Skip to main content
PMC home page
Molecular and Cellular Biology logoLink to Molecular and Cellular Biology
. 1987 Dec;7(12):4357–4368. doi: 10.1128/mcb.7.12.4357

Posttranscriptional regulation of hsp70 expression in human cells: effects of heat shock, inhibition of protein synthesis, and adenovirus infection on translation and mRNA stability.

N G Theodorakis 1, R I Morimoto 1
PMCID: PMC368119  PMID: 3437893

Abstract

We have examined the posttranscriptional regulation of hsp70 gene expression in two human cell lines, HeLa and 293 cells, which constitutively express high levels of HSP70. HSP70 mRNA translates with high efficiency in both control and heat-shocked cells. Therefore, heat shock is not required for the efficient translation of HSP70 mRNA. Rather, the main effect of heat shock on translation is to suppress the translatability of non-heat shock mRNAs. Heat shock, however, has a marked effect on the stability of HSP70 mRNA; in non-heat-shocked cells the half-life of HSP70 mRNA is approximately 50 min, and its stability increases at least 10-fold upon heat shock. Moreover, HSP70 mRNA is more stable in cells treated with protein synthesis inhibitors, suggesting that a heat shock-sensitive labile protein regulates its turnover. An additional effect on posttranscriptional regulation of hsp70 expression can be found in adenovirus-infected cells, in which HSP70 mRNA levels decline precipititously late during infection although hsp70 transcription continues unabated.

Full text

PDF
4365

Images in this article

4359Image
on p.4359
4360Image
on p.4360
4362Image
on p.4362
4363Image
on p.4363
4364Image
on p.4364
4364Image
on p.4364
4365Image
on p.4365
4365Image
on p.4365
4365Image
on p.4365

