p73 and p63: Estranged relatives?

Comment on: Holembowski L, et al. Cell Cycle 2011; 10:680-9.     

p53 reactivation

Comment on: Yu X, et al. Cancer Cell 2012; 21:614-25.     

Dancing with p53: The role of p38MAPK in mitosis of p53-deficient tetraploid cells

Comment on: Vitale I, et al. Cell Cycle 2010; 9:2823-9.     

Isolation of a point-mutated p47 lacking binding affinity to p97ATPase

p47, a p97-binding protein, functions in Golgi membrane fusion together with p97 and VCIP135, another p97-binding protein. We have succeeded in creating p47 with a point mutation, F253S, which lacks p97-binding affinity. p47 mapping experiments revealed that p47 had two p97-binding regions and the F253S mutation occurred in the first p97-binding site. p47(F253S) could not form a complex with p97 and did not caused any cisternal regrowth in an in vitro Golgi reassembly assay. In addition, mutation corresponding to the p47 F253S mutation in p37 and ufd1 also abolished their binding ability to p97.

Structured summary

MINT-7987189, MINT-7987207, MINT-7987303: p47 (uniprotkb:O35987) binds (MI:0407) to p97 (uniprotkb:Q01853) by pull down (MI:0096)MINT-7987226: p97 (uniprotkb:P46462) binds (MI:0407) to p47 (uniprotkb:O35987) by pull down (MI:0096)MINT-7987348: p97 (uniprotkb:P46462) physically interacts (MI:0915) with Ufd1 (uniprotkb:P70362) by pull down (MI:0096)MINT-7987264: p97 (uniprotkb:P46462) and p47 (uniprotkb:O35987) bind (MI:0407) by competition binding (MI:0405)MINT-7987326: p97 (uniprotkb:P46462) binds (MI:0407) to p37 (uniprotkb:Q0KL01) by pull down (MI:0096)     

p51/p63, a novel p53 homologue, potentiates p53 activity and is a human cancer gene therapy candidate

BACKGROUND: p51 (p73L/p63/p40/KET), a recently isolated novel p53 homologue, binds to p53-responsive elements to upregulate some p53 target genes and has been suggested to share partially overlapping functions with p53. p51 may be a promising candidate target molecule for anti-cancer therapy. METHODS: In this study, we adenovirally transduced p51A cDNA into human lung, gastric and pancreatic cancer cells and analyzed the intracellular function of p51 in anti-oncogenesis in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: Overexpression of p51A revealed an anti-proliferative effect in vitro in all the cancer cells examined in this study. The anchorage-dependent and -independent cell growth of EBC1 cells carrying mutations in both p51 and p53 was suppressed and significant apoptosis following adenoviral transduction with p51 and/or p53 was seen. This growth suppression was cooperatively enhanced by the combined infection with adenoviral vectors encoding both p51 and p53. Furthermore, p51 activated several, but not all, p53-inducible genes, indicating that the mechanisms controlling p51- and p53-mediated tumor suppression differed. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations indicate that, although p51 exhibited reduced anti-oncogenetic effects compared with p53, it cooperatively enhanced the anti-tumor effects of p53. Our results suggest that p51 functions as a tumor suppressor in human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and may be useful as a potential tool for cancer gene therapy.     

EDDiting p53 levels

Comment on: Smits VAJ. Cell Cycle 2012; 11:715–20     

Interstitial deletion (2)(p13p15)

Summary A dysmorphic 5-year-old girl with severe growth and mental deficiency was studied. She presented a de novo interstitial 2p deletion. Karyotype: 46,XX,del(2)(p13p15).     

The ER-associated degradation component Der1p and its homolog Dfm1p are contained in complexes with distinct cofactors of the ATPase Cdc48p

Misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are often degraded in the cytosol by a process called ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD). During ERAD in S. cerevisiae, the ATPase Cdc48p associates with Der1p, a putative component of a retro-translocation channel. Cdc48p also binds a homolog of Der1p, Dfm1p, that has no known function in ERAD. Here, we show that Der1p and Dfm1p are contained in distinct complexes. While the complexes share several ERAD components, only the Dfm1p complex contains the Cdc48p cofactors Ubx1p and Ubx7p, while the Der1p complex is enriched in Ufd1p. These data suggest distinct functions for the Der1p and Dfm1p complexes.

