Cyclin T1 overexpression induces malignant transformation and tumor growth

Human PTEFb is a protein kinase composed by CDK9 and Cyclin T that controls the elongation phase of RNA Pol II. This complex also affects the activation and differentiation program of lymphoid cells. In this study we found that several head and neck tumor cell lines overexpress PTEFb. We also established that Cyclin T1 is able to induce transformation in vitro, as we determined by foci and colony formation assays. Nu/nu mice s.c. injected with stable transfected Cyclin T1 cells (NIH 3T3 Cyclin T1) developed tumors faster than animals injected with control cells (NIH 3T3 b-gal). In vitro, NIH 3T3 Cyclin T1 cells show increased proliferation and CDK4-Rb phosphorylation. Even more, silencing E2F1 expression (shRNA E2F1) in NIH 3T3 cells resulted in a dramatic inhibition of Cyclin T1-induced foci. All these data demonstrate for the first time the Cyclin T1 oncogenic function and suggest a role for this protein in controlling cell cycle probably via Rb/E2F1 pathway.     

2-Methoxy-4-vinylphenol can induce cell cycle arrest by blocking the hyper-phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein in benzo[a]pyrene-treated NIH3T3 cells

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is an environment carcinogen that can enhance cell proliferation by disturbing the signal transduction pathways in cell cycle regulation. In this study, the effects of 2M4VP on cell proliferation, cell cycle and cell cycle regulatory proteins were studied in BaP-treated NIH 3T3 cells to establish the molecular mechanisms of 2M4VP as anti-proliferative agents. 2M4VP exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on cell growth correlated with a G1 arrest. Analysis of G1 cell cycle regulators expression revealed 2M4VP increased expression of CDK inhibitor, p21Waf1/Cip1 and p15 INK4b, decreased expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E, and inhibited kinase activities of CDK4 and CDK2. However, 2M4VP did not affect the expression of CDK4 and CDK2. Also, 2M4VP inhibited the hyper-phosphorylation of Rb induced by BaP. Our results suggest that 2M4VP induce growth arrest of BaP-treated NIH 3T3 cells by blocking the hyper-phosphorylation of Rb via regulating the expression of cell cycle-related proteins.     

Cooperation of middle and small T antigens of polyomavirus in transformation of established fibroblast and epithelial-like cell lines.

We have reported recently that small T antigen of polyomavirus stimulates the growth of NIH 3T3 cells beyond their saturation density and induces weak anchorage-independent growth (T. Noda, M. Satake, T. Robins, and Y. Ito, J. Virol. 60:105-113, 1986). We examined whether small T antigen would cooperate with middle T antigen in the in vitro transformation of NIH 3T3 (fibroblasts) and NRK-52E (epitheliallike) cells. The small-T-antigen gene, when cotransfected with the middle-T-antigen gene, had no additional effect on the efficiency or size of dense foci formation induced by the middle-T-antigen gene on a monolayer of NIH 3T3 cells. However, the small-T-antigen gene dramatically increased the rate of growth of NIH 3T3 cells transformed by middle T antigen in semisolid medium. Introduction of the small-T-antigen gene into middle-T-antigen-transformed cells did not disturb the integrated middle-T gene, alter expression of the middle-T gene, or enhance middle-T-antigen-associated tyrosine protein kinase activity. For NRK-52E cells, the expression of middle T antigen alone resulted in small, slow-growing foci on a monolayer. These cells did not show anchorage-independent growth, despite the fact that middle-T-antigen-associated tyrosine protein kinase activity was clearly detected in these cells. NRK-52E cells expressing both middle and small T antigens formed faster growing foci on a monolayer than middle-T-antigen-expressing cells did and grew in semisolid medium, even when the amounts of middle T antigen and its associated kinase activities were lower than those of middle-T-antigen-expressing cells. We conclude that small T antigen cooperates with middle T antigen in the in vitro transformation of established cell lines of fibroblast and epitheliallike cells, that it does not share the middle-T-antigen function even though they are structurally related, and that it has a significantly more important role in the transformation of NRK-52E cells than that of NIH 3T3 cells.     

