Nuclear colocalization of cellular and viral myc proteins with HSP70 in myc-overexpressing cells.

The c-myc oncogene and its viral counterpart v-myc encode phosphoproteins which have been located within cell nuclei, excluding nucleoli. We have expressed the c-myc gene under the simian virus 40 early promoter and studied the distribution of its protein product in transient expression assays in COS, HeLa, and 293 cells. We found three distinct patterns of c-myc immunofluorescence in the transfected cells: one-third of the c-myc-positive cells displayed a diffuse nuclear distribution, and in two-thirds of the cells the c-myc fluorescence was accumulated either in small amorphous or in large multilobed phase-dense nuclear structures. Unexpectedly, these structures also stained for the HSP70 heat shock protein in both heat-shocked and untreated cells. Our results indicate that both transient and stable overexpression of either the c-myc or v-myc protein induces translocation of the endogenous HSP70 protein from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, where it becomes sequestered in structures containing the myc protein. Interestingly, the closely related N-myc protein does not stimulate substantial nuclear expression of the HSP70 protein. Studies with chimeric myc proteins revealed that polypeptide sequences encoded by the second exon of c-myc are involved in colocalization with HSP70.     

Molecular Mechanism of Mutant p53 Stabilization: The Role of HSP70 and MDM2

Numerous p53 missense mutations possess gain-of-function activities. Studies in mouse models have demonstrated that the stabilization of p53 R172H (R175H in human) mutant protein, by currently unknown factors, is a prerequisite for its oncogenic gain-of-function phenotype such as tumour progression and metastasis. Here we show that MDM2-dependent ubiquitination and degradation of p53 R175H mutant protein in mouse embryonic fibroblasts is partially inhibited by increasing concentration of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70/HSPA1-A). These phenomena correlate well with the appearance of HSP70-dependent folding intermediates in the form of dynamic cytoplasmic spots containing aggregate-prone p53 R175H and several molecular chaperones. We propose that a transient but recurrent interaction with HSP70 may lead to an increase in mutant p53 protein half-life. In the presence of MDM2 these pseudoaggregates can form stable amyloid-like structures, which occasionally merge into an aggresome. Interestingly, formation of folding intermediates is not observed in the presence of HSC70/HSPA8, the dominant-negative K71S variant of HSP70 or HSP70 inhibitor. In cancer cells, where endogenous HSP70 levels are already elevated, mutant p53 protein forms nuclear aggregates without the addition of exogenous HSP70. Aggregates containing p53 are also visible under conditions where p53 is partially unfolded: 37°C for temperature-sensitive variant p53 V143A and 42°C for wild-type p53. Refolding kinetics of p53 indicate that HSP70 causes transient exposure of p53 aggregate-prone domain(s). We propose that formation of HSP70- and MDM2-dependent protein coaggregates in tumours with high levels of these two proteins could be one of the mechanisms by which mutant p53 is stabilized. Moreover, sequestration of p73 tumour suppressor protein by these nuclear aggregates may lead to gain-of-function phenotypes.     

HSP70 和P53 蛋白在甲状腺乳头状癌中的表达 及其与临床病理特征的关系

目的:探讨热休克蛋白70(HSP70)和P53蛋白在甲状腺乳头状癌组织中的表达及其与临床病理特征的关系。方法:应用免疫组织化学Envision法检测35例甲状腺乳头状癌组织、15例甲状腺良性病变组织及15例正常甲状腺组织中HSP70和P53蛋白的表达,分析HSP70和P53蛋白的表达与甲状腺乳头状癌临床病理学特征的关系。结果:甲状腺乳头状癌组织中HSP7O和P53阳性表达率明显高于甲状腺良性病变组织及正常甲状腺组织(P<0.01)。HSP7O在甲状腺乳头状癌组织中的表达与是否有颈部淋巴结转移、浸润深度以及AJCC分期密切相关(P<0.01),而与年龄、性别、肿瘤的大小以及分化程度无关(P>0.05)。P53在PTC组织中的表达与组织分化程度、是否有淋巴结转移、浸润深度以及AJCC分期密切相关(P<0.01),而与年龄、性别、肿瘤的大小无关(P>0.05)。HSP70和P53蛋白在PTC组织中的表达呈正相关性(r=0.679,P<0.01)。结论:HSP70和p53蛋白在PTC中均呈高表达,并有协同作用,两者可作为预测PTC的生物学行为和预后的参考指标。     

Nuclear and nucleolar targeting of human ribosomal protein S6.