Structured summary

MINT-6491003:

Ufd1-SA (uniprotkb:P53044) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Der1-HA (uniprotkb:P38307) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)

MINT-6490940:

Der1-SA (uniprotkb:P38307) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Cdc48 (uniprotkb:P25694), Usa1 (uniprotkb:Q03714), Hrd3 (uniprotkb:Q05787), Hrd1 (uniprotkb:Q08109), Ubx2 (uniprotkb:Q04228), Yos9 (uniprotkb:Q99220), Npl4 (uniprotkb:P33755) and Ufd1 (uniprotkb:P53044) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)

MINT-6490972:

Dfm1-CA (uniprotkb:Q12743) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Ubx7 (uniprotkb:P38349), Ubx1 (uniprotkb:P34223), Kar2 (uniprotkb:P16474), Npl4 (uniprotkb:P33755), Yos9 (uniprotkb:Q99220),Ubx2 (uniprotkb:Q04228), Hrd1 (uniprotkb:Q08109), Hrd3 (uniprotkb:Q05787), Usa1 (uniprotkb:Q03714) and Cdc48 (uniprotkb:P25694) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)

MINT-6491016:

Ufd1-SA (uniprotkb:P53044) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Dfm1-HA (uniprotkb:Q12743) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)

MINT-6491041:

Ubx7-SA (uniprotkb:P38349) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Dfm1-HA (uniprotkb:Q12743) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)

MINT-6490909:

Dfm1-CA (uniprotkb:Q12743) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Dfm1-HA (uniprotkb:Q12743) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)

MINT-6491029:

Ubx1-SA (uniprotkb:P34223) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Dfm1-HA (uniprotkb:Q12743) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)

MINT-6490896:

Der1-SA (uniprotkb:P38307) physically interacts (MI:0218) with Der1-HA (uniprotkb:P38307) by anti tag coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0007)

Regulation of vitamin metabolism by p53 and p63 in development and cancer

Comment on: Kirschner KR, et al. Cell Cycle 2010; 9:2177-88.     

Structural diversity of p63 and p73 isoforms

AbstractThe p53 protein family is the most studied protein family of all. Sequence analysis and structure determination have revealed a high similarity of crucial domains between p53, p63 and p73. Functional studies, however, have shown a wide variety of different tasks in tumor suppression, quality control and development. Here we review the structure and organization of the individual domains of p63 and p73, the interaction of these domains in the context of full-length proteins and discuss the evolutionary origin of this protein family. Facts

• Distinct physiological roles/functions are performed by specific isoforms.
• The non-divided transactivation domain of p63 has a constitutively high activity while the transactivation domains of p53/p73 are divided into two subdomains that are regulated by phosphorylation.
• Mdm2 binds to all three family members but ubiquitinates only p53.
• TAp63α forms an autoinhibited dimeric state while all other vertebrate p53 family isoforms are constitutively tetrameric.
• The oligomerization domain of p63 and p73 contain an additional helix that is necessary for stabilizing the tetrameric states. During evolution this helix got lost independently in different phylogenetic branches, while the DNA binding domain became destabilized and the transactivation domain split into two subdomains.

Open questions

• Is the autoinhibitory mechanism of mammalian TAp63α conserved in p53 proteins of invertebrates that have the same function of genomic quality control in germ cells?
• What is the physiological function of the p63/p73 SAM domains?
• Do the short isoforms of p63 and p73 have physiological functions?
• What are the roles of the N-terminal elongated TAp63 isoforms, TA* and GTA?

Subject terms: X-ray crystallography, Solution-state NMR     

Novel therapeutic interventions for p53-altered tumors through manipulation of its family members,p63 and p73

TP53 is highly mutated in human cancers, thus targeting this tumor suppressor pathway is highly desirable and will impact many cancer patients.^1,2 Iwakuma T, Lozano G, Flores ER. Li-Fraumeni syndrome: a p53 family affair. Cell Cycle 2005; 4:865-7; PMID:15917654; http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/cc.4.7.1800 Muller PA, Vousden KH. p53 mutations in cancer. Nat Cell Biol 2013; 15:2-8; PMID:23263379; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncb2641  Therapeutic strategies to reactivate the p53-pathway have been challenging,^3,4 Martins CP, Brown-Swigart L, Evan GI. Modeling the therapeutic efficacy of p53 restoration in tumors. Cell 2006; 127:1323-34; PMID:17182091; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2006.12.007 Ventura A. Restoration of p53 function leads to tumour regression in vivo. Nature 2007; 445:661-5; PMID:17251932; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature05541  and no effective treatment exists.⁵ Khoo KH, Verma CS, Lane DP. Drugging the p53 pathway: understanding the route to clinical efficacy. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2014; 13:217-36; PMID:24577402; http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrd4288[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] We utilized the p53-family members, p63 and p73, which are not frequently mutated in cancer, to treat p53-defective cancers. The N-terminal splice variants of p63 and p73 are denoted as the TA and ΔN isoforms. We recently demonstrated that deletion of either ΔNp63 or ΔNp73 in p53-deficient mouse tumors results in tumor regression mediated by metabolic programming. Using this strategy, we identified pramlintide, a synthetic analog of amylin, as an effective treatment for p53 deficient and mutant tumors. Here, we show the utility of using pramlintide, as a potential cancer preventive option for p53-deficient tumors in mouse models. Additionally, we found that in vivo inhibition of both ΔNp63 and ΔNp73 in combination accelerates tumor regression and increases survival of p53-deficient mice. We report that inhibition of both ΔNp63 and ΔNp73 in combination results in upregulation of 3 key metabolic regulators, IAPP, GLS2, and TIGAR resulting in an increase in apoptosis and tumor regression in ΔNp63/ΔNp73/p53 deficient thymic lymphomas. These data highlight the value of generating inhibitors that will simultaneously target ΔNp63 and ΔNp73 to treat cancer patients with alterations in p53.     

