Control of tumor suppressor p53 function by endoplasmic reticulum stress

Alterations in the homeostasis of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by various forms of stress can lead to the accumulation of unfolded proteins and protein aggregates that are detrimental to cell survival. Eukaryotic cells can adapt to ER stress by activating specific signaling pathways and mechanisms, whose primary purpose is to limit the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER. We recently reported a novel mechanism of cell adaptation to ER stress, which proceeds through the inhibition of the apoptotic function of the tumor suppressor p53 (Genes Dev 2004;18:261-277). We found that ER stress increases the cytoplasmic localization and enhances the destabilization of the tumor suppressor. This process requires the phosphorylation of p53 at serine 315 and serine 376, which is mediated by the activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta). ER stress also prevents p53 activation and p53-mediated apoptosis in response to DNA damage. These findings demonstrate that ER stress utilizes mechanisms that are distinct from other types of stress to modulate p53. In addition, they reveal that ER stress and nuclear DNA damage can induce inter-organellar cross-talk pathways targeting p53 with important implications for the treatment of tumors with dysfunctional ER.     

Senescence: a telomeric limit to immortality or a cellular response to physiologic stresses?

Cells entering a state of senescence undergo a irreversible cell cycle arrest, associated by a set of functional and morphological changes. Senescence occurs following telomeres shortening (replicative senescence) or exposure to other acute or chronic physiologic stress signals (a phenomenon termed stasis: stress or aberrant signaling-induced senescence). In this review, I discuss the pathways of cellular senescence, the mechanisms involved and the role that these pathways have in regulating the initiation and progression of cancer. Telomere-initiated senescence or loss of telomere function trigger focal recruitement of protein sensors of the DNA double-strand breaks leading to the activation of the DNA damage checkpoint responses and the tumour suppressor gene product, p53, which in turn induces the cell-cycle inhibitor, p21(WAF1). Loss of p53 and pRb function allows continued cell division despite increasing telomere dysfunction and eventually entry into telomere crisis. Immortalisation is an essential prerequisite for the formation of a tumour cell. Therefore, a developing tumour cell must circumvent at least two proliferative barriers--cellular senescence and crisis--to achieve neoplastic transformation. These barriers are regulated by telomere shortening and by the p16(INK4a)/Rb and p53 tumour suppressor pathways. Elucidation of the genes and emerging knowledge about the regulatory mechanisms that lead to senescence and determine the pattern of gene expression in senescent cells may lead to more effective treatments for cancer.     

Endoplasmic Reticulum Enrollment in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer??s disease (AD) poses a huge challenge for society and health care worldwide as molecular pathogenesis of the disease is poorly understood and curative treatment does not exist. The mechanisms leading to accelerated neuronal cell death in AD are still largely unknown, but accumulation of misfolded disease-specific proteins has been identified as potentially involved. In the present review, we describe the essential role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in AD. Despite the function that mitochondria may play as the central major player in the apoptotic process, accumulating evidence highlights ER as a critical organelle in AD. Stress that impairs ER physiology leads to accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins, such as amyloid ?? (A??) peptide, the major component of amyloid plaques. In an attempt to ameliorate the accumulation of unfolded proteins, ER stress triggers a protective cellular mechanism, which includes the unfolded protein response (UPR). However, when activation of the UPR is severe or prolonged enough, the final cellular outcome is pathologic apoptotic cell death. Distinct pathways can be activated in this process, involving stress sensors such as the JNK pathway or ER chaperones such as Bip/GRP94, stress modulators such as Bcl-2 family proteins, or even stress effectors such as caspase-12. Here, we detail the involvement of the ER and associated stress pathways in AD and discuss potential therapeutic strategies targeting ER stress.     