Chimeric proteins were constructed to define the nuclear localization signals (NLSs) of human ribosomal protein S6. The complete cDNA sequence, different cDNA fragments and oligonucleotides of the human ribosomal proteins S6, respectively, were joined to the 5' end of the entire LacZ gene of Escherichia coli by using recombinant techniques. The hybrid genes were transfected into L cells, transiently expressed, and the intracellular location of the fusion proteins was determined by their beta-galactosidase activity. Three NLSs were identified in the C-terminal half of the S6 protein. Deletion mutagenesis demonstrated that a single NLS is sufficient for targeting the corresponding S6-beta-galactosidase chimera into the nucleus. Removal of all three putative NLSs completely blocked the nuclear import of the resulting S6-beta-galactosidase fusion protein, which instead became evenly distributed in the cytoplasm. Chimeras containing deletion mutants of S6 with at least one single NLS or unmodified S6 accumulated in the nucleolus. Analysis of several constructs reveals the existence of a specific domain that is essential but not sufficient for nucleolar accumulation of S6.     

Heat shock proteins, HSP25 and HSP70, and apoptosis in developing endocardial cushion of the mouse heart

Formation of the atrioventricular channels and valves from the endocardial cushion occurs through growth and remodeling of the initial endocardial cushion. This process requires balanced coordination of proliferation and apoptosis by still unknown factors. To detect a possible role for the heat shock proteins 25 and 70 (HSP25 and HSP70) as apoptosis-associated proteins and differentiation factors in the development of the endocardial cushion, we analyzed their temporal and regional occurrence during cell proliferation and apoptosis in E11-E17 embryos. The distribution and timing of these events and factors were consistent with the hypothesis that HSP25 is related to myocardial development whereas HSP70 is related to differentiation of the endocardial cushion by cell proliferation and apoptosis.     

Heat shock proteins HSP70 and HSP90 in pea seedlings under clinorotation of different duration

We have previously shown an increase in the Hsp70 and Hsp90 level in pea seedlings (cv. Damir) in response to clinorotation. In this work, Western-blot analysis of the Hsp70 and Hsp90 under clinorotation of different duration--from hours to days--was carried out with pea seedlings (cv. Intensive) with more intensive seed germination and seedling growth. Under clinorotation, the higher Hsp70 and Hsp90 amounts in the germinating seeds seem to be caused by some deceleration of their hydrolysis that correlated with common slowing down of seedling growth. Time-dependent changes in response to clinorotation were determined: some temporary increase in the Hsps level with the maximum for the Hsp70 at 2 h of clinorotation and for the Hsp90--at 6 h and their subsequent returning to the control level.     

HSP90 and HSP70 proteins are essential for stabilization and activation of WASF3 metastasis-promoting protein

Inactivation of HSP90 and HSP70 leads to loss of invasion in a variety of cancer cell types, presumably as a result of destabilization of, as yet, undefined clients of these molecular chaperones that influence this phenotype. The WASF3 gene has been shown to be up-regulated in high-grade tumors and its down-regulation leads to loss of invasion and metastasis. WASF3 phosphorylation by ABL kinase is essential for its ability to regulate invasion. Mass spectroscopy analysis now shows that HSP90 is present in the WASF3 immunocomplex from prostate cancer cells. Inactivation of HSP90 in these and other cell types does not affect WASF3 stability but prevents its phosphoactivation as a result of destabilization of ABL. HSP70 was also found in the WASF3 immunocomplex and inactivation of HSP70 results in destabilization of WASF3 through proteasome degradation. Knockdown of WASF3, HSP90, and HSP70 individually, all lead to loss of invasion but as knockdown of WASF3 in the presence of robust expression of HSP90/70 has the same effect, it seems that the influence these chaperone proteins have on invasion is mediated, at least in part, by their control over the critical invasion promoting capacity of the WASF3 protein. Overexpression of HSP70 in WASF3 null cells does not enhance invasion. These observations suggest that targeting HSP90/70 may have efficacy in reducing cancer cell invasion.     

Evolutionary conservation of nuclear and nucleolar targeting sequences in yeast ribosomal protein S6A

Over 1 billion years ago, the animal kingdom diverged from the fungi. Nevertheless, a high sequence homology of 62% exists between human ribosomal protein S6 and S6A of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To investigate whether this similarity in primary structure is mirrored in corresponding functional protein domains, the nuclear and nucleolar targeting signals were delineated in yeast S6A and compared to the known human S6 signals. The complete sequence of S6A and cDNA fragments was fused to the 5'-end of the LacZ gene, the constructs were transiently expressed in COS cells, and the subcellular localization of the fusion proteins was detected by indirect immunofluorescence. One bipartite and two monopartite nuclear localization signals as well as two nucleolar binding domains were identified in yeast S6A, which are located at homologous regions in human S6 protein. Remarkably, the number, nature, and position of these targeting signals have been conserved, albeit their amino acid sequences have presumably undergone a process of co-evolution with their corresponding rRNAs.     