人细胞周期蛋白D1/CDK4基因的真核表达及生物活性鉴定

通过生物工程获得人重组细胞周期蛋白 (cyclinD1 )及细胞周期蛋白激酶CDK4蛋白 ,作为抗癌药物筛选的分子靶点 .从人HL 6 0细胞中获得细胞周期蛋白D1 CDK4基因的cDNA ,先克隆至pGEMT Easy载体上 ,再经重组构建供体质粒pFastBac D1和pFastBac CDK4 .重组供体质粒转化感受态DH1 0Bac细胞 ,挑取确证为白色克隆的菌落振荡培养 ,分离制备高纯度杆粒DNA .以重组病毒适量感染昆虫细胞Tn 5B1 4 ,利用Bac to Bac杆状病毒表达系统在昆虫细胞Tn 5B1 4 (Hi5 )中表达相应的重组蛋白 .应用昆虫杆状病毒表达系统 (Bac to Bac)在昆虫细胞Tn 5B1 4中分别高效表达了人细胞周期蛋白D1和CDK4蛋白 .SDS PAGE分析表明 ,表达量占细胞可溶性蛋白质的 2 0 %左右 ,表达产物经Ni2 + NTA亲和层析纯化后纯度达 85 %以上 .研究表明 ,昆虫细胞表达的细胞周期蛋白D1和CDK4蛋白能促进Rb蛋白的磷酸化 ,具有生物活性 .成功构建了细胞周期蛋白D1及CDK4真核杆状病毒表达载体 ,并且在昆虫细胞中正确表达了具有生物活性的细胞周期蛋白D1及CDK4融合蛋白 .     

葡萄糖6-磷酸脱氢酶调控细胞周期蛋白E1和细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶2促进细胞增殖及其在肾透明细胞癌中的预后价值

肾透明细胞癌(clear cell renal cell carcinoma,ccRCC)是一种转移率高、预后差的细胞代谢性疾病,对其有效诊疗及预后分子标志物的研究十分重要。葡萄糖6-磷酸脱氢酶(glucose 6-phosphatedehydrogenase, G6PD)在ccRCC中高表达,并提示患者不良预后,其促进ccRCC细胞增殖的分子机制有待进一步揭示。本研究发现,降低G6PD可抑制细胞周期G₁/S期转化并显著抑制ccRCC细胞增殖。G6PD可在细胞水平调控G₁/S期转化及增殖相关因子Cyclin D1,CDK4,CDK6,Cyclin E1和CDK2基因表达。TCGA数据库分析结果表明,ccRCC 中Cyclin D1,Cyclin E1 和 CDK2的mRNA 水平显著升高,而CDK4表达无明显差异,CDK6表达却显著降低。相关性分析结果显示,G6PD与Cyclin D1呈显著负相关(P<0.0001),G6PD与CDK4,CDK6之间无显著相关性(P>0.05),G6PD与Cyclin E1(P<0.0001)以及CDK2(P<0.05)显著正相关。进一步免疫组化检测结果表明,Cyclin E1和 CDK2在ccRCC肿瘤组织中表达显著升高。生存预后分析结果显示,Cyclin D1高表达提示ccRCC患者整体预后更为良好,CDK4和CDK6表达水平在ccRCC患者总生存率预测中无意义;而Cyclin E1和CDK2高表达均可提示ccRCC患者预后不良。进一步细胞水平检测发现,Cyclin E1、CDK2表达降低可显著逆转G6PD促进ccRCC细胞增殖的能力。综上,与增殖相关因子Cyclin D1,CDK4和CDK6相比,G6PD有可能通过促进Cyclin E1和CDK2表达升高而发挥促进 ccRCC肿瘤细胞增殖的作用,并且这3者的异常高表达有望成为ccRCC患者不良预后的独立生存预测因素。     

DeltaRaf-1:ER* bypasses the cyclic AMP block of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 activation but not CDK2 activation or cell cycle reentry

Elevation of cellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels inhibits cell cycle reentry in a variety of cell types. While cAMP can prevent the activation of Raf-1 and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) by growth factors, we now show that activation of ERK1/2 by DeltaRaf-1:ER is insensitive to cAMP. Despite this, DeltaRaf-1:ER-stimulated DNA synthesis is still inhibited by cAMP, indicating a cAMP-sensitive step downstream of ERK1/2. Although cyclin D1 expression has been proposed as an alternative target for cAMP, we found that cAMP could inhibit DeltaRaf-1:ER-induced cyclin D1 expression only in Rat-1 cells, not in CCl39 or NIH 3T3 cells. DeltaRaf-1:ER-stimulated activation of CDK2 was strongly inhibited by cAMP in all three cell lines, but cAMP had no effect on the induction of p21(CIP1). cAMP blocked the fetal bovine serum (FBS)-induced degradation of p27(KIP1); however, loss of p27(KIP1) in response to DeltaRaf-1:ER was less sensitive in CCl39 and Rat-1 cells and was completely independent of cAMP in NIH 3T3 cells. The most consistent effect of cAMP was to block both FBS- and DeltaRaf-1:ER-induced expression of Cdc25A and cyclin A, two important activators of CDK2. When CDK2 activity was bypassed by activation of the ER-E2F1 fusion protein, cAMP no longer inhibited expression of Cdc25A or cyclin A but still inhibited DNA synthesis. These studies reveal multiple points of cAMP sensitivity during cell cycle reentry. Inhibition of Raf-1 and ERK1/2 activation may operate early in G(1), but when this early block is bypassed by DeltaRaf-1:ER, cells still fail to enter S phase due to inhibition of CDK2 or targets downstream of E2F1.     

