Proto oncogene/eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF) 4E attenuates mevalonate-mediated regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase synthesis

The rate-limiting enzyme for mevalonate synthesis in mammalian cells is 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. Products of mevalonate synthesis are required for cell cycle progression as well as cell growth and survival. in tumor cells, HMG-CoA reductase is generally elevated because of attenuated sterol-mediated regulation of transcription. However, tumor cell HMG-CoA reductase remains sensitive to post-transcriptional regulation by mevalonate-derived isoprenoid intermediates of cholesterol synthesis. Isoprenoids suppress HMG-CoA reductase synthesis through a mechanism that reduces initiation of translation on HMG-CoA reductase mRNA. Because HMG-CoA reductase mRNA transcripts have 5'-untranslated regions (UTR) that are GC rich and contain stable secondary structure, we tested the hypothesis that overexpression of elF4E would attenuate isoprenoid-mediated regulation of HMG-CoA reductase. elF4E is elevated in many tumor cells and behaves as a proto-oncogene by aberrantly translating mRNAs whose translation is normally suppressed by 5-UTRs that are GC rich. A CHO cell line expressing high levels of elF4E (rb4E) was developed by infecting cells with retroviruses containing a full-length mouse cDNA for eIF4E. Levels of reductase synthesis were elevated fivefold in rb4E cells compared to noninfected CHO cells; HMG-CoA reductase mRNA levels were not increased in rb4E cells compared to normal CHO cells. Total cellular protein synthesis was only increased by approximately 15% in rb4E cells compared to CHO cells. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin lowered HMG-CoA reductase synthesis by 50 and 60% in rb4E and CHO cells, respectively; no equivalent effect was observed for HMG-CoA reductase mRNA levels with rapamycin treatment. These results indicate that HMG-CoA reductase mRNA is in a class of mRNAs with highly structured 5'-UTRs whose m(7)GpppX cap-dependent translation is closely linked to the rapamycin-sensitive mitogen activated pathway for protein synthesis. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.