Mutational analysis of the human HSP70 protein: distinct domains for nucleolar localization and adenosine triphosphate binding

The human HSP70 gene was modified in vitro using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis to add sequences encoding a peptide from the testis-specific form of human lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) to the carboxy terminus of HSP70. The peptide-tagged HSP70 can be distinguished from the endogenous HSP70 protein using an LDH peptide-specific antiserum in indirect immunofluorescence assays of cells transiently transfected with an expression vector containing the tagged HSP70 gene regulated by the human HSP70 promoter. A series of deletion mutants within the HSP70 protein coding region were generated. Using double-label indirect immunofluorescence with the LDH peptide-specific antiserum and HSP70-specific mAbs, we compared the intracellular distribution of the deletion mutants to that of endogenous HSP70. We have determined that sequences in the carboxy terminus of HSP70 are necessary for proper nucleolar localization after heat shock. In contrast, sequences in the amino terminus of HSP70 are responsible for the ATP-binding ability of the protein. Mutants that were unable to bind ATP, however, still displayed nucleolar association, indicating that ATP binding is apparently not required for interaction with substrate. Additional support that HSP70 appears to be composed of at least two domains follows from the results of trypsin digestions of wild type and mutant HSP70. Protease digestion of the mutant HSP70 proteins identified a region of HSP70 that, when deleted, affected HSP70 conformation.     

A novel human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protein, tev, shares sequences with tat, env, and rev proteins

We have characterized a novel 28-kilodalton protein, p28tev, detected in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected cells. tev is recognized by both tat and rev monospecific antibodies. tev is initiated at the tat AUG and contains the first exon of tat at its amino terminus, a small portion of env in the middle, and the second exon of rev at its carboxy terminus. A cDNA clone producing tev was cloned and expressed in human cells. Sequence analysis revealed that the tev mRNA is generated by splicing to a novel exon located in the env region. This identifies a fourth class of multiply spliced human immunodeficiency virus mRNAs, produced in infected and transfected cells. tev is regulated during the virus life cycle similarly to the other regulatory proteins, tat, rev, and nef, and displays both tat and rev activities in functional assays. Since tev contains important functional domains of tat and rev and is produced very early after transfection, it may be an important regulator in the initial phase of virus expression. Another rev-related protein, p18(6)Drev, containing env and rev sequences, was characterized and was found not to have detectable rev activity.     

Differential regulation of HSC70, HSP70, HSP90 alpha, and HSP90 beta mRNA expression by mitogen activation and heat shock in human lymphocytes

A subset of heat shock proteins, HSP90 alpha, HSP90 beta, and a member of the HSP70 family, HSC70, shows enhanced synthesis following mitogenic activation as well as heat shock in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In this study, we have examined expression of mRNA for these proteins, including the major 70-kDa heat shock protein, HSP70, in mononuclear cells following either heat shock or mitogenic activation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), ionomycin, and the phorbol ester, tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate. The results demonstrate that the kinetics of mRNA expression of these four genes generally parallel the kinetics of enhanced protein synthesis seen following either heat shock or mitogen activation and provide clear evidence that mitogen-induced synthesis of HSC70 and HSP90 is due to increased mRNA levels and not simply to enhanced translation of preexisting mRNA. Although most previous studies have focused on cell cycle regulation of HSP70 mRNA, we found that HSP70 mRNA was only slightly and transiently induced by PHA activation, while HSC70 is the predominant 70-kDa heat shock protein homologue induced by mitogens. Similarly, HSP90 alpha appears more inducible by heat shock than mitogens while the opposite is true for HSP90 beta. These results suggest that, although HSP70 and HSC70 have been shown to contain similar promoter regions, additional regulatory mechanisms which result in differential expression to a given stimulus must exist. They clearly demonstrate that human lymphocytes are an important model system for determining mechanisms for regulation of heat shock protein synthesis in unstressed cells. Finally, based on kinetics of mRNA expression, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that HSC70 and HSP90 gene expression are driven by an IL-2/IL-2 receptor-dependent pathway in human T cells.     

