HCMV感染对恶性胶质瘤U87细胞增殖及ATF5表达的影响

人巨细胞病毒(HCMV)能够诱导肿瘤细胞的恶性转化,但其分子机制尚有待进一步探索。探讨HCMV是否通过调控转录激活因子5(ATF5)的表达变化促进胶质瘤细胞的增殖。采用HCMV AD169株(MOI=5)感染神经胶质瘤U87细胞株,MTT方法观察HCMV感染0、12、24、48 h后细胞的增殖活性。Real-time PCR及Western-blot检测HCMV感染U87细胞后ATF5基因及蛋白的表达水平变化。以慢病毒为载体的靶向ATF5小干扰RNA构建载体,敲低ATF5表达水平后感染HCMV,MTT检测病毒感染细胞的增殖活性变化。HCMV感染神经胶质瘤U87细胞后,与未感染组比较,增值活性明显升高(P0.05),ATF5表达水平上升,表明HCMV感染使胶质瘤细胞增殖活性提高,细胞抗凋亡能力增强。成功构建沉默ATF5细胞系siATF5 U87,HCMV感染siATF5 U87细胞后使细胞增殖活性减弱,抗凋亡能力下降。以上实验结果表明,HCMV感染上调胶质瘤U87细胞ATF5的表达水平,促进细胞的增殖。因此HCMV感染可能通过调控ATF5信号通路增加细胞恶性性状,为治疗胶质瘤提供一个新的思路。     

BCL-2 is a downstream target of ATF5 that mediates the prosurvival function of ATF5 in a cell type-dependent manner

ATF5 loss of function has been shown previously to cause apoptotic cell death in glioblastoma and breast cancer cells but not in non-transformed astrocytes and human breast epithelial cells. The mechanism for the cell type-dependent survival function of ATF5 is unknown. We report here that the anti-apoptotic factor BCL-2 is a downstream target of ATF5 that mediates the prosurvival function of ATF5 in C6 glioma cells and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. ATF5 binds to an ATF5-specific regulatory element that is downstream of and adjacent to the negative regulatory element in the BCL-2 P2 promoter, stimulating BCL-2 expression. Highlighting the critical role of BCL-2 in ATF5-dependent cancer cell survival, expression of BCL-2 blocks death of C6 and MCF-7 cells induced by dominant-negative ATF5, and depletion of BCL-2 impairs ATF5-promoted cell survival. Moreover, we found that BCL-2 expression is not regulated by ATF5 in non-transformed rat astrocytes, mouse embryonic fibroblasts, and human breast epithelial cells, where expression of BCL-2 but not ATF5 is required for cell survival. These findings identify BCL-2 as an essential mediator for the cancer-specific cell survival function of ATF5 in glioblastoma and breast cancer cells and provide direct evidence that the cell type-specific function of ATF5 derives from differential regulation of downstream targets by ATF5 in different types of cells.     

Nucleophosmin (B23) targets ARF to nucleoli and inhibits its function

The ARF tumor suppressor is a nucleolar protein that activates p53-dependent checkpoints by binding Mdm2, a p53 antagonist. Despite persuasive evidence that ARF can bind and inactivate Mdm2 in the nucleoplasm, the prevailing view is that ARF exerts its growth-inhibitory activities from within the nucleolus. We suggest ARF primarily functions outside the nucleolus and provide evidence that it is sequestered and held inactive in that compartment by a nucleolar phosphoprotein, nucleophosmin (NPM). Most cellular ARF is bound to NPM regardless of whether cells are proliferating or growth arrested, indicating that ARF-NPM association does not correlate with growth suppression. Notably, ARF binds NPM through the same domains that mediate nucleolar localization and Mdm2 binding, suggesting that NPM could control ARF localization and compete with Mdm2 for ARF association. Indeed, NPM knockdown markedly enhanced ARF-Mdm2 association and diminished ARF nucleolar localization. Those events correlated with greater ARF-mediated growth suppression and p53 activation. Conversely, NPM overexpression antagonized ARF function while increasing its nucleolar localization. These data suggest that NPM inhibits ARF's p53-dependent activity by targeting it to nucleoli and impairing ARF-Mdm2 association.