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Journal of Virology, April 2007, p. 3377-3390, Vol. 81, No. 7
0022-538X/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.02191-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Carolina Arias, and
Ian Mohr*
New York University School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and NYU Cancer Institute, New York, New York 10016
Received 5 October 2006/ Accepted 8 January 2007
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(
subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2)
kinase PERK to transiently arrest production of new polypeptide
clientele. Viruses, such as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1),
however, go to great lengths to prevent the inhibition of translation
resulting from eIF-2
phosphorylation. Here, we establish that
PERK, but not IRE1, resists activation by acute ER stress in
HSV-1-infected cells. This requires the ER luminal domain of PERK,
which associates with the viral glycoprotein gB. Strikingly, gB
regulates viral protein accumulation in a PERK-dependent manner. This
is the first description of a virus-encoded PERK-specific effector and
defines a new strategy by which viruses are able to maintain ER
homeostasis. |
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Many
aspects germane to viral replication result in significant
intracellular stress and may irreversibly perturb this homeostasis.
Virus replication on internal membranes, retention of major
histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I chains within the ER, or
high-level production of secreted viral proteins and particles tax the
capability of the ER to properly fold and process its client proteins,
potentially triggering the UPR
(22). In particular,
activation of PERK, an eIF-2
(
subunit of eukaryotic
initiation factor 2) kinase that spans the ER membrane, by misfolded
proteins within the lumen of this organelle (reviewed in reference
14) is poised to
negatively impinge upon viral replication. Phosphorylation of eIF-2 on
its
subunit inhibits the exchange of GDP for GTP, preventing
the recycling reaction necessary to maintain supplies of active eIF-2,
a critical translation initiation factor that chaperones the initiator
tRNA to the 40S ribosomal subunit. Unopposed, the action of an
activated eIF-2
kinase, such as PERK, can rapidly inhibit
protein synthesis (reviewed in reference
26).
Besides PERK,
mammalian cells contain three additional eIF-2
kinases, each
of which inhibits translation in response to a different physiological
stress (reviewed in reference
26). One of these is the
double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-dependent interferon-induced protein kinase
PKR, an important mediator of innate defenses in virus-infected cells.
Intensive investigation in many different viral systems has
demonstrated that viral countermeasures to limit PKR activity and
effectively prevent the accumulation of phosphorylated eIF-2
are important components of viral pathogenesis (reviewed in reference
26). Indeed, herpes
simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) encodes two different functions, each of
which is expressed at a discrete point in the viral developmental
program. While the Us11 gene product specifically antagonizes the
eIF-2
kinase PKR, the
134.5 gene encodes a
GADD34-related subunit that targets the protein phosphatase 1
(PP1
) catalytic activity to phosphorylated eIF-2
(16,
36). Significantly,
irrespective of the fact that the
134.5 phosphatase
holoenzyme can counteract multiple eIF-2
kinases by virtue of
its intrinsic ability to remove phosphate from phosphorylated
eIF-2
, recent work has established that HSV-1 mutants
deficient in both Us11 and
134.5 are still able to
resist the effects of acute ER stress
(30).
Presently,
relatively little is known regarding how viruses counter the actions of
eIF-2
kinases other than PKR. Indeed, in some cases, infected
cells ultimately succumb to the effects of PERK-mediated apoptosis
(10,
21,
23,
34,
49). However, not all of
the consequences of the UPR are detrimental to viral replication. Human
cytomegalovirus (HCMV) appears to activate the aspects of the UPR
beneficial to viral replication, such as chaperone induction to extend
the folding capacity of the ER, while suppressing the particularly
harsh consequences resulting from eIF-2
phosphorylation by an
unknown mechanism (19,
20). In other cases,
effectors that operate downstream of eIF-2
phosphorylation,
such as pseudosubstrates specified by hepatitis C virus (HCV)
(39,
40,
50) along with vaccinia
virus (46) or the HSV-1
134.5 phosphatase component
(6) have been reported to
counter the effects of activated PERK. While in some respects, it is
not at all surprising that the latter class of eIF-2
pseudosubstrates and phosphatases are proficient to counter multiple
eIF-2
kinases, kinase-specific antagonists for eIF-2
kinases other than PKR have yet to be described.
To address this
issue, HSV-1 derivatives deficient in all characterized functions known
to regulate eIF-2
phosphorylation were shown to effectively
resist acute ER stress
(30). This does not
involve the cellular eIF-2
kinase PKR, nor does it involve
induction of the cellular GADD34 phosphatase component, the principal
means by which uninfected cells recover from the UPR. Instead, the
resistance of HSV-1 mRNA translation to ER stress requires the
expression of viral genes other than
134.5 and Us11
(30). Herein, we not only
establish that both PERK and IRE1 remain unactivated in HSV-1-infected
cells, but PERK is selectively resistant to activation by acute ER
stress. The luminal domain of PERK specifically associates with
glycoprotein B (gB), one of several virus-specified glycoproteins, in
infected cells. Moreover, the accumulation of normal quantities of
viral polypeptides in infected cells requires a wild-type (WT)
glycoprotein B allele. Strikingly, regulation of viral protein
abundance by glycoprotein B is obviated in cells with a homozygous PERK
deficiency. These genetic and physical interactions between
glycoprotein B and PERK suggest that HSV-1 glycoprotein B interacts
with PERK to maintain ER homeostasis, defining a new strategy by which
viral functions can subvert a cellular ER stress
sensor.
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ICP6) was a kind gift of Sandra
Weller (University of Connecticut Health Science Center, Farmington,
CT;
13).
Antibodies and chemicals.
The
monoclonal antibody that detects total eIF-2
was originally
produced by the late Edward Henshaw and was a gift from Mike Clemens
(44) The
anti-phospho-PERK (used exclusively for immunoprecipitations) and
anti-total PERK polyclonal antibodies along with AP20187 (available
from Ariad Pharmaceuticals and used with permission) were kind gifts
from D. Ron and H. Harding. Antibodies recognizing the following HSV-1
proteins were graciously provided by the listed investigators: anti-gC
(R. Eisenberg and G. Cohen, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental
Medicine), anti-ICP27 (S. Silverstein, Columbia University College of
Physicians & Surgeons), and anti-TK (B. Roizman, University of
Chicago). The following antibodies were purchased commercially:
anti-eIF-2
phospho-Ser51-specific antibody (StressGen),
anti-phospho-PERK antibody for immunoblotting (Cell Signaling),
anti-myc (Sigma), and anti-eIF4E (BD Transduction Laboratories, San
Diego, CA). Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), actinomycin D, thapsigargin
(Tg), and tunicamycin were purchased from Sigma. Phosphonoacetic acid
(PAA) and dithiothreitol were purchased from
Calbiochem.
Analysis of PERK activation by immunoprecipitation. Immunoprecipitations for PERK were performed as described previously (2). Briefly, confluent 10-cm dishes of mouse 3T3 cells were washed twice in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and once in PBS with 1 mM EDTA. The cells were solubilized in 1% Triton X-100 lysis buffer supplemented with protease and phosphatase inhibitors. PERK was then immunoprecipitated using 0.5 µl of both anti-phospho-PERK antibody (from D. Ron) and anti-total-PERK antibody. The samples were incubated overnight at 4°C with rocking. The immune complexes were washed three times with 1 ml lysis buffer supplemented with phosphatase inhibitors, once with 1 ml PBS, and boiled in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) sample buffer. The entire sample was used for immunoblotting.
Isolation of PERK-associated proteins by coimmunoprecipitation.
