Like the majority of host cell mRNAs, the mRNAs of influenza virus are capped and polyadenylated. The NS1 protein of influenza has been implicated as a translational activator for both influenza and reporter gene mRNAs. Data is presented showing that influenza A virus infection resulted in an increased ratio of cap-dependent to cap-independent translation. This ratio increase was largely due to an increase in cap-dependent translation. These experiments employed a bicistronic reporter construct measuring cap-dependent and cap-independent translation in a single sample. Expression of NS1 alone resulted in a small, but reproducible increase in the ratio of cap-dependent to cap-independent translation. Additionally, with use of an NS1 deleted mutant influenza A virus (delNS1) it is shown that infection without NS1 expression produced less of a translation ratio increase compared to wild-type virus infection. Furthermore, expression of NS1 rescued a more wild-type ratio increase in delNS1 infected Vero cells. These results implicate NS1 as playing a role in increasing the ratio of cap-dependent to cap-independent translation in influenza A virus infected cells. Additionally, eIF4E-binding protein-1 (4E-BP1), a member of the protein family that inhibits cap-dependent translation through their inhibition of the cap-binding protein, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), is shown to be inactivated throughout the majority of the influenza A virus infection process.

The PIM family kinases promote growth and survival of tumor cells and are expressed in a wide variety of human cancers. Their potential as therapeutic targets, however, is complicated by overlapping activities with multiple other pathways and remains poorly defined in most clinical scenarios. Here we explore activity of the new pan-PIM inhibitor PIM447 in a variety of lymphoid-derived tumors. We find strong activity in cell lines derived from the activated B-cell subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL). Sensitive lines show lost activation of the mTORC1 signaling complex and subsequent lost activation of cap-dependent protein translation. In addition, we characterize recurrent PIM1 protein-coding mutations found in DLBCL clinical samples and find most preserve the wild-type protein's ability to protect cells from apoptosis but do not bypass activity of PIM447. Pan-PIM inhibition therefore may have an important role to play in the therapy of selected ABC-DLBCL cases.

Mammalian oocyte is a highly differentiated cell which gives rise to an embryo after fertilization. Importantly, fully-grown oocytes become transcriptionally inactive at the end of the growth phase. During following stages of development, i. e. meiotic maturation of the oocyte and early embryonic development, only transcripts previously synthesized and stored are used. The tight correlation between mRNA distribution and subsequent protein localization and function provides a mechanism of spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression used by various cell types. However, not much is known about mRNA localization and translation in the mammalian oocyte and early embryo. The aim of my thesis was to determine the localization of transcripts and components of translational machinery in the mammalian oocyte and embryo and to uncover the mechanisms of spatiotemporal regulation of translation as a prerequisite for correct oocyte and embryo development. We have shown that nuclei of both mouse and human oocytes contain RNA molecules and RNA binding proteins. Following the nuclear envelope breakdown (NEBD), translational hot-spots occur in the area surrounding the nuclear region. We suppose that mRNAs previously retained in the nucleus are released to the cytoplasm during NEBD and their subsequent...

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E1 (eIF4E1) plays a pivotal role in the control of cap-dependent translation initiation, occurs in P- bodies and is important for the formation of stress granules (SG). Human cells encompass two other non-canonical translation initiation factors capable of cap binding although with a lower affinity for the cap: eIF4E2 and eIF4E3. Here, I investigated the ability of individual eIF4E family members and their variants to localize to SGs and P-bodies in stress-free, arsenite and heat shock conditions. Under all tested conditions, both eIF4E1 and eIF4E2 proteins and all their variants localized to P-bodies unlike eIF4E3 protein variants. Under both arsenite and heat stress conditions all tested variants of eIF4E1 and the variant eIF4E3-A localized to SGs albeit with different abilities. Protein eIF4E2 and all its investigated variants localized specifically to a major part of heat stress-induced stress granules. Further analysis showed that approximately 75% of heat stress-induced stress granules contain all three eIF4Es, while in 25% of them eIF4E2 is missing. Large ribosomal subunit protein L22 was found specifically enriched in arsenite induced SGs. Heat stress-induced re- localization of several proteins typical for P-bodies such as eIF4E2, DCP-1, AGO-2...