Plasticity of the mammalian integrated stress response

An increased level of phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit-α (eIF2α, encoded by EIF2S1; eIF2α-p) coupled with decreased guanine nucleotide exchange activity of eIF2B is a hallmark of the ‘canonical’ integrated stress response (c-ISR)1. It is unclear whether impaired eIF2B activity in human diseases including leukodystrophies2, which occurs in the absence of eIF2α-p induction, is synonymous with the c-ISR. Here we describe a mechanism triggered by decreased eIF2B activity, distinct from the c-ISR, which we term the split ISR (s-ISR). The s-ISR is characterized by translational and transcriptional programs that are different from those observed in the c-ISR. Opposite to the c-ISR, the s-ISR requires eIF4E-dependent translation of the upstream open reading frame 1 and subsequent stabilization of ATF4 mRNA. This is followed by altered expression of a subset of metabolic genes (for example, PCK2), resulting in metabolic rewiring required to maintain cellular bioenergetics when eIF2B activity is attenuated. Overall, these data demonstrate a plasticity of the mammalian ISR, whereby the loss of eIF2B activity in the absence of eIF2α-p induction activates the eIF4E–ATF4–PCK2 axis to maintain energy homeostasis. A study describes the split integrated stress response, a cellular stress response mechanism characterized by reduced eIF2B activity without eIF2α phosphorylation, which activates the eIF4E–ATF4–PCK2 axis, enabling metabolic reprogramming.