Chemokine receptor CXCR2 is transactivated by p53 and induces p38‐mediated cellular senescence in response to DNA damage

Mammalian cells may undergo permanent growth arrest/senescence when they incur excessive DNA damage. As a key player during DNA damage response (DDR), p53 transactivates an array of target genes that are involved in various cellular processes including the induction of cellular senescence. Chemokine receptor CXCR2 was previously reported to mediate replicative and oncogene‐induced senescence in a DDR and p53‐dependent manner. Here, we report that CXCR2 is upregulated in various types of cells in response to genotoxic or oxidative stress. Unexpectedly, we found that the upregulation of CXCR2 depends on the function of p53. Like other p53 target genes such as p21, CXCR2 is transactivated by p53. We identified a p53‐binding site in the CXCR2 promoter that responds to changes in p53 functional status. Thus, CXCR2 may act downstream of p53. While the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP) exhibits a kinetics that is distinct from that of CXCR2 expression and does not require p53, it reinforces senescence. We further showed that the cellular senescence caused by CXCR2 upregulation is mediated by p38 activation. Our results thus demonstrate CXCR2 as a critical mediator of cellular senescence downstream of p53 in response to DNA damage.     

Replicative senescence as a barrier to human cancer

There is evidence that one critically short telomere may be recognized as DNA damage and, as a consequence, induce a p53/p21WAF- and p16INK4A-dependent G1 cell cycle checkpoint to cause senescence. Additionally, senescence via a p53- and p16(INK4A)-dependent mechanism can be induced by the over- or under-stimulation of certain signalling pathways that are involved in cancer. Central to this alternative senescence mechanism is the p14ARF protein, which connects oncogene activation, but not DNA damage, to p53 activation and senescence. We find that immortal keratinocytes almost invariably have dysfunctional p53 and p16 and have high levels of telomerase, but very often express a wild-type p14(ARF). Furthermore, when normal keratinocytes senesce they show a striking elevation of p16 protein, but not of p14(ARF) or its downstream targets p53 and p21(WAF). These results suggest that p16, rather than p14(ARF), is the more important gene in human keratinocyte senescence, but do not exclude a co-operative role for p14(ARF), perhaps in the induction of senescence by activated oncogenes in neoplasia. Regardless of mechanism, these results suggest that replicative senescence acts as a barrier to human cancer development.     

The p53-Reactivating Small Molecule RITA Induces Senescence in Head and Neck Cancer Cells

TP53 is the most commonly mutated gene in head and neck cancer (HNSCC), with mutations being associated with resistance to conventional therapy. Restoring normal p53 function has previously been investigated via the use of RITA (reactivation of p53 and induction of tumor cell apoptosis), a small molecule that induces a conformational change in p53, leading to activation of its downstream targets. In the current study we found that RITA indeed exerts significant effects in HNSCC cells. However, in this model, we found that a significant outcome of RITA treatment was accelerated senescence. RITA-induced senescence in a variety of p53 backgrounds, including p53 null cells. Also, inhibition of p53 expression did not appear to significantly inhibit RITA-induced senescence. Thus, this phenomenon appears to be partially p53-independent. Additionally, RITA-induced senescence appears to be partially mediated by activation of the DNA damage response and SIRT1 (Silent information regulator T1) inhibition, with a synergistic effect seen by combining either ionizing radiation or SIRT1 inhibition with RITA treatment. These data point toward a novel mechanism of RITA function as well as hint to its possible therapeutic benefit in HNSCC.     