Knockdown of CDK2AP1 in Primary Human Fibroblasts Induces p53 Dependent Senescence

Cyclin Dependent Kinase-2 Associated Protein-1 (CDK2AP1) is known to be a tumor suppressor that plays a role in cell cycle regulation by sequestering monomeric CDK2, and targeting it for proteolysis. A reduction of CDK2AP1 expression is considered to be a negative prognostic indicator in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma and also associated with increased invasion in human gastric cancer tissue. CDK2AP1 overexpression was shown to inhibit growth, reduce invasion and increase apoptosis in prostate cancer cell lines. In this study, we investigated the effect of CDK2AP1 downregulation in primary human dermal fibroblasts. Using a short-hairpin RNA to reduce its expression, we found that knockdown of CDK2AP1in primary human fibroblasts resulted in reduced proliferation and in the induction of senescence associated beta-galactosidase activity. CDK2AP1 knockdown also resulted in a significant reduction in the percentage of cells in the S phase and an accumulation of cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Immunocytochemical analysis also revealed that the CDK2AP1 knockdown significantly increased the percentage of cells that exhibited γ-H2AX foci, which could indicate presence of DNA damage. CDK2AP1 knockdown also resulted in increased mRNA levels of p53, p21, BAX and PUMA and p53 protein levels. In primary human fibroblasts in which p53 and CDK2AP1 were simultaneously downregulated, there was: (a) no increase in senescence associated beta-galactosidase activity, (b) decrease in the number of cells in the G1-phase and increase in number of cells in the S-phase of the cell cycle, and (c) decrease in the mRNA levels of p21, BAX and PUMA when compared with CDK2AP1 knockdown only fibroblasts. Taken together, this suggests that the observed phenotype is p53 dependent. We also observed a prominent increase in the levels of ARF protein in the CDK2AP1 knockdown cells, which suggests a possible role of ARF in p53 stabilization following CDK2AP1 knockdown. Altogether, our results show that knockdown of CDK2AP1 in primary human fibroblasts reduced proliferation and induced premature senescence, with the observed phenotype being p53 dependent.     

HeLa cells are phenotypically limiting in cyclin E/CDK2 for efficient human papillomavirus DNA replication

Human papillomaviral (HPV) origin-containing plasmids replicate efficiently in human 293 cells or cell extracts in the presence of HPV origin-recognition protein E2 and replication initiation protein E1, whereas cervical carcinoma-derived, HPV-18-positive HeLa cells or cell extracts support HPV DNA replication poorly. We recently showed that HPV-11 E1 interacts with cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) complexes through an RXL motif and is a substrate for these kinases. E1 mutations in this motif or in candidate cdk phosphorylation sites are impaired in replication, suggesting a role for cdks in HPV replication. We now demonstrate that one limiting activity in HeLa cells is cyclin E/CDK2. Purified cyclin E/CDK2 or cyclin E/CDK3 complex, but not other cdks, partially complemented HeLa cell extracts. Cyclin E/CDK2 expression vectors also enhanced transient HPV replication in HeLa cells. HeLa cell-derived HPV-18 E1 protein is truncated at the carboxyl terminus but can associate with cyclin E/CDK2. This truncated E1 was replication-incompetent and inhibited cell-free HPV replication. These results indicate that HeLa cells are phenotypically limiting in cyclin E/CDK2 for efficient HPV replication, most likely due to sequestration by the endogenous, defective HPV-18 E1 protein. Further analyses of the regulation of HPV E1 and HPV replication by cyclin E may shed light on the roles of cyclin E/CDK2 in cellular DNA replication.     

