of genes encoding secretory and membrane proteins in response to ER stress, indicating the conservation of regulated IRE1-dependent decay of mRNA. Consistent with their roles in the UPR, Mpire1 ge and Mpbzip7 ge mutants exhibited higher sensitivity to ER stress. Furthermore, an Mpire1 ge mutant also exhibited retarded growth even without ER stress inducers, indicating the importance of MpIRE1 for vegetative growth in addition to alleviation of ER stress. The present study provides insights into the evolution of the UPR in land plants.

Keywords: Marchantia polymorpha; bZIP transcription factor; cytoplasmic splicing; endoplasmic reticulum stress; unfolded protein response

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5511/plantbiotechnology.22.0704a

Front Immunol. 2022 ;13 980680

Tidy up - The unfolded protein response in sepsis.

Wolfgang Vivas, Sebastian Weis.

Pathogens, their toxic byproducts, and the subsequent immune reaction exert different forms of stress and damage to the tissue of the infected host. This stress can trigger specific transcriptional and post-transcriptional programs that have evolved to limit the pathogenesis of infectious diseases by conferring tissue damage control. If these programs fail, infectious diseases can take a severe course including organ dysfunction and damage, a phenomenon that is known as sepsis and which is associated with high mortality. One of the key adaptive mechanisms to counter infection-associated stress is the unfolded protein response (UPR), aiming to reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress and restore protein homeostasis. This is mediated <i>via</i> a set of diverse and complementary mechanisms, <i>i.e.</i> the reduction of protein translation, increase of protein folding capacity, and increase of polyubiquitination of misfolded proteins and subsequent proteasomal degradation. However, UPR is not exclusively beneficial since its enhanced or prolonged activation might lead to detrimental effects such as cell death. Thus, fine-tuning and time-restricted regulation of the UPR should diminish disease severity of infectious disease and improve the outcome of sepsis while not bearing long-term consequences. In this review, we describe the current knowledge of the UPR, its role in infectious diseases, regulation mechanisms, and further clinical implications in sepsis.

Keywords: endoplasmic reticulum stress; immunity; infection; inflammation; sepsis; unfolded protein response

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.980680

Cell Metab. 2022 Nov 02. pii: S1550-4131(22)00461-2. [Epub ahead of print]

Cancer cell-intrinsic XBP1 drives immunosuppressive reprogramming of intratumoral myeloid cells by promoting cholesterol production.

Zaili Yang, Yazhen Huo, Shixin Zhou, Jingya Guo, Xiaotu Ma, Tao Li, Congli Fan, Likun Wang.

A hostile microenvironment in tumor tissues disrupts endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis and induces the unfolded protein response (UPR). A chronic UPR in both cancer cells and tumor-infiltrating leukocytes could facilitate the evasion of immune surveillance. However, how the UPR in cancer cells cripples the anti-tumor immune response is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that, in cancer cells, the UPR component X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) favors the synthesis and secretion of cholesterol, which activates myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and causes immunosuppression. Cholesterol is delivered in the form of small extracellular vesicles and internalized by MDSCs through macropinocytosis. Genetic or pharmacological depletion of XBP1 or reducing the tumor cholesterol content remarkably decreases MDSC abundance and triggers robust anti-tumor responses. Thus, our data unravel the cell-non-autonomous role of XBP1/cholesterol signaling in the regulation of tumor growth and suggest its inhibition as a useful strategy for improving the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.

Keywords: ER stress; HMGCR; IRE1α; MDSC; XBP1; cancer immunosuppression; cholesterol; macropinocytosis; small extracellular vesicle; unfolded protein response

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2022.10.010

Exp Mol Med. 2022 Nov 10.

The natural product salicin alleviates osteoarthritis progression by binding to IRE1α and inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress through the IRE1α-IκBα-p65 signaling pathway.

Zhenglin Zhu, Shengqiang Gao, Cheng Chen, Wei Xu, Pengcheng Xiao, Zhiyu Chen, Chengcheng Du, Bowen Chen, Yan Gao, Chunli Wang, Junyi Liao, Wei Huang.

Despite the high prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA) in older populations, disease-modifying OA drugs (DMOADs) are still lacking. This study was performed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of the small molecular drug salicin (SA) on OA progression. Primary rat chondrocytes were stimulated with TNF-α and treated with or without SA. Inflammatory factors, cartilage matrix degeneration markers, and cell proliferation and apoptosis markers were detected at the mRNA and protein levels. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by EdU assays or flow cytometric analysis. RNA sequencing, molecular docking and drug affinity-responsive target stability analyses were used to clarify the mechanisms. The rat OA model was used to evaluate the effect of intra-articular injection of SA on OA progression. We found that SA rescued TNF-α-induced degeneration of the cartilage matrix, inhibition of chondrocyte proliferation, and promotion of chondrocyte apoptosis. Mechanistically, SA directly binds to IRE1α and occupies the IRE1α phosphorylation site, preventing IRE1α phosphorylation and regulating IRE1α-mediated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by IRE1α-IκBα-p65 signaling. Finally, intra-articular injection of SA-loaded lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) ameliorated OA progression by inhibiting IRE1α-mediated ER stress in the OA model. In conclusion, SA alleviates OA by directly binding to the ER stress regulator IRE1α and inhibits IRE1α-mediated ER stress via IRE1α-IκBα-p65 signaling. Topical use of the small molecular drug SA shows potential to modify OA progression.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-022-00879-w