Ten-centimeter dishes of confluent
Vero cells were either left uninfected or infected (multiplicity of
infection [MOI] of 10) with HSV-1 (
ICP6). At 8 h
postinfection (hpi), the cells were labeled with 0.5 mCi of
[35S]cysteine and [35S]methionine for 2
h. Cell-free lysates were subsequently prepared without phosphatase
inhibitors as described in the preceding immunoprecipitation section.
Supernatants were precleared by incubation with 30 µl normal
rabbit serum for 1 h at 4°C, which was collected by
three consecutive incubations with 100 µl settled bed volume
(SBV) pansorbin (catalog no. 507858; Calbiochem, CA). Following
transfer of the precleared extract to fresh microcentrifuge tubes
containing protein A Sepharose (10-µl SBV) previously bound to
either 2 µl of the appropriate preimmune sera or to a mixture
of 0.5 µl anti-PERK together with 0.5 µl
anti-phospho-PERK polyclonal antiserum, the reaction mixtures were
incubated on a rocking platform overnight at 4°C. Last, the
beads were collected by brief centrifugation and washed three times in
1 ml radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) buffer
(2). Following
fractionation of immune complexes by SDS-polyacrylamide gel
electrophoresis (PAGE), the gels were fixed, impregnated with a
fluorophore, dried, and exposed to Kodak XAR film.
To identify viral proteins bound to an epitope-tagged version of PERK, 10-cm dishes of 293 cells were transfected with 7 µg of mammalian expression plasmids encoding myc-tagged versions of PERK (kindly provided by H. Harding) using 17.5 µl of Lipofectamine 2000 (Life Technologies) per dish. At 16 h after transfection, the cells were infected with WT HSV-1 and at 8 h postinfection labeled with 0.5 mCi of [35S]cysteine and [35S]methionine for 2 h. The cells were then processed as described above, and an anti-myc monoclonal antibody (Sigma) was added to precipitate myc-tagged PERK. The complexes were then separated via 7% SDS-PAGE, and the gels were fixed, impregnated with a fluorophore, dried, and exposed to film.
Glycoprotein synthesis. Triplicate sets of 60-mm dishes of Vero cells were either left untreated or treated with 300 µg/ml PAA for 1 h. The cells were then either mock infected or infected with WT HSV-1. At 15 h postinfection, cultures were overlaid with 1 ml DMEM lacking methionine and cysteine but supplemented with 50 to 70 µCi/ml 35S-labeled Express (commercial mixture of methionine and cysteine from Perkin-Elmer) for 15 min. The cells were then processed as described under immunoprecipitations (except no phosphatase inhibitors were included in the lysis buffer), and 150 µg of protein from each sample was incubated for 2 h at 4°C with 10 µl (SBV) of concanavalin A (ConA)-conjugated agarose beads (Calbiochem) which was previously blocked for 1 h in a 5-mg/ml fraction V bovine serum albumin solution. The beads were washed three times in RIPA buffer and then boiled in SDS sample buffer for 5 min. The denatured proteins released from the ConA beads were diluted 1:25 in fresh 1% Triton X-100 lysis buffer supplemented with protease inhibitors, 7.5 µl (SBV) of bovine serum albumin-blocked ConA beads was added, and the mixture was incubated at 4°C for 2 h for a second round of glycoprotein purification. The beads were then washed three times in RIPA buffer and boiled in 40 µl SDS sample buffer. Ten microliters was then counted in a liquid scintillation counter to assess the amount of labeled glycoproteins recovered from each sample.
Endoglycosidase digests. [35S]cysteine- and [35S]methionine-labeled myc-tagged PERK immune complexes solubilized in sample buffer (62.5 mM Tris-HCl, pH 6.8, 2% SDS, 5% ß-mercaptoethanol, 10% glycerol) were diluted 1:6 in 1x N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) or endoglycosidase H (endo H) reaction buffer supplemented with either 16.7 U/µl PNGase F or 33.4 U/µl endo H (New England Biolabs) and incubated at 37°C for 1 h. The reactions were terminated by adding an equal volume of 2x sample buffer and boiling for 3 min.
XBP-1 splicing. Total RNA was isolated and subjected to reverse transcription-PCR using primers MXBP1.3S and MXBP1.12AS as described previously (25). The spliced product was 448 bp long, while the unspliced precursor was 473 bp long.
Construction of targeting plasmids. (i) pXN1-
Not.
pXN1
(32) was digested with
NotI, and the overhanging ends were filled in with the Klenow fragment
of DNA polymerase I and self-ligated with T4 DNA ligase to remove the
unique NotI site in the pXN1 vector
backbone.
(ii) pXN1-BGHpA-LoxP.
A PCR
product containing the bovine growth hormone (BGH) polyadenylation
signal was amplified from the plasmid pcDNA4 (Invitrogen) using
Pfu polymerase (Stratagene) with the following primers:
Pf-BGHpA
(5'-TCCCCACAAGATGGCTGTGCCTTCTAGTTGCCAGCCATCTGTTGTTT-3')
and NI-Not-LoxP-BGHpA
(5'-TGCCCTAGCACAGGGCGGCCGCATAACTTCGTATAATGTATGCTATACGAAGTTATCCATAGAGCCCACC-3').
The resulting 294-bp product is flanked by PflMI and EcoNI sites and
contains internal loxP and NotI sites. After digestion with PflMI and
EcoNI, the fragment was ligated into EcoNI- and PflMI-digested, shrimp
alkaline phosphatase-treated pXN1-
Not to create
pXN1-BGHpA-LoxP. The region isolated by PCR in the plasmid was
sequenced to confirm that no mutations were introduced by Pfu
polymerase.
(iii) pXN1-Bac. pBelo-Bac11 (New England Biolabs) was digested with NotI, and the 6,876-bp fragment was ligated into NotI-digested, shrimp alkaline phosphatase-treated pXN1-BGHpA-LoxP to create pXN1-Bac.
Construction of the
34.5 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC).
pXN1-Bac (10 µg) was
linearized by NsiI digestion and subsequently cotransfected with 50
µg
34.5
Us11 viral DNA
(33) into Vero cells
using the calcium phosphate method as described previously
(32). After 5 days,
cell-free lysates were prepared by freeze-thawing, diluted, and used to
infect confluent monolayers of U373 cells. U373 cells do not support
the growth of the parental
34.5
Us11 virus and can
thus be used to select for recombinants expressing Us11 as an immediate
early (IE) protein (32).
Once significant cytopathic effect was observed, cell-free lysates were
prepared by freeze-thawing, diluted, and used to infect fresh,
confluent U373 cell monolayers in order to further amplify the
recombinant virus and obtain enriched stocks. Each enriched, cell-free
lysate derived from independent transfections was used to infect one
10-cm dish of confluent Vero cells in the presence of 100 µg/ml
cycloheximide for 3 h at 37°C and 5% CO2.
Circular viral DNA was isolated as described previously
(17). Briefly, the
infected Vero cells were washed with ice cold PBS, transferred to
microcentrifuge tubes, and resuspended in 10 mM EDTA, pH 8.0. SDS and
NaCl were then added to 0.6% and 1 M, respectively, and incubated on
ice overnight. DNA was then phenol-chloroform extracted and ethanol
precipitated. The isolated DNA was dissolved in H2O
supplemented with 50 µg/ml RNase A. Ten percent of the isolated
DNA sample was subsequently electroporated into Escherichia
coli DH10B cells, spread onto LB agar supplemented with
chloramphenicol, and incubated at 37°C to select for
transformants. Infectious virus was generated by isolating BAC DNA from
1.5 ml of saturated LB culture inoculated with DH10B cells harboring
34.5
SUP
Us10-BGHpA-Bac by standard alkaline
lysis. The entire DNA preparation was subsequently transfected into
Vero cells by using the calcium phosphate method. Plaques were clearly
discernible by 4 days
posttransfection.
