The Rho Family Member RhoE Interacts with Skp2 and Is Degraded at the Proteasome during Cell Cycle Progression

RhoE/Rnd3 is an atypical member of the Rho family of small GTPases. In addition to regulating actin cytoskeleton dynamics, RhoE is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, survival, and metastasis. We examined RhoE expression levels during cell cycle and investigated mechanisms controlling them. We show that RhoE accumulates during G₁, in contact-inhibited cells, and when the Akt pathway is inhibited. Conversely, RhoE levels rapidly decrease at the G₁/S transition and remain low for most of the cell cycle. We also show that the half-life of RhoE is shorter than that of other Rho proteins and that its expression levels are regulated by proteasomal degradation. The expression patterns of RhoE overlap with that of the cell cycle inhibitor p27. Consistently with an involvement of RhoE in cell cycle regulation, RhoE and p27 levels decrease after overexpression of the F-box protein Skp2. We have identified a region between amino acids 231 and 240 of RhoE as the Skp2-interacting domain and Lys²³⁵ as the substrate for ubiquitylation. Based on our results, we propose a mechanism according to which proteasomal degradation of RhoE by Skp2 regulates its protein levels to control cellular proliferation.     

Differential response between the p53 ubiquitin-protein ligases Pirh2 and MdM2 following DNA damage in human cancer cells

Pirh2, a recently identified ubiquitin-protein ligase, has been reported to promote p53 degradation. Pirh2 physically interacts with p53 and promotes ubiquitination of p53 independently of MDM2. Like MDM2, Pirh2 is thought to participate in an autoregulatory feedback loop that controls p53 function. We have previously reported that Pirh2 was overexpressed in human and murine lung cancers as compared to uninvolved lung tissue. Pirh2 increase could potentially cause degradation of wildtype p53 and reduce its tumor suppression function in the lung tumor cells. Since Pirh2 has been reported to be transactivated by p53, however, the mechanisms by which a high level of Pirh2 expression is maintained in tumor cells despite low level of wildtype p53 protein are unclear. In order to evaluate p53 involvement in the transactivation of Pirh2, we evaluated Pirh2, MDM2, p53 and p21 expression with Western blot analysis and real time PCR after gamma irradiation or cisplatin DNA damage treatment using human cancer cell lines containing wildtype (A549, MCF-7), mutant (H719) and null (H1299) p53. Surprisingly, Pirh2 expression was not affected by the presence of wildtype p53 in the cancer cells. In contrast, MDM2 was upregulated by wildtype p53 in A549 and MCF-7 cells and was absent from the H1299 and the H719 cells. We conclude that Pirh2 operates in a distinct manner from MDM2 in response to DNA damage in cancer cells. Pirh2 elevation in p53 null cells indicates the existence of additional molecular mechanisms for Pirh2 upregulation and suggests that p53 is not the sole target of Pirh2 ubiquitin ligase activity.     

Non-Classical P38 Map Kinase Functions: Cell Cycle Checkpoints and Survival

The p38 MAPK kinase pathway is activated in response to a wide range of cellular stress stimuli and cytokines. Our understanding of the important functions of p38 MAPK in the process of differentiation and cell death has grown considerably in the recent years and is now relatively established. Here we discuss the role of p38 MAPK in the mediation of cell cycle checkpoints and cell survival, processes that have received less attention. We describe how p38 MAPK regulates both the G2/M as well as a G1/S cell cycle checkpoint in response to cellular stress such as DNA damage. While p38 MAPK has classically been associated with the induction of apoptosis, we discuss that p38 MAPK can also mediate cell survival in specific situations, such as in response to DNA damage. It is important to recognize these less appreciated functions of p38 MAPK when considering the potential use of pharmacological inhibitors of p38 MAPK in therapeutic treatments for disease.     

Death of p53-defective cells triggered by forced mitotic entry in the presence of DNA damage is not uniquely dependent on Caspase-2 or the PIDDosome

Much effort has been put in the discovery of ways to selectively kill p53-deficient tumor cells and targeting cell cycle checkpoint pathways has revealed promising candidates. Studies in zebrafish and human cell lines suggested that the DNA damage response kinase, checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1), not only regulates onset of mitosis but also cell death in response to DNA damage in the absence of p53. This effect reportedly relies on ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-dependent and PIDDosome-mediated activation of Caspase-2. However, we show that genetic ablation of PIDDosome components in mice does not affect cell death in response to γ-irradiation. Furthermore, Chk1 inhibition largely failed to sensitize normal and malignant cells from p53^−/− mice toward DNA damaging agents, and p53 status did not affect the death-inducing activity of DNA damage after Chk1 inhibition in human cancer cells. These observations argue against cross-species conservation of a Chk1-controlled cell survival pathway demanding further investigation of the molecular machinery responsible for cell death elicited by forced mitotic entry in the presence of DNA damage in different cell types and model organisms.     