Simian virus 40 large T antigen disrupts genome integrity and activates a DNA damage response via Bub1 binding

Simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen (LT) is a multifunctional protein that is important for viral replication and oncogenic transformation. Previously, infection of monkey or human cells with SV40 was shown to lead to the induction of DNA damage response signaling, which is required for efficient viral replication. However, it was not clear if LT is sufficient to induce the damage response and, if so, what the genetic requirements and functional consequences might be. Here, we show that the expression of LT alone, without a replication origin, can induce key DNA damage response markers including the accumulation of γ-H2AX and 53BP1 in nuclear foci. Other DNA damage-signaling components downstream of ATM/ATR kinases were induced, including chk1 and chk2. LT also bound the Claspin mediator protein, which normally facilitates the ATR activation of chk1 and monitors cellular replication origins. Stimulation of the damage response by LT depends mainly on binding to Bub1 rather than to the retinoblastoma protein. LT has long been known to stabilize p53 despite functionally inactivating it. We show that the activation of a DNA damage response by LT via Bub1 appears to play a major role in p53 stabilization by promoting the phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15. Accompanying the DNA damage response, LT induces tetraploidy, which is also dependent on Bub1 binding. Taken together, our data suggest that LT, via Bub1 binding, breaches genome integrity mechanisms, leading to DNA damage responses, p53 stabilization, and tetraploidy.     

IGF-I enhances cellular senescence via the reactive oxygen species-p53 pathway

Cellular senescence is characterized by growth arrest, enlarged and flattened cell morphology, the expression of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal), and by activation of tumor suppressor networks. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) plays a critical role in cellular growth, proliferation, tumorigenesis, and regulation of aging. In the present study, we show that IGF-I enhances cellular senescence in mouse, rat, and human primary cells in the confluent state. IGF-I induced expression of a DNA damage marker, γH2AX, the increased levels of p53 and p21 proteins, and activated SA-β-gal. In the confluent state, an altered downstream signaling of IGF-I receptor was observed. Treatment with a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, N-acetylcystein (NAC) significantly suppressed induction of these markers, indicating that ROS are involved in the induction of cellular senescence by IGF-I. In p53-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts, the IGF-I-induced augmentation of SA-β-gal and p21 was inhibited, demonstrating that p53 is required for cellular senescence induced by IGF-I. Thus, these data reveal a novel pathway whereby IGF-I enhances cellular senescence in the ROS and p53-dependent manner and may explain the underlying mechanisms of IGF-I involvement in tumorigenesis and in regulation of aging.     

Busulfan-induced senescence is dependent on ROS production upstream of the MAPK pathway

Induction of cellular senescence is a common response of a normal cell to a DNA-damaging agent, which may contribute to cancer chemotherapy- and ionizing radiation-induced normal tissue injury. The induction has been largely attributed to the activation of p53. However, the results from the present study suggest that busulfan (BU), an alkylating agent that causes DNA damage by cross-linking DNAs and DNA and proteins, induces senescence in normal human diploid WI38 fibroblasts through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) cascade independent of the p53-DNA damage pathway. The induction of WI38 cell senescence is initiated by a transient depletion of intracellular glutathione (GSH) and followed by a continuous increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production via nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, which leads to the activation of the Erk and p38 MAPK pathway. Incubation of WI38 cells with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) replenishes intracellular GSH, abrogates the increased production of ROS, ameliorates Erk and p38 MAPK activation, and attenuates senescence induction by BU. Thus, inhibition of senescence induction using a potent antioxidant or specific inhibitor of the Erk and p38 MAPK pathway has the potential to be developed as a mechanism-based strategy to ameliorate cancer therapy-induced normal tissue damage.     

Role of stress-activated OCT4A in the cell fate decisions of embryonal carcinoma cells treated with etoposide

Tumor cellular senescence induced by genotoxic treatments has recently been found to be paradoxically linked to the induction of “stemness.” This observation is critical as it directly impinges upon the response of tumors to current chemo-radio-therapy treatment regimens. Previously, we showed that following etoposide (ETO) treatment embryonal carcinoma PA-1 cells undergo a p53-dependent upregulation of OCT4A and p21Cip1 (governing self-renewal and regulating cell cycle inhibition and senescence, respectively). Here we report further detail on the relationship between these and other critical cell-fate regulators. PA-1 cells treated with ETO display highly heterogeneous increases in OCT4A and p21Cip1 indicative of dis-adaptation catastrophe. Silencing OCT4A suppresses p21Cip1, changes cell cycle regulation and subsequently suppresses terminal senescence; p21Cip1-silencing did not affect OCT4A expression or cellular phenotype. SOX2 and NANOG expression did not change following ETO treatment suggesting a dissociation of OCT4A from its pluripotency function. Instead, ETO-induced OCT4A was concomitant with activation of AMPK, a key component of metabolic stress and autophagy regulation. p16ink4a, the inducer of terminal senescence, underwent autophagic sequestration in the cytoplasm of ETO-treated cells, allowing alternative cell fates. Accordingly, failure of autophagy was accompanied by an accumulation of p16ink4a, nuclear disintegration, and loss of cell recovery. Together, these findings imply that OCT4A induction following DNA damage in PA-1 cells, performs a cell stress, rather than self-renewal, function by moderating the expression of p21Cip1, which alongside AMPK helps to then regulate autophagy. Moreover, this data indicates that exhaustion of autophagy, through persistent DNA damage, is the cause of terminal cellular senescence.     