Construction of
34.5
gB recombinant virus.
Allelic replacement was performed as
described previously (9).
Briefly, pKD42 (9)
encoding the
red protein recombination machinery was
introduced into E. coli DH10B cells maintaining
34.5
SUP
Us10-BGHpA-Bac by electroporation and
selection at 30°C on LB agar supplemented with chloramphenicol
and ampicillin. A PCR product containing the kanamycin resistance
(Kanr) gene flanked on each side by 42 nucleotides
homologous to sequences in the UL27 (gB) gene was then generated using
pKD13 as the template and the following primers: UL27pKD13P1-55710
(5'-TCGGCGGCTCCGAGTTCCCCCGGCACGCCTGGGGTCGCGGCCGCGGTGTAGGCTGGAGCTGCTTC-3')
and UL27pKD13P4-55621
(5'-GGCGGGCGGCGCCGGAGTGGCAGGGCCCCCGTTCGCCGCCTGGGTATTCCGGGGATCCGTCGACC-3').
This
PCR product was then electroporated into pKD42-transformed
34.5
SUP
Us10-BGHpA-Bac E.
coli DH10B cells, and recombinants were selected on LB agar
supplemented with kanamycin. Proper integration of the Kanr
cassette was determined by PCR using the following primers:
UL27DnSt-55451
(5'-ACGTAAAAGTTTGCATCGGTG-3'),
UL27UpST-55766
(5'-GCCGGTGGTTCGTCGTATGG-3'), K1
(5'-CAGTCATAGCCGAATAGCCT-3'), K2
(5'-CGGTGCCCTGAATGAACTGC-3'),
UL10-DnSt-24792
(5'-ACAATGTTCTGTATACGGTC-3'), and
UL10-UpSt-23525
(5'-TATGCCGTGGTCGGCGCCGTG-3').
Infectious


BAC-B2-UL27::Kanr
virus was generated as described above by transfecting viral DNA into
D6 cells which contain an integrated copy of the HSV-1 gB gene under
transcriptional control of the HSV-1 gD promoter. Southern analysis was
performed as described previously
(32).
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kinase
PERK is not an abundant polypeptide in most cells, making it difficult
to detect by simply fractionating total cellular protein by SDS-PAGE,
followed by immunoblotting. Ascertaining the activation status of PERK
by immunoblotting total cellular protein in conjunction with
commercially available antisera specific for phospho-PERK is similarly
compromised due to the paltry concentration of the target antigen in
extracts prepared from the vast majority of cells. An
immunoprecipitation enrichment step is typically required in such
protocols to sufficiently concentrate PERK such that it can be detected
by immunoblotting (15).
Moreover, when combined with gel electrophoresis in low percentage gels
for lengthy time periods, this procedure resolves activated,
phosphorylated PERK from unphosphorylated PERK. While a recent study
claims that PERK is activated in HSV-1-infected cells, all of the data
in support of this conclusion were surprisingly derived by simple
SDS-PAGE fractionation of total cellular protein, followed by
immunoblotting using a commercially available phospho-specific
anti-PERK antisera (6). To
ascertain the precise nature of the immunochemical signal generated
using phospho-specific PERK antiserum to probe immunoblots of
HSV-1-infected cell lysates fractionated by SDS-PAGE, we performed a
similar experiment in PKR-deficient and PERK-deficient cells.
It
is well established that treatment with thapsigargin, by depleting
Ca2+ stores from the ER, inhibits the activity of
resident Ca2+-dependent chaperones and thereby
induces the unfolded protein response
(51). One component of
this response involves activation of the eIF-2
kinase PERK.
Indeed, phosphorylated eIF-2
accumulates in mock-infected
PKR/ cells treated with Tg (Fig.
1). The increase in eIF-2
phosphorylation is PERK
dependent, as it is not observed in Tg-treated
PKR/ PERK/
cells (Fig. 1). Notably,
an immunoreactive signal from mock-infected
PKR/ lysates is not detected using a
phospho-PERK-specific antibody, despite the fact that PERK-dependent
eIF-2
phosphorylation is easily observed. However, a prominent
140-kDa band immunoreactive with phospho-PERK-specific sera is detected
in PKR/ cells infected with WT HSV-1 (Fig.
1). The intensity of this
signal is unchanged by Tg treatment. Surprisingly, this band is present
at a similar intensity in HSV-1-infected
PKR/ PERK/
cells. Thus, although the high-molecular-weight antigen that
cross-reacts with phospho-PERK-specific antisera is found in
HSV-1-infected cells, it does not require a wild-type PERK allele and
therefore is not likely to be the phosphorylated product of the
cellular PERK gene. Instead, we hypothesized that it might instead
reflect the fortuitous reaction of the commercially available
phospho-specific PERK antisera with an HSV-1-encoded protein. It is
likely that the band immunoreactive with phospho-PERK antisera in
HSV-1-infected cells described by Cheng and colleagues is produced
relatively early in the viral reproductive cycle, as its detection
requires viral protein synthesis but is unaffected by phosphonoacetic
acid treatment, an inhibitor of viral DNA replication and late gene
expression (6).
Examination of the HSV-1 proteome for 140-kDa antigens expressed with
this particular profile revealed that the viral ICP6 gene was a likely
candidate. Parallel experiments carried out with an ICP6 null mutant
confirmed that the phospho-PERK-specific antisera immunoreactive signal
detected in HSV-1-infected cells absolutely required the viral ICP6
gene and not the product of the cellular PERK gene. Thus, simple
SDS-PAGE fractionation of total protein from HSV-1-infected cells
followed by immunoblotting using a commercially available
phospho-specific anti-PERK antisera cannot be used to draw conclusions
regarding PERK activation. We thus set out to carefully characterize
the effect of HSV-1 infection on
PERK.
![]() View larger version (21K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 1. Cross-reaction
of phospho-PERK antiserum with the HSV-1 ICP6 polypeptide. Immortalized
mouse embryonic fibroblasts (PERK/
PKR/ or PERK+/+
PKR/) were mock infected (MOCK) or
infected with HSV-1 (MOI of 5) (wild-type [WT] or an ICP6-deficient
strain [ 6]). At 9 hpi, cultures were treated with thapsigargin
(Tg) (+) or DMSO () for 30 min. Total protein was
subsequently isolated, fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and analyzed by
immunoblotting with the indicated antisera (P-PERK sera, antigen
affinity-purified phospho-PERK sera; eIF2 -P, phospho-specific
eIF-2 sera; eIF2 , total eIF-2 sera; ICP0,
anti-ICP0 monoclonal antibody as a marker for viral infection).
[*ICP6]
indicates that the P-PERK sera cross-reacts with the HSV-1 ICP6 gene
product. The migration positions of molecular mass standards (in
kilodaltons) appear to the left of the individual membrane
strips.