Pure partial trisomy 6p due to a familial insertion (16;6)(p12;p21.2p23)

There have only been eight patients with 6p pure trisomy involving different segments: four cases resulted from a translocation or insertion and four were due to an intrachromosomal duplication. We report here the first postnatally ascertained patient with a pure 6p partial trisomy due to an interchromosomal insertion (16;6)(p12;p21.2p23)mat. This rearrangement was confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with whole chromosome 6 and 16 painting probes. The clinical findings in the present patient were similar to those observed in previous cases, including craniofacial dysmorphism, minor anomalies, and lack of severe anatomical defects; yet, the unspecificity of many of these features prevented us from delineating the 6p pure trisomy syndrome.     

DBC1 Regulates p53 Stability via Inhibition of CBP-Dependent p53 Polyubiquitination

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p38α as an inducer of aneuploidy in p53-/- tetraploid cells

Comment on: Vitale I, et al. Cell Cycle 2010; 9:2823-9.     

Role of p53/FAK association and p53 phosphorylation in staurosporine-mediated apoptosis: Wild type versus mutant p53-R175H

A novel survival role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) that involves its nuclear translocation and direct association with p53 has been demonstrated. Here we examined the relationship between the p53/FAK interaction and Ser46 phosphorylation of p53 (p-p53^Ser46) in the apoptotic regulation of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (HOSCC) cell lines, expressing either wild type (wt) p53 or mutant (mt) p53-R175H. In contrast to the wt p53 cell lines, the mt p53-R175H cell line was resistant to staurosporine (STS)-mediated detachment and caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, despite the resistance of mt p53-R175H to Ser46 phosphorylation, both wt and mt HOSCC cells translocate FAK into the nucleus and maintain the p53/FAK interaction post STS treatment. These findings provide unique insight into how tumor cells harboring the R175H mutant may resist chemotherapeutic intervention.

Structured summary

MINT-7294020: FAK (uniprotkb:Q05397) physically interacts (MI:0915) with p53 (uniprotkb:P04637) by anti-bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006)     

GSK-3 turns p53 deadly

Comment on: Charvet C, et al. Mol Cell 2011; 42:584-96.     

Deletion of Swm2p selectively impairs trimethylation of snRNAs by trimethylguanosine synthase (Tgs1p)

The 5′ cap trimethylation of small nuclear (snRNAs) and several nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) by trimethylguanosine synthase 1 (Tgs1p) is required for efficient pre-mRNA splicing. The previously uncharacterised protein Swm2p interacted with Tgs1p in yeast two-hybrid screens. In the present study we show that Swm2p interacts with the N-terminus of Tgs1p and its deletion impairs pre-mRNA splicing and pre-rRNA processing. The trimethylation of spliceosomal snRNAs and the U3 snoRNA, but not other snoRNAs, was abolished in the absence of Swm2p, indicating that Swm2p is required for a substrate-specific activity of Tgs1p.

Structured summary

MINT-7949608: p53 (uniprotkb:P02340) physically interacts (MI:0915) with large T-antigen (uniprotkb:P03070) by two-hybrid (MI:0018)MINT-7949574: swm2 (uniprotkb:P40342) physically interacts (MI:0915) with swm2 (uniprotkb:P40342) by pull down (MI:0096)MINT-7949556: swm2 (uniprotkb:P40342) physically interacts (MI:0915) with TGS1 (uniprotkb:Q12052) by pull down (MI:0096)MINT-7949587: swm2 (uniprotkb:P40342) physically interacts (MI:0915) with tgs1 (uniprotkb:Q12052) by two-hybrid (MI:0018)MINT-7949641: nop1 (uniprotkb:P15646) colocalizes (MI:0403) with TGS1 (uniprotkb:Q12052) by fluorescence microscopy (MI:0416)MINT-7949627: swm2 (uniprotkb:P40342) and nop1 (uniprotkb:P15646) colocalize (MI:0403) by fluorescence microscopy (MI:0416)MINT-7949540: swm2 (uniprotkb:P40342) physically interacts (MI:0915) with TGS1 (uniprotkb:Q12052) by tandem affinity purification (MI:0676)     

Glucose homeostasis and p75NTR

Comment on: Baeza-Raja B, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2012; 109:5838-43.