Regulation of activity and function of the p52 NF-κB subunit following DNA damage

We have previously shown that after DNA-damage, the p52 NF-kB subunit can function cooperatively with the p53 tumor suppressor to both repress and induce Skp2 expression. However, the wider role and activation of p52 after DNA-damage has not been determined. Activation of NF-kB in response to DNA break inducers can be mediated by ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated)-dependent phosphorylation of NEMO (NF-kB essential modulator), resulting in IKKβ mediated induction of the classical NF-kB pathway, leading to the induction of RelA(p65)/p50 dimers. Here, we show that DNA damage also induces p100 (NF-kB2) processing to generate active p52. We further demonstrate that p52 generation is dependent not only on IKKα but also on atypical activation by NEMO/ATM. Moreover, we identify a post-DNA damage, positive feedback loop of p52 activation through induction of NF-kB2 gene expression, involving both the classical and alternative NF-kB pathways. Gene expression and chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses indicated DNA damage induced p52 dimer recruitment on multiple, p53 dependent and independent, target genes associated with promoting cell cycle arrest and cell death. These results demonstrate an important role for the alternative, p52 NF-kB pathway after DNA-damage distinct from its functions as a regulator of adaptive immunity.     

Signaling Crosstalk of FHIT,p53, and p38 in etoposide-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells

Fragile histidine trail (FHIT) is a tumor suppressor in response to DNA damage which has been deleted in various tumors. However, the signaling mechanisms and interactions of FHIT with regard to apoptotic proteins including p53 and p38 in the DNA damage-induced apoptosis are not well described. In the present study, we used etoposide-induced DNA damage in MCF-7 as a model to address these crosstalks. The time course study showed that the expression of FHIT, p53, and p38MAPK started after 1 hour following etoposide treatment. FHIT overexpression led to increase p53 expression, p38 activation, and augmented apoptosis following etoposide-induced DNA damage compared to wild-type cells. However, FHIT knockdown blocked p53 expression, delayed p38 activation, and completely inhibited etoposide-induced apoptosis. Inhibition of p38 activity prevented induction of p53, FHIT, and apoptosis in this model. Thus, activation of p38 upon etoposide treatment leads to increase in FHIT and p53 expression. In p53 knockdown MCF-7, the FHIT induction was hampered but p38 activation was induced in lower doses of etoposide. In p53 knockdown cells, inhibition of p38 induced FHIT expression and apoptosis. Our data demonstrated that the exposure of MCF-7 cells to etoposide increases apoptosis through a mechanism involving the activation of the p38-FHIT-p53 pathway. Moreover, our findings suggest signaling interaction for these pathways may represent a promising therapy for breast cancer.     

The M‐type receptor PLA2R regulates senescence through the p53 pathway

Senescence is a stable proliferative arrest induced by various stresses such as telomere erosion, oncogenic or oxidative stress. Compelling evidence suggests that it acts as a barrier against tumour development. Describing new mechanisms that favour an escape from senescence can thus reveal new insights into tumorigenesis. To identify new genes controlling the senescence programme, we performed a loss‐of‐function genetic screen in primary human fibroblasts. We report that knockdown of the M‐type receptor PLA2R (phospholipase A2 receptor) prevents the onset of replicative senescence and diminishes stress‐induced senescence. Interestingly, expression of PLA2R increases during replicative senescence, and its ectopic expression results in premature senescence. We show that PLA2R regulates senescence in a reactive oxygen species–DNA damage–p53‐dependent manner. Taken together, our study identifies PLA2R as a potential new tumour suppressor gene crucial in the induction of cellular senescence through the activation of the p53 pathway.     