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FIG. 2. Resistance
of PERK to activation in HSV-1-infected cells. (A) Murine 3T3
cells were mock infected () or infected (MOI of 5) with
wild-type HSV-1 (+). At 7 hpi, the cultures were exposed to
solvent (DMSO) or the indicated concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and
1.0 µM) of Tg for 30 min. Total protein was subsequently
isolated and subjected to immunoprecipitation using anti-PERK
polyclonal antisera. Immune complexes were fractionated by SDS-PAGE and
analyzed by immunoblotting using total anti-PERK sera (top gel) or
phospho-PERK-specific antisera (middle gel). Total protein in initial
lysates (prior to immunoprecipitation) was directly fractionated by
SDS-PAGE and analyzed by immunoblotting using antisera directed against
the viral ICP27 protein as a marker for viral infection (bottom gel).
The migration positions of molecular mass markers (in kilodaltons)
appear to the left of the gels. (B) The top panel illustrates
a nonstressed ER under conditions of chaperone sufficiency. The stress
sensors IRE1 and PERK are both inactive, bound to the chaperone BiP in
the ER lumen. The XBP-1 precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) remains unprocessed,
unable to direct XBP-1 protein synthesis. In the bottom panel, ER
stress, as measured by chaperone insufficiency, results in the release
of BiP from the luminal domains of both IRE1 and PERK, allowing them to
form homodimers within the plane of the ER membrane. Once each subunit
of the dimer phosphorylates the other, activated PERK phosphorylates
eIF-2 , whereas the activated endoribonuclease activity of IRE1
cleaves the XBP-1 pre-mRNA to initiate proper processing. Once
processing is completed by an RNA ligase, the mature XBP-1 mRNA is
translated and the protein product translocates to the nucleus where it
activates expression of ER stress-induced genes (SIG). (C)
Processing of XBP-1 mRNA in HSV-1-infected cells exposed to ER stress
(0.5 µM Tg). This was performed as in panel A, except that
total RNA was isolated and subjected to reverse transcription-PCR using
primers specific for the XBP mRNA. PCR products were fractionated by
electrophoresis on a 2.2% agarose gel and visualized under UV
illumination following ethidium bromide staining. The product derived
from mature XBP-1 mRNA is approximately 26 bp smaller and migrates
faster.
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Suppression of PERK activation by HSV-1 requires the PERK ER luminal domain.
As a resident type I ER membrane
protein, PERK contains both a cytosolic eIF-2
kinase domain
fused to an ER luminal regulatory domain. To determine whether the
subcellular localization of PERK to the ER was required for HSV-1 to
prevent kinase activation, HT22-Fv2e cells that express a cytosolic
PERK derivative were employed
(24). In addition to
relatively small quantities of endogenous PERK, these cells overexpress
a synthetic, hybrid PERK derivative where the PERK eIF-2
kinase domain is fused to two Fv2e-binding domains, which promotes
dimer formation in the presence of a synthetic small molecule, AP20187
(Fig.
3A). Unlike natural PERK, Fv2e-PERK is an abundant cytosolic protein
(24). Thus, application
of AP20187 to HT22-Fv2e cells promotes Fv2e-PERK dimer formation,
kinase activation, and subsequent eIF-2
phosphorylation
without activating endogenous, natural PERK
(24). As this synthetic
PERK derivative is abundantly expressed, its activation state can be
easily examined by immunoblotting using total PERK antisera, as opposed
to phospho-specific PERK antisera, without prior immunoprecipitation
(Fig. 3B). Significantly,
whereas both WT HSV-1 and a
34.5 mutant derivative are able to
effectively prevent the accumulation of phosphorylated eIF-2
in response to Tg-mediated activation of endogenous PERK, both viruses
are unable to prevent the accumulation of phosphorylated eIF-2
in response to AP20187 (Fig.
3C). Thus, the suppression
of PERK activation observed in HSV-1-infected cells requires the
luminal regulatory domain of PERK, as activation of the PERK
eIF-2
kinase activity by a small molecule that promotes
dimerization of the kinase domain is unimpaired in virus-infected
cells. Surprisingly, phosphorylated eIF-2
accumulates to the
same extent regardless of the state of the viral
134.5 gene (Fig.
3C). This further suggests
that the proper subcellular localization of PERK to the ER is necessary
for the
134.5-PP1
holoenzyme to
effectively counteract PERK eIF-2
kinase activity. These
observations raise the possibility that the luminal domain of PERK
might somehow be modified in HSV-1-infected
cells.
![]() View larger version (15K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 3. Suppression
of PERK activation in HSV-1-infected cells depends upon the luminal
domain of PERK. (A) Conditional activation of a synthetic
PERK derivative by a small molecule. FV2e PERK is comprised of two
modified FK506-binding domains, termed FV2e segments, fused to the
cytosolic catalytic PERK kinase domain. In the presence of AP20187,
this fully cytoplasmic protein forms active dimers when each subunit
phosphorylates the other. The activated kinase can then phosphorylate
eIF-2 . (B) HT22 cells expressing FV2e-PERK were
exposed to either DMSO (), 0.5 µM Tg, or 1 nM alkaline
phosphatase (AP) for 30 min. Total protein was subsequently isolated,
fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and analyzed by immunoblotting with the
antisera specific for PERK, total eIF-2 , or phospho-PERK
(P-PERK). Due to the abundance of the FV2e-PERK fusion protein in these
cells, the commercially available phospho-PERK-specific antisera easily
detects PERK in unfractionated lysates. (C) As in panel B
except mock-infected (M), 34.5, and wild-type virus-infected
(WT) cultures were used. Following electrophoresis, proteins were
analyzed by immunoblotting with the indicated antisera. ICP27 serves as
a marker for viral
infection.
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KD) or a catalytically inactive protein (KA) harboring a
Lys-to-Arg substitution at residue 618
(15) were transfected
into 293 cells, and the cells were subsequently mock infected or
infected with WT HSV-1 (Fig.
4A). After radiolabeling with 35S-labeled amino
acids, cell-free lysates were prepared under nondenaturing conditions
and subjected to immunoprecipitation with an anti-myc monoclonal
antibody. Following several washes to remove nonspecifically bound
material, the immune complexes were fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and the
radiolabeled proteins were visualized by autoradiography. In
mock-infected cells, myc-tagged polypeptides of the expected size were
recovered following transfection of plasmids expressing the WT,
KD, or KA PERK derivative (Fig.
4B). However, the WT
myc-tagged protein is activated shortly after transfection, resulting
in its retarded migration relative to the full-length catalytically
inactive KA derivative (Fig.
4B). This is in accord
with published observations from other groups
(15). Due to this
transfection-mediated activation of WT myc-tagged PERK, which of course
promotes eIF-2
phosphorylation and the inhibition of protein
synthesis, the WT myc-tagged protein is labeled poorly compared to the
catalytically inactive KA mutant (Fig.
4B) and is less abundant
(unpublished observation). In addition to the myc-tagged PERK
derivatives, a radiolabeled antigen migrating with an apparent
molecular mass of 105 kDa is present exclusively in immune complexes
isolated from cells transfected with
KD or KA myc-tagged PERK
derivatives and subsequently infected with HSV-1 (Fig.
4B). The 105-kDa protein
was not present in immune complexes isolated from mock-transfected
cells, nor was it detected in complexes prepared from cells transfected
with myc-tagged WT PERK. This likely reflects the global inhibition of
protein synthesis resulting from activation of myc-tagged WT PERK in
transfected cells prior to infection (Fig.
4B), preventing any
subsequent incorporation of 35S-labeled amino acids into
viral proteins.