Decision making of the p53 network: Death by integration

The tumor suppressor protein p53 plays a central role in the multiple response pathways activated by DNA damage. In particular, p53 is involved in both the pro-survival response of cell cycle arrest and DNA repair, and the pro-death response of apoptosis. How does the p53 network coordinate the different pathways that lead to the opposite cell fates and what is its strategy in making the life-death decisions? To address these questions, we develop an integrated mathematical model that embraces three key modules of the p53 network: p53 core regulation, p53-induced cell cycle arrest and p53-dependent apoptosis initiation. Our analyses reveal that different aspects of the nuclear p53 dynamic profile are being used to differentially regulate the pro-survival and the pro-death modules. While the activation of the pro-survival module is dependent on the current or recent status of the DNA damage, the activation of the pro-death module relies on the accumulation or integration of the damage level over time. Thus, the cell will take the death fate if it cannot recover from the damage within a time period that is inversely proportional to the damage level. This “adaptive timer” strategy is likely to be adopted in other stress response systems.     

The p53-MDM2 network: from oscillations to apoptosis

The p53 protein is well-known for its tumour suppressor function. The p53-MDM2 negative feedback loop constitutes the core module of a network of regulatory interactions activated under cellular stress. In normal cells, the level of p53 proteins is kept low by MDM2, i.e. MDM2 negatively regulates the activity of p53. In the case of DNA damage, the p53-mediated pathways are activated leading to cell cycle arrest and repair of the DNA. If repair is not possible due to excessive damage, the p53-mediated apoptotic pathway is activated bringing about cell death. In this paper, we give an overview of our studies on the p53-MDM2 module and the associated pathways from a systems biology perspective.We discuss a number of key predictions, related to some specific aspects of cell cycle arrest and cell death, which could be tested in experiments.     

The p53-MDM2 network: from oscillations to apoptosis

The p53 protein is well-known for its tumour suppressor function. The p53-MDM2 negative feedback loop constitutes the core module of a network of regulatory interactions activated under cellular stress. In normal cells, the level of p53 proteins is kept low by MDM2, i.e. MDM2 negatively regulates the activity of p53. In the case of DNA damage, the p53-mediated pathways are activated leading to cell cycle arrest and repair of the DNA. If repair is not possible due to excessive damage, the p53-mediated apoptotic pathway is activated bringing about cell death. In this paper, we give an overview of our studies on the p53-MDM2 module and the associated pathways from a systems biology perspective. We discuss a number of key predictions, related to some specific aspects of cell cycle arrest and cell death, which could be tested in experiments.     

Acetylation of Lysine 382 and Phosphorylation of Serine 392 in p53 Modulate the Interaction between p53 and MDC1 In Vitro

Occurrence of DNA damage in a cell activates the DNA damage response, a survival mechanism that ensures genomics stability. Two key members of the DNA damage response are the tumor suppressor p53, which is the most frequently mutated gene in cancers, and MDC1, which is a central adaptor that recruits many proteins to sites of DNA damage. Here we characterize the in vitro interaction between p53 and MDC1 and demonstrate that p53 and MDC1 directly interact. The p53-MDC1 interaction is mediated by the tandem BRCT domain of MDC1 and the C-terminal domain of p53. We further show that both acetylation of lysine 382 and phosphorylation of serine 392 in p53 enhance the interaction between p53 and MDC1. Additionally, we demonstrate that the p53-MDC1 interaction is augmented upon the induction of DNA damage in human cells. Our data suggests a new role for acetylation of lysine 382 and phosphorylation of serine 392 in p53 in the cellular stress response and offers the first evidence for an interaction involving MDC1 that is modulated by acetylation.     