Coupling of the Cell Cycle and Apoptotic Machineries in Developing T Cells

Proliferation and apoptosis are diametrically opposite processes. Expression of certain genes like c-Myc, however, can induce both, pointing to a possible linkage between them. Developing CD4⁺CD8⁺ thymocytes are intrinsically sensitive to apoptosis, but the molecular basis is not known. We have found that these noncycling cells surprisingly express many cell cycle proteins. We generated transgenic mice expressing a CDK2 kinase-dead (CDK2-DN) protein in the T cell compartment. Analysis of these mice showed that the CDK2-DN protein acts as a dominant negative mutant in mature T cells as expected, but surprisingly, it acts as a dominant active protein in CD4⁺CD8⁺ thymocytes. The levels of CDK2 kinase activity, cyclin E, cyclin A, and other cell cycle proteins in transgenic CD4⁺CD8⁺ thymocytes are increased. Concurrently, caspase levels are elevated, and apoptosis is significantly enhanced in vitro and in vivo. E2F-1, the unique E2F member capable of inducing apoptosis when overexpressed, is specifically up-regulated in transgenic CD4⁺CD8⁺ thymocytes but not in other T cell populations. These results demonstrate that the cell cycle and apoptotic machineries are normally linked, and expression of cell cycle proteins in developing T cells contributes to their inherent 1sensitivity to apoptosis.     

新型microRNA—miR-34在肿瘤中的研究进展

miR-34是一类保守的、非编码miRNA。人类miR-34包括miR-34a、miR-34b和miR-34c等,在多种肿瘤中都呈现非正常表达。miR-34通过被p53激活,抑制E2F3、Bcl-2、c—myc、CDK4、CDK6、Cyclin D1以及Cyclin E2的表达,使肿瘤细胞停滞在G1期,抑制肿瘤细胞的生长,诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡,并通过E2F3、SIRT1与p53形成正反馈环路,不断增强其自身和p53的作用。本文就miR-34的研究进展进行综述。     

Expression of cyclin E renders cyclin D-CDK4 dispensable for inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein, activation of E2F, and G1-S phase progression

The activation of CDK2-cyclin E in late G1 phase has been shown to play a critical role in retinoblastoma protein (pRb) inactivation and G1-S phase progression of the cell cycle. The phosphatidylinositol 3-OH-kinase inhibitor LY294002 has been shown to block cyclin D1 accumulation, CDK4 activity and, thus, G1 progression in alpha-thrombin-stimulated IIC9 cells (Chinese hamster embryonic fibroblasts). Our previous results show that expression of cyclin E rescues S phase progression in alpha-thrombin-stimulated IIC9 cells treated with LY294002, arguing that cyclin E renders CDK4 activity dispensable for G1 progression. In this work we investigate the ability of alpha-thrombin-induced CDK2-cyclin E activity to inactivate pRb in the absence of prior CDK4-cyclin D1 activity. We report that in the absence of CDK4-cyclin D1 activity, CDK2-cyclin E phosphorylates pRb in vivo on at least one residue and abolishes pRb binding to E2F response elements. We also find that expression of cyclin E rescues E2F activation and cyclin A expression in cyclin D kinase-inhibited, alpha-thrombin-stimulated cells. Furthermore, the rescue of E2F activity, cyclin A expression, and DNA synthesis by expression of E can be blocked by the expression of either CDK2(D145N) or RbDeltaCDK, a constitutively active mutant of pRb. However, restoring four known cyclin E-CDK2 phosphorylation sites to RbDeltaCDK renders it susceptible to inactivation in late G1, as assayed by E2F activation, cyclin A expression, and S phase progression. These data indicate that CDK2-cyclin E, without prior CDK4-cyclin D activity, can phosphorylate and inactivate pRb, activate E2F, and induce DNA synthesis.     

Cyclin E and SV40 small T antigen cooperate to bypass quiescence and contribute to transformation by activating CDK2 in human fibroblasts