![]() View larger version (18K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 4. Association
of a 105-kDa protein with PERK in HSV-1-infected cells. (A)
Illustration of myc-tagged protein derivatives and protocol for
detecting PERK-associated proteins in infected cells. All PERK
derivatives contain the myc epitope tag on their cytosolic side. WT is
wild-type PERK, KA has a single amino acid substitution at residue 618
within the cytosolic kinase domain and that is kinase negative, and
KD lacks the cytosolic kinase domain and fuses the luminal and
transmembrane segments directly to the myc tag. Following transfection
of myc-tagged PERK expression plasmids, 293 cells were infected with
HSV-1. At 8 hpi, cultures were radiolabeled with 35S-labeled
amino acids for 2 additional hours, and detergent lysates were
subjected to immunoprecipitation using an anti-myc monoclonal antibody.
After the immunoprecipitates were washed to remove unbound proteins,
immune complexes were fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and the bound proteins
were visualized by autoradiography. (B) Cultures transfected
with plasmids expressing the indicated myc-tagged PERK derivatives or
untransfected counterparts () were either
mock infected
or infected with HSV-1. Lysates were prepared and analyzed as described
above for panel A. The migration positions of the different myc-tagged
PERK derivatives are indicated to the right of the gel. The reduced
radiolabeling of the myc-tagged derivatives in infected cells reflects
the potent suppression of host protein synthesis in HSV-1-infected
cells. The mobility of the 105-kDa PERK-associated protein is indicated
with a question mark. The migration positions of molecular mass
standards (in kilodaltons) are indicated to the left of the gel. (C)
Vero cells were either mock infected (MOCK) or infected with an HSV-1
ICP6-deficient mutant (HSV-1 ICP6). Following a 2-h incubation
with 35S-labeled amino acids at 8 hpi, detergent lysates
were prepared and subjected to immunoprecipitation with either normal,
nonimmune rabbit sera (NI) or anti-PERK immune rabbit sera (I). Immune
complexes were fractionated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed as described above
for panel A. The migration positions of PERK and BiP in immune
complexes isolated from mock-infected cells are indicated to the left
of the gel. The migration of the 105-kDa PERK-associated protein in
immune complexes derived from HSV-1-infected cells is indicated with a
question mark to the right of the panel. The asterisk indicates a
nonspecific background band found in immune complexes isolated from
HSV-1-infected cells using both NI or I sera. The migration positions
of molecular mass standards (in kilodaltons) appear to the left of the
gel.
|
KD derivative suggests that the luminal domain
of PERK is required for this association, we focused our attention on
viral proteins known to reside within this subcellular
compartment.
The 105-kDa PERK-associated protein is a virus-encoded glycoprotein.
Proteins that are translocated into the
ER lumen are frequently glycosylated. To investigate whether the
PERK-associated protein found in HSV-1-infected cells was
glycosylated, its sensitivity to cleavage by endo H and PNGase
F was examined. While both of these enzymes cleave the high-mannose
sugars covalently attached to proteins in the ER lumen, fully mature
glycoproteins that have successfully moved through the Golgi apparatus
are resistant to endo H but remain sensitive to PNGase F. For a
control, we verified the specificity of these enzymes in HSV-1-infected
cells by evaluating the mobility of glycoprotein C following SDS-PAGE
and immunoblotting. Multiple bands representing immature and mature
glycosylated forms of glycoprotein C are clearly evident in
HSV-1-infected cells; however, only the immature high-mannose form is
sensitive to endo H cleavage, whereas both forms are sensitive to
PNGase F (Fig.
5A). ICP0, on the other hand, is not translocated into the ER and is
completely resistant to the action of both of these enzymes (Fig.
5A). Having verified the
specificity of endo H and PNGase F with these control experiments in
our system, the sensitivity of the 105-kDa PERK-associated protein to
these enzymes was subsequently evaluated. Figure
5B clearly shows that the
myc-tagged PERK derivative
KD and the 105-kDa PERK-associated
protein are sensitive to both endo H and PNGase F. Identical results
were obtained using the larger, myc-tagged KA derivative (data not
shown). Thus, the 105-kDa PERK-associated protein identified in
HSV-1-infected cells is glycosylated, containing the high-mannose form
of sugars characteristic of proteins resident within the lumen of the
ER.
![]() View larger version (49K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 5. Identification
of the 105-kDa PERK-associated protein as an HSV-1-encoded
glycoprotein. (A) Specificity of endoglycosidases for viral
glycoproteins. Detergent extracts from HSV-1-infected 293 cells were
prepared at 10 hpi and either mock treated () or digested with
endoglycosidase H (endoH) or PNGase F. At the conclusion of the
digestion period, lysates were fractionated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed by
immunoblotting using antisera specific for glycoprotein C or ICP0. The
different glycosylated forms of gC are indicated to the right of the
gel (un, unglycosylated; er, high-mannose form produced in the ER
lumen; ms, mature post-Golgi form sensitive to PNGase F; m, fully
mature glycosylated form). The migration positions of molecular mass
standards (in kilodaltons) are indicated to the left of the gel.
(B) 293 cells (untransfected [Un] or transfected with the
KD myc-tagged PERK expression plasmid) were infected with
HSV-1 at high MOI. Following a 2-h incubation with
35S-labeled amino acids at 8 hpi, detergent lysates were
prepared, immunoprecipitated with an anti-myc monoclonal antibody, and
analyzed by SDS-PAGE as described in the legend to Fig.
4. Prior to
electrophoresis, the immune complexes were incubated in the absence
() or presence (+) of the indicated endoglycosidase.
The migration positions of the immunoprecipitated proteins are
indicated to the right of the gel ( KD-AP, 105-kDa protein
associated with the myc-tagged KD-PERK). The migration
positions of molecular mass standards (in kilodaltons) appear to the
left of the gel. (C) Mock-infected or HSV-1-infected Vero
cells either treated or untreated with PAA were radiolabeled with
35S-labeled amino acids for 15 min at 15 hpi. Detergent
lysates were incubated with concanavalin A Sepharose, and after
extensive washing, the bound proteins were eluted and quantified by
counting in liquid scintillant. Results are expressed as the ratio of
proteins synthesized in untreated cells compared to PAA-treated cells.
(D) 293 cells (untransfected [Un] or transfected with the KA
myc-tagged PERK expression plasmid [KA]) were infected with HSV-1 in
the presence (+) or absence () of PAA. After
radiolabeling with 35S-labeled amino acids for 2 h
at 8 hpi, detergent lysates were prepared, immunoprecipitated with
anti-myc antibody, and analyzed as described in the legend to Fig.
4. The migration positions
of KA and the 105-kDa protein-associated protein are indicated by
arrowheads to the right of the gel. The migration positions of
molecular mass standards (in kilodaltons) appear to the left of the
gel. (E) 293 cells transfected with the KA myc-tagged PERK
derivative were mock infected (MOCK) or infected with a gH-deficient
mutant ( gH), a gB-deficient mutant ( gB), or wild-type
virus (WT). Following a 2-h incubation with 35S-labeled
amino acids at 8 hpi, detergent lysates were prepared,
immunoprecipitated with an anti-myc antibody, and analyzed as described
in the legend to Fig. 3.
The migration position of the 105-kDa glycoprotein B protein is
indicated to the right of the
gel.
|
A search of the
HSV-1 glycoprotein proteome for 105-kDa proteins suggested that the
myc-tagged PERK-associated protein might in fact be glycoprotein B. To
test this hypothesis, cells transfected with a myc-tagged KA PERK
expression plasmid were mock infected or infected with either WT HSV-1,
a glycoprotein B-deficient virus (
gB), or a glycoprotein
H-deficient virus (
gH) as a specificity control that produces
gB but is unable to synthesize a different virus-encoded glycoprotein
(gH) with a similar molecular weight. After radiolabeling with
35S-labeled amino acids, myc-tagged immune complexes were
isolated, and the proteins bound were fractionated by SDS-PAGE and
visualized by autoradiography. While the 105-kDa myc-tagged
PERK-associated protein is observed only in WT and
gH
virus-infected cells, it is not detected in mock-infected cells and in
cells infected with the gB-deficient virus,
gB (Fig.