Differential Regulation of Cellular Senescence and Differentiation by Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 in Cardiac Progenitor Cells

Autologous c-kit⁺ cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) are currently used in the clinic to treat heart disease. CPC-based regeneration may be further augmented by better understanding molecular mechanisms of endogenous cardiac repair and enhancement of pro-survival signaling pathways that antagonize senescence while also increasing differentiation. The prolyl isomerase Pin1 regulates multiple signaling cascades by modulating protein folding and thereby activity and stability of phosphoproteins. In this study, we examine the heretofore unexplored role of Pin1 in CPCs. Pin1 is expressed in CPCs in vitro and in vivo and is associated with increased proliferation. Pin1 is required for cell cycle progression and loss of Pin1 causes cell cycle arrest in the G₁ phase in CPCs, concomitantly associated with decreased expression of Cyclins D and B and increased expression of cell cycle inhibitors p53 and retinoblastoma (Rb). Pin1 deletion increases cellular senescence but not differentiation or cell death of CPCs. Pin1 is required for endogenous CPC response as Pin1 knock-out mice have a reduced number of proliferating CPCs after ischemic challenge. Pin1 overexpression also impairs proliferation and causes G₂/M phase cell cycle arrest with concurrent down-regulation of Cyclin B, p53, and Rb. Additionally, Pin1 overexpression inhibits replicative senescence, increases differentiation, and inhibits cell death of CPCs, indicating that cell cycle arrest caused by Pin1 overexpression is a consequence of differentiation and not senescence or cell death. In conclusion, Pin1 has pleiotropic roles in CPCs and may be a molecular target to promote survival, enhance repair, improve differentiation, and antagonize senescence.     

K27‐linked ubiquitylation promotes p97 substrate processing and is essential for cell proliferation

Conjugation of ubiquitin (Ub) to numerous substrate proteins regulates virtually all cellular processes. Eight distinct ubiquitin polymer linkages specifying different functional outcomes are generated in cells. However, the roles of some atypical poly‐ubiquitin topologies, in particular linkages via lysine 27 (K27), remain poorly understood due to a lack of tools for their specific detection and manipulation. Here, we adapted a cell‐based ubiquitin replacement strategy to enable selective and conditional abrogation of K27‐linked ubiquitylation, revealing that this ubiquitin linkage type is essential for proliferation of human cells. We demonstrate that K27‐linked ubiquitylation is predominantly a nuclear modification whose ablation deregulates nuclear ubiquitylation dynamics and impairs cell cycle progression in an epistatic manner with inactivation of the ATPase p97/VCP. Moreover, we show that a p97‐proteasome pathway model substrate (Ub(G76V)‐GFP) is directly modified by K27‐linked ubiquitylation, and that disabling the formation of K27‐linked ubiquitin signals or blocking their decoding via overexpression of the K27 linkage‐specific binder UCHL3 impedes Ub(G76V)‐GFP turnover at the level of p97 function. Our findings suggest a critical role of K27‐linked ubiquitylation in supporting cell fitness by facilitating p97‐dependent processing of ubiquitylated nuclear proteins.     

Regulation of TGF-β signaling,exit from the cell cycle,and cellular migration through cullin cross-regulation: SCF-FBXO11 turns off CRL4-Cdt2

Deregulation of the cell cycle and genome instability are common features of cancer cells and various mechanisms exist to preserve the integrity of the genome and guard against cancer. The cullin 4-RING ubiquitin ligase (CRL4) with the substrate receptor Cdt2 (CRL4^Cdt2) promotes cell cycle progression and prevents genome instability through ubiquitylation and degradation of Cdt1, p21, and Set8 during S phase of the cell cycle and following DNA damage. Two recently published studies report the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of Cdt2 via the cullin 1-RING ubiquitin ligase (CRL1) in association with the substrate specificity factor and tumor suppressor FBXO11 (CRL1^FBXO11). The newly identified pathway restrains the activity of CRL4^Cdt2 on p21 and Set8 and regulates cellular response to TGF-β, exit from the cell cycle and cellular migration. Here, we show that the CRL1^FBXO11 also promotes the degradation of Cdt2 during an unperturbed cell cycle to promote efficient progression through S and G₂/M phases of the cell cycle. We discuss how this new method of regulating the abundance of Cdt2 participates in various cellular activities.     