Biochemical and structural studies of ASPP proteins reveal differential binding to p53, p63, and p73

ASPP1 and ASPP2 are activators of p53-dependent apoptosis, whereas iASPP is an inhibitor of p53. Binding assays showed differential binding for C-terminal domains of iASPP and ASPP2 to the core domains of p53 family members p53, p63, and p73. We also determined a high-resolution crystal structure for the C terminus of iASPP, comprised of four ankyrin repeats and an SH3 domain. The crystal lattice revealed an interaction between eight sequential residues in one iASPP molecule and the p53-binding site of a neighboring molecule. ITC confirmed that a peptide corresponding to the crystallographic interaction shows specific binding to iASPP. The contributions of ankyrin repeat residues, in addition to those of the SH3 domain, generate distinctive architecture at the p53-binding site suitable for inhibition by small molecules. These results suggest that the binding properties of iASPP render it a target for antitumor therapeutics and provide a peptide-based template for compound design.     

Function, oligomerization, and conformation of tumor-associated p53 proteins with mutated C-terminus

Mutations that affect the oligomerization domain (OD) of the p53 tumor suppressor may be of particular interest because of the remarkable contradiction between the conservation of the OD and its relative functional resistance to amino acid substitutions, and because of recent hints that cellular protein factors may interact with the OD. Both point to the possibility that this domain fulfills tasks beyond oligomerization. We report that the tumor-associated mutants 330H, 334V, and 337C are defective for homo-oligomerization by three criteria. Accordingly, 330H and 337C failed to bind to a p53 recognition motif in gel-shift assays and to stimulate reporter genes efficiently in transient transfections. 334V retained some activity in both assays despite being oligomerization-defective. The ability of the mutants to induce apoptosis correlated with their performance in the DNA binding and transactivation assays. However, mutants 330H and 337C were able to provoke cell death when overexpressed, which in combination with their failure to transactivate genes suggests competence for the induction of transactivation-independent apoptosis at high protein levels. Although 334V and 337C failed to homo-oligomerize, they were able to hetero-oligomerize with a p53 with wild-type OD, and 334V was able to interfere with transactivation by wt p53. All mutants showed a reduced reactivity with antibody PAb421 and a distinct calpain cleavage pattern indicative of conformational alterations. In conclusion, tumor-associated OD mutants of p53 can be functionally competent to different degrees despite of being oligomerization defective.     

Apoptosis Versus Cell Differentiation: Role of Heat Shock Proteins HSP90, HSP70 and HSP27

Heat shock proteins HSP27, HSP70 and HSP90 are molecular chaperones whose expression is increased after many different types of stress. They have a protective function helping the cell to cope with lethal conditions. The cytoprotective function of HSPs is largely explained by their anti-apoptotic function. HSPs have been shown to interact with different key apoptotic proteins. As a result, HSPs can block essentially all apoptotic pathways, most of them involving the activation of cystein proteases called caspases. Apoptosis and differentiation are physiological processes that share many common features, for instance, chromatin condensation and the activation of caspases are frequently observed. It is, therefore, not surprising that many recent reports imply HSPs in the differentiation process. This review will comment on the role of HSP90, HSP70 and HSP27 in apoptosis and cell differentiation. HSPs may determine de fate of the cells by orchestrating the decision of apoptosis versus differentiation.Key Words: apoptosis, differentiation, heat shock proteins, chaperones, cancer cells, anticancer drugs     

Nuclear localization of two steroid receptor-associated proteins, hsp90 and p59

It has been proposed that the unliganded nontransformed form of steroid hormone receptor is a heterooligomer comprising, in addition to the hormone-binding subunit, two associated proteins: a heat shock protein of MW 90,000 (hsp90) and another protein of MW 59,000 (p59). Using monoclonal antibodies, we demonstrate immunocytochemically the presence of both hsp90 and p59 in cell nuclei of progesterone target cells of the rabbit uterus. While steroid receptors (e.g., progesterone receptors) appear to be exclusively nuclear, we find p59 predominantly in the cell nuclei and hsp90 in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In addition, Western blotting of high-salt extracts of nuclear proteins detects the presence of hsp90 and p59 in the nuclei of rabbit uterus. These observations are consistent with the presence of the untransformed heterooligomeric form of steroid hormone receptors in the nuclei of target cells.     

p53 mutational spectra and the role of methylated CpG sequences

The occurrence of tumor-specific mutational spectra in the p53 mutation database provides indirect evidence that implicates certain exogenous and possibly endogenous mutagenic events in human carcinogenesis. In some cases, the distribution of DNA damage along the p53 gene caused by environmental carcinogens can be correlated with the mutational spectra, i.e. hotspots and types of mutations of certain cancers, most notably for nonmelanoma skin cancers and lung cancers in smokers. This concept has been validated by experiments with sunlight and cigarette smoke components representing the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon class of carcinogens. A disproportionally high number of mutations in p53 (and other genes) are found at methylated CpG dinucleotides. These sequences are particularly prone to mutagenesis involving endogenous events as well as modification by exogenous carcinogens.