Absence of p53-dependent apoptosis leads to UV radiation hypersensitivity,enhanced immunosuppression and cellular senescence

Genotoxic stress triggers the p53 tumor suppressor network to activate cellular responses that lead to cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, apoptosis or senescence. This network functions mainly through transactivation of different downstream targets, including cell cycle inhibitor p21, which is required for short-term cell cycle arrest or long-term cellular senescence, or proapoptotic genes such as p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) and Noxa. However, the mechanism that switches from cell cycle arrest to apoptosis is still unknown. In this study, we found that mice harboring a hypomorphic mutant p53, R172P, a mutation that abrogates p53-mediated apoptosis while keeping cell cycle control mostly intact, are more susceptible to ultraviolet-B (UVB)-induced skin damage, inflammation and immunosuppression than wild-type mice. p53^R172P embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) are hypersensitive to UVB and prematurely senesce after UVB exposure, in stark contrast to wild-type MEFs, which undergo apoptosis. However, these mutant cells are able to repair UV-induced DNA lesions, indicating that the UV-hypersensitive phenotype results from the subsequent damage response. Mutant MEFs show an induction of p53 and p21 after UVR, while wild-type MEFs additionally induce PUMA and Noxa. Importantly, p53^R172P MEFs failed to downregulate anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, which has been shown to play an important role in p53-dependent apoptosis. Taken together, these data demonstrate that in the absence of p53-mediated apoptosis, cells undergo cellular senescence to prevent genomic instability. Our results also indicate that p53-dependent apoptosis may play an active role in balancing cellular growth.Key words: UVB irradiation, p53, DNA damage, DNA damage responses, apoptosis, senescence     

Resveratrol attenuates angiotensin II-induced senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene), a polyphenol abundant in red wine, is known to extend the life span of diverse species. On the contrary, it was reported that angiotensin (Ang) II enhances senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We, therefore, examined whether resveratrol attenuates Ang II-induced senescence of VSMC. Senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA β-gal) assay showed that Ang II induced senescence of VSMC. The Ang II-induced senescence was inhibited by losartan, an Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R) antagonist but not by PD123319, Ang II type 2 receptor antagonist, indicating that AT1R is responsible for the induction of senescence. Resveratrol suppressed Ang II-induced senescence of VSMC in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, resveratrol suppressed Ang II-induced induction of p53 and its downstream target gene p21, both of which play an important role in the induction of senescence. Resveratrol suppressed senescence of VSMC possibly through inhibition of AT1R-dependent induction of p53/p21. Suppression of p53 induction may be involved in the longevity by resveratrol.     

Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 is a critical downstream target of p53 in the induction of replicative senescence

p53 limits the proliferation of primary diploid fibroblasts by inducing a state of growth arrest named replicative senescence - a process which protects against oncogenic transformation and requires integrity of the p53 tumour suppressor pathway. However, little is known about the downstream target genes of p53 in this growth-limiting response. Here, we report that suppression of the p53 target gene encoding plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) by RNA interference (RNAi) leads to escape from replicative senescence both in primary mouse embryo fibroblasts and primary human BJ fibroblasts. PAI-1 knockdown results in sustained activation of the PI(3)K-PKB-GSK3beta pathway and nuclear retention of cyclin D1, consistent with a role for PAI-1 in regulating growth factor signalling. In agreement with this, we find that the PI(3)K-PKB-GSK3beta-cyclin D1 pathway is also causally involved in cellular senescence. Conversely, ectopic expression of PAI-1 in proliferating p53-deficient murine or human fibroblasts induces a phenotype displaying all the hallmarks of replicative senescence. Our data indicate that PAI-1 is not merely a marker of senescence, but is both necessary and sufficient for the induction of replicative senescence downstream of p53.