Degradation of p21Cip1 through anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome and its activator Cdc20 (APC/CCdc20) ubiquitin ligase complex-mediated ubiquitylation is inhibited by cyclin-dependent kinase 2 in cardiomyocytes

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21Cip1 plays a crucial role in regulating cell cycle arrest and differentiation. It is known that p21Cip1 increases during terminal differentiation of cardiomyocytes, but its expression control and biological roles are not fully understood. Here, we show that the p21Cip1 protein is stabilized in cardiomyocytes after mitogenic stimulation, due to its increased CDK2 binding and inhibition of ubiquitylation. The APC/CCdc20 complex is shown to be an E3 ligase mediating ubiquitylation of p21Cip1 at the N terminus. CDK2, but not CDC2, suppressed the interaction of p21Cip1 with Cdc20, thereby leading to inhibition of anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome and its activator Cdc20 (APC/CCdc20)-mediated p21Cip1 ubiquitylation. It was further demonstrated that p21Cip1 accumulation caused G2 arrest of cardiomyocytes that were forced to re-enter the cell cycle. Taken together, these data show that the stability of the p21Cip1 protein is actively regulated in terminally differentiated cardiomyocytes and plays a role in inhibiting their uncontrolled cell cycle progression. Our study provides a novel insight on the control of p21Cip1 by ubiquitin-mediated degradation and its implication in cell cycle arrest in terminal differentiation.     

Structural and functional comparison of the RING domains of two p53 E3 ligases, Mdm2 and Pirh2

The tumor suppressor p53 maintains genome stability and prevents malignant transformation by promoting cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Both Mdm2 and Pirh2 have been shown to ubiquitylate p53 through their RING domains, thereby targeting p53 for proteasomal degradation. Using structural and functional analyses, here we show that the Pirh2 RING domain differs from the Mdm2 RING domain in its oligomeric state, surface charge distribution, and zinc coordination scheme. Pirh2 also possesses weaker E3 ligase activity toward p53 and directs ubiquitin to different residues on p53. NMR and mutagenesis studies suggest that whereas Pirh2 and Mdm2 share a conserved E2 binding site, the seven C-terminal residues of the Mdm2 RING directly contribute to Mdm2 E3 ligase activity, a feature unique to Mdm2 and absent in the Pirh2 RING domain. This comprehensive analysis of the Pirh2 and Mdm2 RING domains provides structural and mechanistic insight into p53 regulation by its E3 ligases.     

Aberrant expression of nucleostemin activates p53 and induces cell cycle arrest via inhibition of MDM2

The nucleolar protein nucleostemin (NS) is essential for cell proliferation and early embryogenesis. Both depletion and overexpression of NS reduce cell proliferation. However, the mechanisms underlying this regulation are still unclear. Here, we show that NS regulates p53 activity through the inhibition of MDM2. NS binds to the central acidic domain of MDM2 and inhibits MDM2-mediated p53 ubiquitylation and degradation. Consequently, ectopic overexpression of NS activates p53, induces G(1) cell cycle arrest, and inhibits cell proliferation. Interestingly, the knockdown of NS by small interfering RNA also activates p53 and induces G(1) arrest. These effects require the ribosomal proteins L5 and L11, since the depletion of NS enhanced their interactions with MDM2 and the knockdown of L5 or L11 abrogated the NS depletion-induced p53 activation and cell cycle arrest. These results suggest that a p53-dependent cell cycle checkpoint monitors changes of cellular NS levels via the impediment of MDM2 function.     

Residual Cdk1/2 activity after DNA damage promotes senescence

In response to DNA damage, a cell can be forced to permanently exit the cell cycle and become senescent. Senescence provides an early barrier against tumor development by preventing proliferation of cells with damaged DNA. By studying single cells, we show that Cdk activity persists after DNA damage until terminal cell cycle exit. This low level of Cdk activity not only allows cell cycle progression, but also promotes cell cycle exit at a decision point in G2 phase. We find that residual Cdk1/2 activity is required for efficient p21 production, allowing for nuclear sequestration of Cyclin B1, subsequent APC/C^Cdh1‐dependent degradation of mitotic inducers and induction of senescence. We suggest that the same activity that triggers mitosis in an unperturbed cell cycle enforces senescence in the presence of DNA damage, ensuring a robust response when most needed.     

HBXIP,a binding protein of HBx,regulates maintenance of the G2/M phase checkpoint induced by DNA damage and enhances sensitivity to doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity

To maintain the integrity of the genome, cells need to detect and repair DNA damage before they complete cell division. Hepatitis B x-interacting protein (HBXIP), a binding protein of HBx (Hepatitis B virus × protein), is aberrantly overexpressed in human cancer cells and show to promote cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis. The present study is designed to investigate the role of HBXIP on the DNA damage response. Our results show that HBXIP acts as an important regulator of G2/M checkpoint in response to DNA damage. HBXIP knockdown increases phospho-histone H2AX expression and foci formation after treatment with ionizing radiation (IR). HBXIP regulates the ATM-Chk2 pathway following DNA damage. Depletion of HBXIP abrogates IR-induced G2/M cell cycle checkpoints, accompanying decrease the expression of phospho-Cdc25C, phospho-Cdc2 (Tyr15) and p27. We also show that downregulation of HBXIP expression sensitizes cancer cells to chemotherapy, as evidenced by an increase in apoptosis and cleavage of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Our data suggest that HBXIP can function as a mediator protein for DNA damage response signals to activate the G2/M checkpoint to maintain genome integrity and prevent cell death.