5E). Thus, detection of
the 105-kDa myc-tagged PERK-associated protein present in
HSV-1-infected cells requires an intact gB gene, suggesting that the gB
gene product can physically associate with PERK in virus-infected
cells. In addition, the 105-kDa protein that coimmunoprecipitates with
myc-tagged PERK is immunoreactive with anti-gB antisera (data not
shown).
Regulation of viral protein accumulation by a genetic interaction between PERK and glycoprotein B.
A critical function of ER
stress sensors is to maintain ER homeostasis (reviewed in reference
14). This is achieved in
effect by evaluating the capacity of ER chaperones to fold client
proteins and adjusting protein accumulation accordingly. To determine
whether the physical association between gB and PERK has the functional
capability to regulate protein accumulation, viral polypeptide
abundance was evaluated in the presence and absence of PERK using
recombinant viruses either proficient or deficient in gB synthesis.
This required the construction of an HSV-1 strain lacking gB together
with both
134.5 genes, as the
134.5 gene product, through its interaction with
protein phosphatase 1
also regulates eIF-2
phosphorylation by multiple eIF-2
kinases, including PERK
(6). The use of a
134.5-deficient strain, combined with
PKR/ and PKR/
PERK/ deficient cells, affords us the
unique opportunity to directly evaluate whether gB and PERK contribute
to the accumulation of viral proteins in infected cells.
To
create an HSV-1 strain doubly deficient in both
134.5 and gB, we constructed a new bacterial
artificial chromosome derivative to overcome some of the growth
limitations imposed by the
134.5 deficiency and
simultaneously facilitate the isolation of a gB mutant. It has been
well established that
134.5 mutants replicate
poorly in a variety of established cell lines due to activation of PKR,
the accumulation of phosphorylated eIF-2
, and the resulting
inhibition of protein synthesis
(7). We therefore sought
to link the incorporation of BAC genetic elements with a compensatory
suppressor allele that substantially improves the replication capacity
of a
134.5-deficient virus. In this scheme, the BAC
mini-F cis elements required to ensure maintenance in bacteria
are present within a cassette that also directs the expression of the
Us11 gene from an immediate-early promoter (Fig.
6A). Normally, Us11 is expressed as a true-late gene and functions to
antagonize PKR. However, we have previously demonstrated that its
expression as an IE gene allows
34.5 mutants to replicate in
nonpermissive cells (29,
32). In addition,
replication of
34.5 mutants in restrictive cells can be used
as a powerful selection to enrich for desired
34.5
recombinants (28,
29). Thus, cells were
cotransfected with HSV-1 DNA (prepared from a
34.5
Us11 mutant strain) together with the
mini-F-IE Us11 expression plasmid (Fig.
6A). Once plaques
appeared, lysates were prepared by freeze-thawing, and
34.5
recombinants that expressed Us11 as an IE protein were enriched by
passage in nonpermissive U373 cells. After two cycles of enrichment,
viral DNA was isolated and introduced into E. coli,
and chloramphenicol-resistant colonies were isolated. BAC DNA prepared
from these isolates was subsequently transfected into permissive Vero
cells to prepare clonal viral stocks. This functionally established
that a bacterial DNA element could establish an infection when
introduced into a mammalian host cell (unpublished observation).
Southern analysis of viral DNA confirmed the proper integration of the
mini-F-IE US11 expression cassette into the Us-TRs locus for
all of the independent isolates analyzed (Fig.
6B). Moreover, examination
of the BamHI cleavage pattern of multiple BAC DNA isolates following
fractionation by agarose gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide
staining revealed that gross DNA rearrangements were not detectable
(data not shown). One of these isolates, B2 BAC, was chosen to be the
parent strain for all subsequent modifications. To introduce the gB
mutant allele into the
34.5 mutant BAC genetic background, a
kanamycin resistance cassette flanked by sequences within the gB gene
was introduced into bacteria that harbored the phage
red
recombination machinery
(9) together with the B2
BAC (Fig. 6C).
Kanr colonies were isolated, and the disruption of the gB
gene was verified by PCR (Fig.
6E). Insertion of the
Kanr element after the first nucleotide of the codon for
residue 43 disrupts the gB gene at a site identical to the
well-characterized KO82 mutation
(5). The KO82 allele
essentially does not produce any detectable gB protein
(5). As gB is essential
for virus growth in cultured cells
(5), BAC DNA was isolated
and transfected into gB-expressing Vero cells to prepare infectious
viral stocks which are effectively pseudotyped with gB. Analysis of
proteins produced in cells infected with the
34.5 gB-deficient
BAC-derived virus by immunoblotting established that the gB protein was
not detected (Fig.
6D).
![]() View larger version (21K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 6. Construction
of a 134.5 gB doubly deficient BAC. (A)
Map of the Us-TRs junction resulting from integration of the
mini-F-IE Us11 expression cassette. In addition to eliminating
much of the Us12 gene (deleted portion of open reading frame rectangle
shown as a broken line), which encodes an immunomodulatory protein and
is nonessential for growth in cultured cells, deletion of a 585-bp
sequence spanning the Us-TRs junction ( ) removes the late Us11
promoter (represented by a star subscript 11). This allows for the
expression of the Us11 protein from an immediate-early (IE) transcript
initiating from the Us12 promoter (represented by a star subscript 12).
The resulting deletion creates a suppressor allele that has been shown
to allow 134.5-deficient mutants to replicate in
nonpermissive cells (29,
32). Transcripts
initiating from the Us12 and Us10 promoters are polyadenylated at an
ectopic bovine growth hormone (BGH) poly(A+) site.
Mini-F cis elements required for propagation and maintenance
in bacteria, adjacent to a chloramphenicol resistance (Cmr)
gene for selection in bacteria, are shown inserted into Us10 coding
sequences. The endogenous Us9 polyadenylation site (Us9 Poly A) is
shown on the left. Select restriction enzyme cleavage sites, along with
the small fragment used for the Southern analysis, appear below the
diagram. (B) Multiple, independent isolates of BAC DNA were
prepared from bacteria and digested with AatII and RsrII. DNA were
subsequently fractionated by agarose gel electrophoresis, transferred
to nitrocellulose, and probed with a 32P-labeled 100-bp
fragment encompassing the 3' portion of the Us12 gene (Southern
probe depicted in panel A). After the filter was washed, it was exposed
to X-ray film. The migration positions of molecular size standards (in
kilobases) are shown to the left of the gel. The parental AatII-RsrII
fragment lacking the mini-F cassette runs at 1,956 bp (M. Mulvey and I.
Mohr, unpublished observation). (C) Illustration of the
targeted recombination procedure used to isolate a UL27 (glycoprotein
B)-deficient HSV-1 134.5 mutant BAC. A PCR fragment
containing the Kanr gene flanked by 42-bp sequences designed
to facilitate insertion in a homologous segment of the UL27 gene was
electroporated into bacteria containing the
134.5-deficient ( 34.5) B2 BAC. BAC DNA
from Kanr Cmr colonies was isolated and analyzed
by PCR using the indicated primers (a, b, c, and d). nt, nucleotides.
