The mechanism by which avian reovirus (ARV)-modulated suppression of mTORC1 triggers autophagy remains largely unknown. In this work, we determined that p17 functions as a negative regulator of mTORC1. This study suggest novel mechanisms whereby p17-modulated inhibition of mTORC1 occurs via upregulation of p53, inactivation of Akt, and enhancement of binding of the endogenous mTORC1 inhibitors (PRAS40, FKBP38, and FKPP12) to mTORC1 to disrupt its assembly and accumulation on lysosomes. p17-modulated inhibition of Akt leads to activation of the downstream targets PRAS40 and TSC2, which results in mTORC1 inhibition, thereby triggering autophagy and translation shutoff, which is favorable for virus replication. p17 impairs the interaction of mTORC1 with its activator Rheb, which promotes FKBP38 interaction with mTORC1. It is worth noting that p17 activates ULK1 and Beclin1 and increases the formation of the Beclin 1/class III PI3K complex. These effects could be reversed in the presence of insulin or depletion of p53. Furthermore, we found that p17 induces autophagy in cancer cell lines by upregulating the p53/PTEN pathway, which inactivates Akt and mTORC1. This study highlights p17-modulated inhibition of Akt and mTORC1, which triggers autophagy and translation shutoff by positively modulating the tumor suppressors p53 and TSC2 and endogenous mTORC1 inhibitors. IMPORTANCE The mechanisms by which p17-modulated inhibition of mTORC1 induces autophagy and translation shutoff is elucidated. In this work, we determined that p17 serves as a negative regulator of mTORC1. This study provides several lines of conclusive evidence demonstrating that p17-modulated inhibition of mTORC1 occurs via upregulation of the p53/PTEN pathway, downregulation of the Akt/Rheb/mTORC1 pathway, enhancement of binding of the endogenous mTORC1 inhibitors to mTORC1 to disrupt its assembly, and suppression of mTORC1 accumulation on lysosomes. This work provides valuable information for better insights into p17-modulated inhibition of mTORC1, which induces autophagy and translation shutoff to benefit virus replication.
Keywords: Akt; PRAS40; Rheb; TSC2; autophagy; avian reovirus; mTORC1; p17; p53; translation shutoff.