Preferential synthesis of the 78-Kd glucose-regulated protein in glucocorticoid-treated S49 mouse lymphoma cells

To investigate the mechanism of glucocorticoid-induced lymphocytolysis, we used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to analyze the effect of dexamethasone on the synthesis of individual proteins in S49 mouse lymphoma cells. We found that synthesis of a 78-Kd protein is preferentially maintained following dexamethasone treatment, at a time when the synthesis of most other cellular proteins is decreased. Synthesis of this protein could also be induced by tunicamycin, suggesting that it might be the 78-Kd glucose-regulated protein (GRP78). The identity of the 78-Kd protein with GRP78 was confirmed by limited chymotryptic mapping and immunoprecipitation analysis. Preferential synthesis of GRP78 in dexamethasone-treated cells was not secondary to alterations in the glycosylation of cellular proteins. Significantly, steady-state levels of GRP78 mRNA were unchanged following dexamethasone treatment. Preferential synthesis of GRP78 in glucocorticoid-treated S49 cells may reflect the unique property of GRP78 mRNA to be translated under conditions that interfere with the translation of most other cellular mRNAs. GRP78 is a highly conserved protein that is essential for cell viability. Preferential synthesis of GRP78 may be a protective response to metabolic events that interfere with normal mRNA translation in glucocorticoid-treated mouse lymphoma cells.