(D) The BAC-derived 34.5 gB-deficient recombinant
virus is unable to produce detectable gB.
PKR/ cells were mock infected (MOCK) or
infected (MOI of 1) with either a 134.5
gB-deficient virus ( gB) or its
134.5-deficient parent (WT gB). At 13 hpi, total
protein was isolated, fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and analyzed by
immunoblotting using antisera directed against gB. (E) In the
left panel, BAC DNA from the parental B2 BAC (B2) or the B2 BAC with a
disrupted UL27 (glycoprotein B) gene (B2-27K) was analyzed by PCR using
primers specific for a control, unrecombined genome region (UL10) or
primers specific for the UL27 gene. The migration positions of PCR
products are indicated by the arrowheads (UL10, control product from
unrearranged UL10 gene; 27, product from the wild-type UL27 gene; 27:K,
expected size of products from UL27 genes that contain the insertion of
a kanamycin resistance gene). The migration positions of molecular size
standards (lane M) (in kilobases) appear to the left of the gel. The
right panel is the same as the left panel, except that the primer pairs
illustrated in panel C were used. PCR products spanning the
UL27-Kanr junction were detected only in B2-27K BACs.
Arrowheads denote the migration of PCR products using primers a and c
or primers d and
b.
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were routinely detected in normal human
diploid fibroblasts or Vero cells infected with the HSV-1
34.5
derivatives irrespective of the gB allele (data not shown). However,
the abundance of phospho-eIF-2
was slightly elevated when
cells infected with a
34.5-gB-deficient virus were exposed to
ER stress (Fig.
7A). While this increase in phospho-eIF-2
was not sufficient to
completely inhibit protein synthesis (data not shown), we reasoned that
it might in fact impact upon viral polypeptide accumulation. To
evaluate how the eIF-2
kinase PERK might contribute to viral
protein abundance and to define a genetic interaction between gB and
PERK, the accumulation of viral proteins was compared in the presence
and absence of PERK using viruses proficient or deficient in gB. All
the cells utilized in this experiment were PKR deficient, and all the
viruses were
134.5 deficient to rule out any
possible involvement of a virus eIF-2
-phosphatase component or
the cellular eIF-2
kinase PKR. Cells
(PKR/ PERK+/+
or PKR/PERK/)
were infected with an HSV-1
34.5 derivative containing a WT gB
or
gB gene. At 13 h postinfection, total protein was
isolated, fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and analyzed by immunoblotting with
the indicated antisera (Fig.
7B). In all cases, three
representative viral proteins (ICP0, thymidine kinase, and glycoprotein
C) accumulated to equivalent levels regardless of the gB allele in
PERK-deficient cells. Strikingly, in PERK+/+
cells, the overall accumulation of representative viral proteins was
reduced between 2- and 2.5-fold in the absence of gB. Thus, the
accumulation of wild-type levels of viral polypeptides in
PERK+/+ cells requires gB; in addition, the
gB dependence for protein accumulation is obviated in PERK-deficient
cells. This establishes a genetic interaction between PERK and the gB
gene product which regulates viral protein accumulation and ER
homeostasis in infected cells. However, we were unable to prevent PERK
activation by ectopically expressing gB in transiently transfected
cells (unpublished observation). Thus, whereas gB may not be sufficient
to suppress PERK activation in uninfected cells, its effects on protein
accumulation likely requires additional virus-encoded or virus-induced
components present in infected
cells.
![]() View larger version (16K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 7. Regulation
of HSV-1 protein accumulation by gB in a PERK-dependent manner.
(A) Normal human diploid fibroblasts were infected (MOI of 5)
with either a 134.5 gB-deficient virus
( gB) or its 134.5-deficient parent (WT
gB). At 16 hpi, cultures were treated with Tg (+), and total
protein was subsequently isolated. Polypeptides were fractionated by
SDS-PAGE and analyzed by immunoblotting with antibodies directed
against phosphorylated eIF-2 (eIF2 -P) or total
eIF-2 . Extracts from mock-infected (MOCK) cells treated
(+) or untreated () with Tg are shown for comparison.
The asterisk to the right of the top gel denotes a nonspecific band
detected in some preparations that migrates faster than
phospho-eIF-2 does. The migration positions of molecular mass
markers (in kilodaltons) are shown to the left of the gel.
(B) Cells (PERK+/+
PKR/ or PERK/
PKR/) were mock infected (MOCK) or
infected (MOI of 1) with either a 134.5
gB-deficient virus ( gB) or its
134.5-deficient parent (WT gB). At 13 hpi, total
protein was isolated, fractionated by SDS-PAGE, and analyzed by
immunoblotting using antisera directed against the indicated viral
proteins (ICP0, thymidine kinase [tk], or gC). The abundance of the
cellular translation initiation factor eIF4E serves as a
control.
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phosphorylation
(reviewed in reference
23). Indeed, failure to
do so would severely compromise their virulence. Of the four known
eIF-2
kinases, the role of the interferon-induced,
dsRNA-dependent eIF-2
kinase PKR in virus-infected cells has
received the most scrutiny (reviewed in reference
26). Much less attention,
however, has been directed at how other eIF-2
kinases, such as
PERK, react to the stresses generated during viral infection. Recently,
we established that HSV-1 encodes yet another function, distinct from
those required to counteract PKR, to allow continued translation in the
presence of acute ER stress
(30). Herein, we show
that PERK not only remains inactive upon HSV-1 infection but also is
dramatically resistant to activation by acute ER stress compared with
IRE1. Resistance of PERK to activation by ER stress in HSV-1-infected
cells requires the luminal domain of PERK. Strikingly, we specifically
find glycoprotein B associated with the luminal domain of PERK in
virus-infected cells. Moreover, we identify a genetic interaction
between PERK and gB that regulates viral protein accumulation in
infected cells, delineating a new strategy whereby viruses regulate ER
homeostasis.
Although PERK remains resistant to activation by
acute ER stress in HSV-1-infected cells, this does not reflect a global
attenuation of all ER stress sensors. Indeed, IRE1 activation, as
evidenced by the processing of XBP mRNA is easily detected when
infected cells are exposed to ER stress. This selective modulation of
the UPR is similar to what has been reported in HCMV-infected cells
(20). This preserves the
beneficial responses, such as the transcriptional induction of stress
response genes mediated by XBP-1, but curtails the potentially
deleterious ones, such as the accumulation of phosphorylated
eIF-2
and the global inhibition of translation. While this
comparison is theoretically appealing, its potential relevance in
HSV-1-infected cells is uncertain, as the inhibition of host mRNA
translation might blunt the synthesis of XBP-1-induced gene products,
which include ER chaperones. It is, however, certainly more likely to
occur in HCMV-infected cells where host mRNA translation is not
significantly impaired
(48,
52).