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Babich A., Feldman L. T., Nevins J. R., Darnell J. E., Jr, Weinberger C. Effect of adenovirus on metabolism of specific host mRNAs: transport control and specific translational discrimination. Mol Cell Biol. 1983 Jul;3(7):1212–1221. doi: 10.1128/mcb.3.7.1212. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Babiss L. E., Ginsberg H. S., Darnell J. E., Jr Adenovirus E1B proteins are required for accumulation of late viral mRNA and for effects on cellular mRNA translation and transport. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Oct;5(10):2552–2558. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.10.2552. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ballinger D. G., Pardue M. L. The control of protein synthesis during heat shock in Drosophila cells involves altered polypeptide elongation rates. Cell. 1983 May;33(1):103–113. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90339-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Banerji S. S., Berg L., Morimoto R. I. Transcription and post-transcriptional regulation of avian HSP70 gene expression. J Biol Chem. 1986 Nov 25;261(33):15740–15745. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Banerji S. S., Theodorakis N. G., Morimoto R. I. Heat shock-induced translational control of HSP70 and globin synthesis in chicken reticulocytes. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Nov;4(11):2437–2448. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.11.2437. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Bello L. J., Ginsberg H. S. Inhibition of host protein synthesis in type 5 adenovirus-infected cells. J Virol. 1967 Oct;1(5):843–850. doi: 10.1128/jvi.1.5.843-850.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Beltz G. A., Flint S. J. Inhibition of HeLa cell protein synthesis during adenovirus infection. Restriction of cellular messenger RNA sequences to the nucleus. J Mol Biol. 1979 Jun 25;131(2):353–373. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(79)90081-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Benecke B. J., Ben-Ze'ev A., Penman S. The control of mRNA production, translation and turnover in suspended and reattached anchorage-dependent fibroblasts. Cell. 1978 Aug;14(4):931–939. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(78)90347-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Bensaude O., Babinet C., Morange M., Jacob F. Heat shock proteins, first major products of zygotic gene activity in mouse embryo. Nature. 1983 Sep 22;305(5932):331–333. doi: 10.1038/305331a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Bensaude O., Morange M. Spontaneous high expression of heat-shock proteins in mouse embryonal carcinoma cells and ectoderm from day 8 mouse embryo. EMBO J. 1983;2(2):173–177. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1983.tb01401.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Berk A. J., Sharp P. A. Spliced early mRNAs of simian virus 40. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Mar;75(3):1274–1278. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.3.1274. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Bhat R. A., Domer P. H., Thimmappaya B. Structural requirements of adenovirus VAI RNA for its translation enhancement function. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Jan;5(1):187–196. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.1.187. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Bond U., Schlesinger M. J. The chicken ubiquitin gene contains a heat shock promoter and expresses an unstable mRNA in heat-shocked cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Dec;6(12):4602–4610. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.12.4602. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Bonner J. J., Parks C., Parker-Thornburg J., Mortin M. A., Pelham H. R. The use of promoter fusions in Drosophila genetics: isolation of mutations affecting the heat shock response. Cell. 1984 Jul;37(3):979–991. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90432-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Bonner W. M., Laskey R. A. A film detection method for tritium-labelled proteins and nucleic acids in polyacrylamide gels. Eur J Biochem. 1974 Jul 1;46(1):83–88. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1974.tb03599.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Cato A. C., Sillar G. M., Kioussis J., Burdon R. H. Molecular cloning of cDNA sequences coding for the major (beta-, gamma-, delta- and epsilon-) heat-shock polypeptides of HeLa cells. Gene. 1981 Dec;16(1-3):27–34. doi: 10.1016/0378-1119(81)90058-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Craig E. A. The heat shock response. CRC Crit Rev Biochem. 1985;18(3):239–280. doi: 10.3109/10409238509085135. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Dani C., Blanchard J. M., Piechaczyk M., El Sabouty S., Marty L., Jeanteur P. Extreme instability of myc mRNA in normal and transformed human cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Nov;81(22):7046–7050. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.22.7046. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. DeLisle A. J., Graves R. A., Marzluff W. F., Johnson L. F. Regulation of histone mRNA production and stability in serum-stimulated mouse 3T6 fibroblasts. Mol Cell Biol. 1983 Nov;3(11):1920–1929. doi: 10.1128/mcb.3.11.1920. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. DiDomenico B. J., Bugaisky G. E., Lindquist S. Heat shock and recovery are mediated by different translational mechanisms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Oct;79(20):6181–6185. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.20.6181. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. DiDomenico B. J., Bugaisky G. E., Lindquist S. The heat shock response is self-regulated at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Cell. 1982 Dec;31(3 Pt 2):593–603. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90315-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Farrell-Towt J., Sanders M. M. Noncoordinate histone synthesis in heat-shocked Drosophila cells is regulated at multiple levels. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Dec;4(12):2676–2685. