No abstract

All mammalian cells depend on polyamines for normal growth and proliferation, but the exact roles of polyamines at the molecular level remain largely unknown. The RNA-binding protein HuR modulates the stability and translation of many target mRNAs. Here, we show that in rat intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), polyamines enhanced HuR association with the 3'-untranslated region of the c-Myc mRNA by increasing HuR phosphorylation by Chk2, in turn promoting c-Myc translation. Depletion of cellular polyamines inhibited Chk2 and reduced the affinity of HuR for c-Myc mRNA; these effects were completely reversed by addition of the polyamine putrescine or by Chk2 overexpression. In cells with high content of cellular polyamines, HuR silencing or Chk2 silencing reduced c-Myc translation and c-Myc expression levels. Our findings demonstrate that polyamines regulate c-Myc translation in IECs through HuR phosphorylation by Chk2 and provide new insight into the molecular functions of cellular polyamines.

. TRPC1 functions as a store-operated Ca 2ϩ channel in intestinal epithelial cells and regulates early mucosal restitution after wounding.

Maintenance of intestinal mucosal epithelial integrity requires polyamines that modulate the expression of various genes involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Recently, polyamines were shown to regulate the subcellular localization of the RNA-binding protein HuR, which stabilizes its target transcripts such as nucleophosmin and p53 mRNAs. The activating transcription factor-2 (ATF-2) mRNA encodes a member of the ATF/CRE-binding protein family of transcription factors and was computationally predicted to be a target of HuR. Here, we show that polyamines negatively regulate ATF-2 expression posttranscriptionally and that polyamine depletion stabilizes ATF-2 mRNA by enhancing the interaction of the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of ATF-2 with cytoplasmic HuR. Decreasing cellular polyamines by inhibiting ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) with alpha-difluoromethylornithine increased the levels of ATF-2 mRNA and protein, whereas increasing polyamines by ectopic ODC overexpression repressed ATF-2 expression. Polyamine depletion did not alter transcription via the ATF-2 gene promoter but increased the stability of ATF-2 mRNA. Increased cytoplasmic HuR in polyamine-deficient cells formed ribonucleoprotein complexes with the endogenous ATF-2 mRNA and specifically bound to 3'-UTR of ATF-2 mRNA on multiple nonoverlapping 3'-UTR segments. Adenovirus-mediated HuR overexpression elevated ATF-2 mRNA and protein levels, whereas HuR silencing rendered the ATF-2 mRNA unstable and prevented increases in ATF-2 mRNA and protein. Furthermore, inhibition of ATF-2 expression prevented the increased resistance of polyamine-deficient cells to apoptosis induced by treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha and cycloheximide. These results indicate that polyamines modulate the stability of ATF-2 mRNA by altering cytoplasmic HuR levels and that polyamine-modulated ATF-2 expression plays a critical role in regulating epithelial apoptosis.