While the ER lumen provides an environment for secreted proteins to fold, it clearly has a finite capacity to deal with client proteins at a given moment in time. Any physiological or pharmacological insult that perturbs this capacity has the potential to trigger the UPR, which is activated when the ER client protein load exceeds the folding capacity of chaperones (reviewed in reference 14). Physiological sources of ER stress disturb the homeostasis between chaperones and client proteins and therefore reflect a state of chaperone insufficiency (14). Indeed, as the UPR stress sensors PERK and IRE1 remain inactive in HSV-1-infected cells, the virus is clearly able to maintain homeostasis within the ER. This is somewhat surprising, given the acute demands the virus places on the ER, including the accumulation of cellular MHC class I molecules and a wide variety of abundant virus-specified glycoproteins (reviewed in references 42 and 47). While it is unlikely that HSV-1 glycoproteins fold independently of cellular chaperones, as they have been found physically associated with calnexin along with calreticulin (54), perhaps they can achieve their final conformation even when chaperone concentrations become somewhat limiting. Although we are unable to completely rule this out, another attractive alternative is that the virus uses a variety of independent mechanisms to maintain ER homeostasis and chaperone sufficiency. Indeed, both HCMV and HSV-1 go to great lengths to ensure that MHC class I molecules bereft of their peptide ligand are promptly dislocated from the ER and destroyed (18, 53). In a similar fashion, the rapid, global inhibition of host gene expression profoundly limits the load of cellular proteins entering the ER early in the HSV-1 life cycle. This requires the concerted action of multiple, independent viral gene products which reduce host mRNA transcription, inhibit mRNA splicing, and destabilize host mRNA (27). As host cell shutoff occurs very early in the viral life cycle, it is likely that this event is responsible for the initial resistance of HSV-1-infected cells to acute ER stress (30). Eliminating the cellular ER clientele early on in the viral developmental program together with the relatively light burden of viral clients produced early in the productive growth cycle (as shown in Fig. 5C) thus contributes to ER homeostasis by promoting a state of chaperone sufficiency.
The
contribution of an initial reduction in ER client proteins through a
complex host shutoff mechanism along with the relatively light
virus-imposed client load early in the life cycle, however, does not in
any way ensure that chaperone sufficiency will be maintained and viral
protein synthesis sustained for the duration of the productive growth
cycle. This requires other functions, specified by the viral GADD34
homolog,
134.5, together with the PERK-associated
viral glycoprotein gB. Whereas viral protein accumulation is unaffected
in PERK/ cells infected with a
134.5 gB-deficient virus, HSV-1 proteins accumulate
to reduced levels in PERK+/+ cells.
Strikingly, this parallels what is observed following exposure of
uninfected GADD34-deficient cells to ER stress. Since these cells are
unable to induce a functional phosphatase to dephosphorylate
eIF-2
in response to PERK activation, they simply preserve ER
homeostasis by producing less protein
(25,
37). Nevertheless,
134.5 gB-deficient viruses are still able to
maintain some degree of ER homeostasis in
PERK+/+ cells. While their ability to impair
host protein synthesis likely contributes to an initial, early state of
chaperone sufficiency, it does not rule out the existence of additional
mechanisms designed to posttranslationally and/or cotranslationally
extract proteins from the ER, the latter of which involves the
cytosolic cochaperone P58IPK
(3,
12,
38).
The resistance
of PERK to activation by ER stress in HSV-1-infected cells requires the
luminal domain of PERK. Significantly, this same luminal domain of PERK
physically associates with glycoprotein B. Furthermore, PERK regulates
viral polypeptide accumulation in a gB-dependent manner. On the basis
of these physical and genetic interactions, we suggest that gB binding
to PERK modifies the kinase, making it more resistant to activation by
ER stress, should it arise in virus-infected cells. Whereas other viral
functions have been reported to counteract activated PERK, all of them
are in fact broad-spectrum eIF-2
kinase inhibitors, such as
the eIF-2
pseudosubstrates exemplified by vaccinia virus K3L
(46) along with HCV E2
(39) and HSV-1
134.5 phosphatase component
(6). Moreover, while the
HCV E2 glycoprotein interacts with the cytosolic PERK kinase domain, gB
represents the first example of a viral glycoprotein that specifically
targets the luminal domain of PERK. As the luminal domains of PERK
together with IRE1 are related and interchangeable
(2,
15), it is likely that
both sense unfolded proteins in the ER by a similar mechanism involving
oligomer formation among their respective luminal domains. Recent
structural data demonstrates that IRE1 luminal domain dimers generate a
groove similar to the peptide-binding domain found in major
histocompatibility complexes important for recognizing unfolded
proteins (8). Remarkably,
gB contains an MHC class II invariant chain homologous sequence that
reportedly binds in the peptide-binding groove of HLA-DR molecules to
disrupt the MHC class II processing pathway in infected cells
(35,
45). Perhaps by
interacting with the PERK luminal domain, a similar segment of gB
lodges within the MHC-related fold responsible for sensing unfolded
proteins and interferes with its ability to perceive ER stress in
infected cells.
Targeting the ER stress sensor PERK in
conjunction with the PP1
phosphatase catalytic component
potentially allows the pathway to be tightly controlled at restriction
points both upstream and downstream of the eIF-2
phosphorylation event. In the event that ER burden is not sufficiently
reduced by early acting viral host shutoff functions, or gB is unable
to effectively complex all of the PERK luminal domains, the
134.5-protein phosphatase 1 holoenzyme lies ready
to counterbalance any activated PERK should the need arise. The
coordinate operation of these multiple overlapping pathways allows the
infected cell to adapt and respond to ER stress-inducing stimuli (Fig.
8). A strikingly similar paradigm operates
to control eIF-2
phosphorylation directed by PKR. Here, the
Us11 gene product physically interacts with PKR and prevents its
activation in response to either dsRNA or PACT protein ligands
(41,
43). Once again, the
upstream kinase-specific antagonist works in conjunction with the
134.5 phosphatase component to achieve
extraordinarily tight control over eIF-2
phosphorylation
(31,
33). Indeed, the diverse
strategies employed by HSV-1 to maintain proper supplies of active
eIF-2 at all costs reflects its importance in the proper production of
viral proteins and pathogenesis. Conceivably, this may lead to the
discovery of yet other viral functions dedicated to controlling the
impact of the two remaining eIF-2
kinases present in mammalian
hosts
(1).
![]() View larger version (16K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 8. Multiple
HSV-1-specified functions interact with host eIF-2 kinases to
regulate viral protein accumulation. The four known mammalian kinases,
PKR, PERK, GCN2, and HRI, capable of phosphorylating eIF-2
(eIF-2 -P) are shown along with their respective activating
stimuli. The HSV-1 134.5 protein is a
GADD-4-related polypeptide that binds to PP1 to maintain
adequate supplies of phosphorylated, active eIF-2 . By virtue
of acting downstream of eIF-2 phosphorylation, it has the
potential to counteract many eIF-2 kinases. Us11 is a
PKR-specific antagonist that physically associates with PKR to prevent
its activation by dsRNA and PACT. It also physically associates with
dsRNA and PACT. The powerful impairment of host gene expression in
HSV-1-infected cells results from the combined action of virion
components together with immediate-early genes (collectively termed
HSV-1 host shutoff functions). This eliminates the majority of cellular
ER clients, and combined with the limited load of viral ER clients
early in the productive life cycle, ensures chaperone sufficiency and
thereby does not produce ER stress. As most viral glycoprotein
production ramps up later in the life cycle, glycoprotein B physically
associates with PERK to regulate viral protein accumulation in a
PERK-dependent manner, thereby maintaining ER homeostasis. Hypothetical
functions targeting the remaining eIF-2 kinases GCN2 and HRI
are indicated by a question mark
(?).
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This work was supported by grants from the NIH and the Irma T. Hirschl Charitable Trust to I.M.
Published ahead of print on 17 January 2007. ![]()
Present
address: Sequella, Inc., 9610 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD
20850. ![]()
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dephosphorylation by the
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and
premature shutoff of protein synthesis after infection with
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134.5 protein of herpes simplex virus 1 complexes
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phosphorylation by different functions that
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kinase PERK. J. Virol.
77:3578-3585.This article has been cited by other articles:
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