Phosphorylation of initiation factor eIF2 in response to stress conditions is mediated by acidic ribosomal P1/P2 proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Eukaryotic cells contain an unusually large cytoplasmic pool of P1/P2 phosphoproteins, which form the highly flexible 60S subunit stalk that is required to interact with and activate soluble translation factors. In cells, cytoplasmic P1/P2 proteins are exchanged for ribosome-bound proteins in a process that can modulate ribosome function and translation. Here, we analysed different S. cerevisiae stalk mutants grown under stress conditions that result in eIF2α phosphorylation. These mutants either lack a cytoplasmic pool of stalk proteins or contain free but not ribosome-bound proteins. Only cells that contain free P1/P2 proteins induce eIF2 phosphorylation in vivo in response to glucose starvation or osmotic stress. Moreover, we show that free S. cerevisiae P1/P2 proteins can induce in vitro phosphorylation of the initiation factor eIF2 by stimulating the autophosphorylation and activation of GCN2 kinase. Indeed, these ribosomal proteins do not stimulate other eIF2α kinases, such as PKR and HRI. P1/P2 and the known GCN2 activator deacylated tRNA compete for stimulating the eIF2α kinase activity of GCN2, although the P1/P2 proteins are considerably more active. These findings reveal a capacity of free cytoplasmic ribosomal stalk components to stimulate eIF2α phosphorylation, which in turn would modulate translation in response to specific forms of stress that may be linked with the previously described regulatory function of the ribosomal stalk.

P1 and P2 protein heterodimer binding to the P0 protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is relatively non-specific and a source of ribosomal heterogeneity.

The ribosomal stalk is formed by four acidic phosphoproteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, P1α, P1ß, P2α and P2ß, which form two heterodimers, P1α/P2ß and P1ß/P2α, that preferentially bind to sites A and B of the P0 protein, respectively. Using mutant strains carrying only one of the four possible P1/P2 combinations, we found a specific phenotype associated to each P1/P2 pair, indicating that not all acidic P proteins play the same role. The absence of one P1/P2 heterodimer reduced the rate of cell growth by varying degrees, depending on the proteins missing. Synthesis of the 60S ribosomal subunit also decreased, particularly in strains carrying the unusual P1α-P2α or P1ß-P2ß heterodimers, although the distinct P1/P2 dimers are bound with similar affinity to the mutant ribosome. While in wild-type strains the B site bound P1ß/P2α in a highly specific manner and the A site bound the four P proteins similarly, both the A and B binding sites efficiently bound practically any P1/P2 pair in mutant strains expressing truncated P0 proteins. The reported results support that while most ribosomes contain a P1α/P2ß-P0-P1ß/P2α structure in normal conditions, the stalk assembly mechanism can generate alternative compositions, which have been previously detected in the cell.

Two new 24-isopropenyl-lanostanoids from Tillandsia brachycaulos.

The leaves of Tillandsia brachycaulos afforded two novel tetracyclic triterpenoids identified as (24S)-24-isopropenyl-29-nor-5alpha-lanosta-7-en-3beta-ol (1) and (24S)-24-isopropenyl-29-nor-5alpha-lanosta-7-en-3-one (2), in addition to the known isopimaric acid (3) and chlorogenic acid (4). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis, including homo- and heteronuclear correlation NMR experiments (COSY, ROESY, HMQC and HMBC) and by comparison with data in the literature. The antimicrobial and antifungal activities were studied. The compounds did not show significant activity.