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.12.2676. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Findly R. C., Pederson T. Regulated transcription of the genes for actin and heat-shock proteins in cultured Drosophila cells. J Cell Biol. 1981 Feb;88(2):323–328. doi: 10.1083/jcb.88.2.323. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Fodor E. J., Doty P. Highly specific transcription of globin sequences in isolated reticulocyte nuclei. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1977 Aug 22;77(4):1478–1485. doi: 10.1016/s0006-291x(77)80145-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Graham F. L., Smiley J., Russell W. C., Nairn R. Characteristics of a human cell line transformed by DNA from human adenovirus type 5. J Gen Virol. 1977 Jul;36(1):59–74. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-36-1-59. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Greenberg J. R. High stability of messenger RNA in growing cultured cells. Nature. 1972 Nov 10;240(5376):102–104. doi: 10.1038/240102a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Gunning P., Ponte P., Okayama H., Engel J., Blau H., Kedes L. Isolation and characterization of full-length cDNA clones for human alpha-, beta-, and gamma-actin mRNAs: skeletal but not cytoplasmic actins have an amino-terminal cysteine that is subsequently removed. Mol Cell Biol. 1983 May;3(5):787–795. doi: 10.1128/mcb.3.5.787. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Harrison G. S., Drabkin H. A., Kao F. T., Hartz J., Hart I. M., Chu E. H., Wu B. J., Morimoto R. I. Chromosomal location of human genes encoding major heat-shock protein HSP70. Somat Cell Mol Genet. 1987 Mar;13(2):119–130. doi: 10.1007/BF01534692. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Heintz N., Sive H. L., Roeder R. G. Regulation of human histone gene expression: kinetics of accumulation and changes in the rate of synthesis and in the half-lives of individual histone mRNAs during the HeLa cell cycle. Mol Cell Biol. 1983 Apr;3(4):539–550. doi: 10.1128/mcb.3.4.539. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Hickey E. D., Weber L. A. Modulation of heat-shock polypeptide synthesis in HeLa cells during hyperthermia and recovery. Biochemistry. 1982 Mar 30;21(7):1513–1521. doi: 10.1021/bi00536a008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Hightower L. E. Cultured animal cells exposed to amino acid analogues or puromycin rapidly synthesize several polypeptides. J Cell Physiol. 1980 Mar;102(3):407–427. doi: 10.1002/jcp.1041020315. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Hultmark D., Klemenz R., Gehring W. J. Translational and transcriptional control elements in the untranslated leader of the heat-shock gene hsp22. Cell. 1986 Feb 14;44(3):429–438. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(86)90464-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Hunt C., Morimoto R. I. Conserved features of eukaryotic hsp70 genes revealed by comparison with the nucleotide sequence of human hsp70. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Oct;82(19):6455–6459. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.19.6455. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Kao H. T., Nevins J. R. Transcriptional activation and subsequent control of the human heat shock gene during adenovirus infection. Mol Cell Biol. 1983 Nov;3(11):2058–2065. doi: 10.1128/mcb.3.11.2058. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Kirk M. M., Kirk D. L. Translational regulation of protein synthesis, in response to light, at a critical stage of Volvox development. Cell. 1985 Jun;41(2):419–428. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(85)80015-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Krawczyk Z., Wu C. Isolation of RNA for dot hybridization by heparin-DNase I treatment of whole cell lysate. Anal Biochem. 1987 Aug 15;165(1):20–27. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(87)90195-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Krüger C., Benecke B. J. In vitro translation of Drosophila heat-shock and non--heat-shock mRNAs in heterologous and homologous cell-free systems. Cell. 1981 Feb;23(2):595–603. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90155-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Lindquist S. Regulation of protein synthesis during heat shock. Nature. 1981 Sep 24;293(5830):311–314. doi: 10.1038/293311a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Lindquist S. The heat-shock response. Annu Rev Biochem. 1986;55:1151–1191. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.55.070186.005443. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Lindquist S. Translational efficiency of heat-induced messages in Drosophila melanogaster cells. J Mol Biol. 1980 Feb 25;137(2):151–158. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(80)90322-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Linial M., Gunderson N., Groudine M. Enhanced transcription of c-myc in bursal lymphoma cells requires continuous protein synthesis. Science. 1985 Dec 6;230(4730):1126–1132. doi: 10.1126/science.2999973. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. McGarry T. J., Lindquist S. The preferential translation of Drosophila hsp70 mRNA requires sequences in the untranslated leader. Cell. 1985 Oct;42(3):903–911. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(85)90286-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  44. McKenzie S. L., Meselson M. Translation in vitro of Drosophila heat-shock messages. J Mol Biol. 1977 Nov 25;117(1):279–283. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(77)90035-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. McMaster G. K., Carmichael G. G. Analysis of single- and double-stranded nucleic acids on polyacrylamide and agarose gels by using glyoxal and acridine orange. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Nov;74(11):4835–4838. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.11.4835. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  46. Milarski K. L., Morimoto R. I. Expression of human HSP70 during the synthetic phase of the cell cycle. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Dec;83(24):9517–9521. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.24.9517. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  47. Nevins J. R. Induction of the synthesis of a 70,000 dalton mammalian heat shock protein by the adenovirus E1A gene product. Cell. 1982 Jul;29(3):913–919. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90453-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  48. Pelham H. R., Jackson R. J. An efficient mRNA-dependent translation system from reticulocyte lysates. Eur J Biochem. 1976 Aug 1;67(1):247–256. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1976.tb10656.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  49. Pilder S., Moore M., Logan J., Shenk T. The adenovirus E1B-55K transforming polypeptide modulates transport or cytoplasmic stabilization of viral and host cell mRNAs. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Feb;6(2):470–476. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.2.470. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  50. Raj N. B., Pitha P. M. Analysis of interferon mRNA in human fibroblast cells induced to produce interferon. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Dec;78(12):7426–7430. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.12.7426. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  51. Scott M. P., Pardue M. L. Translational control in lysates of Drosophila melanogaster cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Jun;78(6):3353–3357. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.6.3353. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  52. Shaw G., Kamen R. A conserved AU sequence from the 3' untranslated region of GM-CSF mRNA mediates selective mRNA degradation. Cell. 1986 Aug 29;46(5):659–667. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(86)90341-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  53. Simcox A. A., Cheney C. M., Hoffman E. P., Shearn A. A deletion of the 3' end of the Drosophila melanogaster hsp70 gene increases stability of mutant mRNA during recovery from heat shock. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Dec;5(12):3397–3402. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.12.3397. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  54. Singh M. K., Yu J. Accumulation of a heat shock-like protein during differentiation of human erythroid cell line K562. Nature. 1984 Jun 14;309(5969):631–633. doi: 10.1038/309631a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  55. Sive H. L., Heintz N., Roeder R. G. Regulation of human histone gene expression during the HeLa cell cycle requires protein synthesis. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Dec;4(12):2723–2734. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.12.2723. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  56. Stimac E., Groppi V. E., Jr, Coffino P. Inhibition of protein synthesis stabilizes histone mRNA. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Oct;4(10):2082–2090. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.10.2082. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  57. Storti R. V., Scott M. P., Rich A., Pardue M. L. Translational control of protein synthesis in response to heat shock in D. melanogaster cells. Cell. 1980 Dec;22(3):825–834. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90559-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  58. Thomas G. P., Mathews M. B. Alterations of transcription and translation in HeLa cells exposed to amino acid analogs. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Jun;4(6):1063–1072. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.6.1063. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  59. Thomas P. S. Hybridization of denatured RNA and small DNA fragments transferred to nitrocellulose. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Sep;77(9):5201–5205. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.9.5201. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  60. Voellmy R., Ahmed A., Schiller P., Bromley P., Rungger D. Isolation and functional analysis of a human 70,000-dalton heat shock protein gene segment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Aug;82(15):4949–4953. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.15.4949. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  61. Weeks D. L., Jones N. C. E1A control of gene expression is mediated by sequences 5' to the transcriptional starts of the early viral genes. Mol Cell Biol. 1983 Jul;3(7):1222–1234. doi: 10.1128/mcb.3.7.1222. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  62. White C. N., Hightower L. E. Stress mRNA metabolism in canavanine-treated chicken embryo cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Aug;4(8):1534–1541. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.8.1534. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  63. Wu B. J., Hurst H. C., Jones N. C., Morimoto R. I. The E1A 13S product of adenovirus 5 activates transcription of the cellular human HSP70 gene. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Aug;6(8):2994–2999. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.8.2994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  64. Wu B. J., Morimoto R. I. Transcription of the human hsp70 gene is induced by serum stimulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Sep;82(18):6070–6074. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.18.6070. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  65. Wu B., Hunt C., Morimoto R. Structure and expression of the human gene encoding major heat shock protein HSP70. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Feb;5(2):330–341. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.2.330. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  66. Yost H. J., Lindquist S. RNA splicing is interrupted by heat shock and is rescued by heat shock protein synthesis. Cell. 1986 Apr 25;45(2):185–193. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(86)90382-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  67. de Benedetti A., Baglioni C. Translational regulation of the synthesis of a major heat shock protein in HeLa cells. J Biol Chem. 1986 Nov 25;261(33):15800–15804. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Molecular and Cellular Biology are provided here courtesy of Taylor & Francis

RESOURCES