Cyclin E overexpression is observed in multiple human tumors and linked to poor prognosis. We have previously shown that ectopic expression of cyclin E is sufficient to induce mitogen-independent cell cycle entry in a variety of tumor/immortal cell lines. Here we have investigated the rate-limiting step leading to cell cycle entry in quiescent normal human fibroblasts (NHF) ectopically expressing cyclin E. We found that in serum-starved NHF, cyclin E forms inactive complexes with CDK2 and fails to induce DNA synthesis. Coexpression of SV40 small t antigen (st), but not other tested oncogenes, efficiently induces mitogen-independent CDK2 phosphorylation on Thr-160, CDK2 activation, and DNA synthesis. Additionally, in contact-inhibited NHF ectopically expressing cyclin E, st induces cell cycle entry, continued proliferation, and foci formation. Coexpression of cyclin E and st also bypasses G(0)/G(1) arrests induced by CDK inhibitors. Although CDK2 is dispensable for G(0)/G(1) cell cycle entry and normal proliferation in mammals, CDK2 activity is an essential rate-limiting step in NHF with deregulated cyclin E expression and altered PP2A activity, which endows primary cells with transformed features. Consequently, CDK2 could be targeted therapeutically in tumors that involve these alterations. These data also suggest that alterations prior to cyclin E deregulation facilitate proliferation of tumor cells by bypassing mitogenic requirements and negative regulation by adjacent cells.     

E2F1 and c-Myc potentiate apoptosis through inhibition of NF-kappaB activity that facilitates MnSOD-mediated ROS elimination

Overexpression of c-Myc or E2F1 sensitizes host cells to various types of apoptosis. Here, we found that overexpressed c-Myc or E2F1 induces accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thereby enhances serum-deprived apoptosis in NIH3T3 and Saos-2. During serum deprivation, MnSOD mRNA was induced by NF-kappaB in mock-transfected NIH3T3, while this induction was inhibited in NIH3T3 overexpressing c-Myc or E2F1. In these clones, E2F1 inhibited NF-kappaB activity by binding to its subunit p65 in competition with a heterodimeric partner p50. In addition to overexpressed E2F1, endogenous E2F1 released from Rb was also found to inhibit NF-kappaB activity in a cell cycle-dependent manner by using E2F1(+/+) and E2F1(-/-) murine embryonic fibroblasts. These results indicate that E2F1 promotes apoptosis by inhibiting NF-kappaB activity.     

Activation of cyclin-dependent kinase 2 by full length and low molecular weight forms of cyclin E in breast cancer cells

Cyclin E, a positive regulator of the cell cycle, controls the transition of cells from G(1) to S phase. Deregulation of the G(1)-S checkpoint contributes to uncontrolled cell division, a hallmark of cancer. We have reported previously that cyclin E is overexpressed in breast cancer and such overexpression is usually accompanied by the appearance of low molecular weight isoforms of cyclin E protein, which are not present in normal cells. Furthermore, we have shown that the expression of cyclin E low molecular weight isoforms can be used as a reliable prognostic marker for breast cancer to predict patient outcome. In this study we examined the role of cyclin E in directly activating cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 2. For this purpose, a series of N-terminal deleted forms of cyclin E corresponding to the low molecular weight forms detected only in cancer cells were translated in vitro and mixed with cell extracts. These tumor-specific N-terminal deleted forms of cyclin E are able to activate CDK2. Addition of cyclin E into both normal and tumor cell extracts was shown to increase the levels of CDK2 activity, along with an increase in the amount of phosphorylated CDK2. The increase in CDK2 activity was because of cyclin E binding to endogenous CDK2 in complex with endogenous cyclin E, cyclin A, or unbound CDK2. The increase in CDK2 phosphorylation was through a pathway involving cyclin-activating kinase, but addition of cyclin E to an extract containing unphosphorylated CDK2 can still lead to increase in CDK2 activity. Our data suggest that the ability of high levels of full-length and low molecular weight forms of cyclin E to activate CDK2 may be one mechanism that leads to the constitutive activation of cyclin E.CDK2 complexes leading to G(1)/S deregulation and tumor progression.     

Cdk9/Cyclin T1 complex: a key player during the activation/differentiation process of normal lymphoid B cells

Cdk9/Cyclin T1 complex is very important in controlling specific differentiative pathways of several cell types. Limited data are available regarding the expression of Cdk9/Cyclin T1 in hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. Cdk9/Cyclin T1 expression seems to be related to particular stages of lymphoid differentiation/activation. In this study, we observed that the expression level of Cdk9/Cyclin T1 in vivo increases in memory B cells compared to naïve B cells, and in activated B cells, compared to non‐activated ones. The expression level of the Cdk9/Cyclin T1 complex does not increase in cells induced to differentiate in vitro. In addition, we showed that Cdk9 interacts with E12 and E47, specifically activated during Germinal Center (GC) reaction. Taken together this data suggests an active role for the Cdk9/Cyclin T1 complex during lymphoid differentiation through germinal center reaction. J. Cell. Physiol. 215: 276–282, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.