Ribosomes have the capacity to selectively control translation through changes in their composition that enable recognition of specific RNA elements1. However, beyond differential subunit expression during development2,3, evidence for regulated ribosome specification within individual cells has remained elusive1. Here, we report that a poxvirus kinase phosphorylates serine/threonine residues in the small ribosomal subunit protein, Receptor for Activated C Kinase (RACK1) that are not phosphorylated in uninfected cells or cells infected by other viruses. These modified residues cluster in an extended loop in RACK1, phosphorylation of which selects for translation of viral or reporter mRNAs whose 5’ untranslated regions (UTRs) contain adenosine repeats, so-called polyA-leaders. Structural and phylogenetic analysis revealed that although RACK1 is highly conserved, this loop is variable and contains negatively charged amino acids in plants, where these leaders act as translational enhancers for poorly understood reasons. Phosphomimetics and inter-species chimeras demonstrated that negative charge in the RACK1 loop dictates ribosome selectivity towards viral RNAs. By converting human RACK1 to a charged, plant-like state, poxviruses remodel host ribosomes so that adenosine repeats erroneously generated by slippage of the viral RNA polymerase4 confer a translational advantage. Our findings uncover ribosome customization through a novel trans-kingdom mimicry and the mechanics of species-specific leader activity that underlie the enigmatic poxvirus polyA-leaders4.

Viruses employ elaborate strategies to coopt the cellular processes they require to replicate while simultaneously thwarting host antiviral responses. In many instances, how this is accomplished remains poorly understood. Here, we identify a protein, F17 encoded by cytoplasmically replicating poxviruses, that binds and sequesters Raptor and Rictor, regulators of mammalian target of rapamycin complexes mTORC1 and mTORC2, respectively. This disrupts mTORC1-mTORC2 crosstalk that coordinates host responses to poxvirus infection. During infection with poxvirus lacking F17, cGAS accumulates together with endoplasmic reticulum vesicles around the Golgi, where activated STING puncta form, leading to interferon-stimulated gene expression. By contrast, poxvirus expressing F17 dysregulates mTOR, which localizes to the Golgi and blocks these antiviral responses in part through mTOR-dependent cGAS degradation. Ancestral conservation of Raptor/Rictor across eukaryotes, along with expression of F17 across poxviruses, suggests that mTOR dysregulation forms a conserved poxvirus strategy to counter cytosolic sensing while maintaining the metabolic benefits of mTOR activity.

SUMMARY Post-translational modification of ribosomal subunit proteins (RPs) is emerging as an important means of regulating gene expression. Recently, regulatory ubiquitination of small RPs RPS10 and RPS20 by the ubiquitin ligase ZNF598 was found to function in ribosome sensing and stalling on internally polyadenylated mRNAs during ribosome quality control (RQC). Here, we reveal that ZNF598 and RPS10 negatively regulate interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression in primary cells, depletion of which induced ISG expression and a broad antiviral state. However, cell lines lacking interferon responses revealed that ZNF598 E3 ligase activity and ubiquitination of RPS20, but not RPS10, were specifically required for poxvirus replication and synthesis of poxvirus proteins whose encoding mRNAs contain unusual 5′ poly(A) leaders. Our findings reveal distinct functions for ZNF598 and its downstream RPS targets, one that negatively regulates ISG expression and infection by a range of viruses while the other is positively exploited by poxviruses.

Receptor of activated protein C kinase 1 (RACK1) is a highly conserved eukaryotic protein that regulates several aspects of mRNA translation; yet, how it does so, remains poorly understood. Here we show that, although RACK1 consists largely of conserved β-propeller domains that mediate binding to several other proteins, a short interconnecting loop between two of these blades varies across species to control distinct RACK1 functions during translation. Mutants and chimeras revealed that the amino acid composition of the loop is optimized to regulate interactions with eIF6, a eukaryotic initiation factor that controls 60S biogenesis and 80S ribosome assembly. Separately, phylogenetics revealed that, despite broad sequence divergence of the loop, there is striking conservation of negatively charged residues amongst protists and dicot plants, which is reintroduced to mammalian RACK1 by poxviruses through phosphorylation. Although both charged and uncharged loop mutants affect eIF6 interactions, only a negatively charged plantbut not uncharged yeast or human loopenhances translation of mRNAs with adenosine-rich 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs). Our findings reveal how sequence plasticity within the RACK1 loop confers multifunctionality in translational control across species.

Amyloid β oligomers (AβOs) accumulate early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and experimentally cause memory dysfunction and the major pathologies associated with AD, for example, tau abnormalities, synapse loss, oxidative damage, and cognitive dysfunction. In order to develop the most effective AβO‐targeting diagnostics and therapeutics, the AβO structures contributing to AD‐associated toxicity must be elucidated. Here, we investigate the structural properties and pathogenic relevance of AβOs stabilized by the bifunctional crosslinker 1,5‐difluoro‐2,4‐dinitrobenzene (DFDNB). We find that DFDNB stabilizes synthetic Aβ in a soluble oligomeric conformation. With DFDNB, solutions of Aβ that would otherwise convert to large aggregates instead yield solutions of stable AβOs, predominantly in the 50–300 kDa range, that are maintained for at least 12 days at 37°C. Structures were determined by biochemical and native top–down mass spectrometry analyses. Assayed in neuronal cultures and i.c.v.‐injected mice, the DFDNB‐stabilized AβOs were found to induce tau hyperphosphorylation, inhibit choline acetyltransferase, and provoke neuroinflammation. Most interestingly, DFDNB crosslinking was found to stabilize an AβO conformation particularly potent in inducing memory dysfunction in mice. Taken together, these data support the utility of DFDNB crosslinking as a tool for stabilizing pathogenic AβOs in structure‐function studies.