Endoplasmic reticulum stress accelerates p53 degradation by the cooperative actions of Hdm2 and glycogen synthase kinase 3beta

Inactivation of the tumor suppressor p53 by degradation is a mechanism utilized by cells to adapt to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. However, the mechanisms of p53 destabilization by ER stress are not known. We demonstrate here that the E3 ubiquitin-ligase Hdm2 is essential for the nucleocytoplasmic transport and proteasome-dependent degradation of p53 in ER-stressed cells. We also demonstrate that p53 phosphorylation at S315 and S376 is required for its nuclear export and degradation by Hdm2 without interfering with the ubiquitylation process. Furthermore, we show that p53 destabilization in unstressed cells utilizes the cooperative action of Hdm2 and glycogen synthase kinase 3beta, a process that is enhanced in cells exposed to ER stress. In contrast to other stress pathways that stabilize p53, our findings further substantiate a negative role of ER stress in p53 activation with important implications for the function of the tumor suppressor in cells with a dysfunctional ER.     

p21(Cip1) protects against oxidative stress by suppressing ER-dependent activation of mitochondrial death pathways

Although it is well established that the cell cycle inhibitor p21 protects against genotoxic stress by preventing the replication of damaged DNA, recent studies have shown that the cytoplasmic form can also protect. It protects by delaying the loss of the antiapoptotic proteins Mcl-1 and Bcl-X(L); however, the mechanism of regulation is unknown. Utilizing hyperoxia as a model of chronic oxidative stress and DNA damage, p21 was detected in the nucleus and cytoplasm and cytoplasmic expression of p21 was sufficient for cytoprotection. p21 was enriched in a subcellular fraction containing mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER), suggesting that it may be coordinating ER and mitochondrial stress pathways. Consistent with this, p21 suppressed hyperoxic downregulation of BiP and subsequent activation of ER stress signaling, which affected Mcl-1, but not Bcl-X(L); though both inhibited hyperoxic cell death. Taken together, these data show that p21 integrates the DNA damage response with ER stress signaling, which then regulates mitochondrial death pathways during chronic genotoxic stress.     

The ARF/Oncogene Pathway Activates p53 Acetylation within the DNA Binding Domain

Stabilization of the p53 tumor suppressor is a critical event in the response to various forms of cellular stress. Two distinct signaling pathways are thought to lead to this stabilization, depending on the type of cellular stress encountered. Genotoxic stress, such as chromosomal breaks or lesions induced by chemotherapeutic agents, result in the activation of the well-characterized DNA damage response pathway. Conversely, cellular stress that results from the aberrant activation of oncogenes triggers p53 stabilization via the induction of the p19ARF pathway. While activation of the DNA damage pathway ultimately causes a complex array of post-translational modifications on p53, activation few if any modifications have been demonstrated to occur following activation of the p19ARF pathway. We and others have recently identified a novel modification on p53, acetylation of lysine 120 within the DNA binding domain. This acetylation event is eliminated by tumor-derived mutations in p53 and its presence is required for the tumor suppressor apoptotic function of p53. We demonstrate here that both the DNA damage response pathway and the p19ARF/oncogene stress pathway induce the acetylation of p53 at lysine 120.     

Cellular responses to a prolonged delay in mitosis are determined by a DNA damage response controlled by Bcl-2 family proteins

Anti-cancer drugs that disrupt mitosis inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis, although the mechanisms of these responses are poorly understood. Here, we characterize a mitotic stress response that determines cell fate in response to microtubule poisons. We show that mitotic arrest induced by these drugs produces a temporally controlled DNA damage response (DDR) characterized by the caspase-dependent formation of γH2AX foci in non-apoptotic cells. Following exit from a delayed mitosis, this initial response results in activation of DDR protein kinases, phosphorylation of the tumour suppressor p53 and a delay in subsequent cell cycle progression. We show that this response is controlled by Mcl-1, a regulator of caspase activation that becomes degraded during mitotic arrest. Chemical inhibition of Mcl-1 and the related proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-x_L by a BH3 mimetic enhances the mitotic DDR, promotes p53 activation and inhibits subsequent cell cycle progression. We also show that inhibitors of DDR protein kinases as well as BH3 mimetics promote apoptosis synergistically with taxol (paclitaxel) in a variety of cancer cell lines. Our work demonstrates the role of mitotic DNA damage responses in determining cell fate in response to microtubule poisons and BH3 mimetics, providing a rationale for anti-cancer combination chemotherapies.