p53‐mediated regulation of cell cycle progression: Pronounced impact of cellular microenvironment

Data on the biological effects of some overexpressed oncogenes and their cooperation with cellular factors are, at least partially, contradictory. There are reports on the strong pro‐apoptotic action of temperature‐sensitive (ts) p53^135val in transformed cells at permissive temperature. However, in our experience very high levels of p53^135val induce in transformed rat cells at permissive temperature cell cycle arrest but not apoptosis. Comparison of the experimental protocols reveals that cells used for transfection strongly differ. Therefore, we decided to explore the impact of primary cells used for generation of cell clones on the biological effects evoked by p53 and c‐Ha‐Ras. In the present study, we used primary rat cells (RECs) isolated from rat embryos of different age: at 13.5 gd (y) and 15.5 gd (o). We immortalized rat cells using ts p53^135val mutant and additionally generated transformed cells after co‐transfection with oncogenic Ras. The RECs were transfected with a constitutively activated Ha‐Ras protein, a mutation that is found in a wide variety of human tumors. The ts p53^135Val mutant, switching between wild‐type (wt) and mutant conformation, offers the possibility to study the escape from p53‐mediated cell cycle control in a model of malignant transformation in cells with the same genetic background. Surprisingly, the kinetics of cell proliferation at non‐permissive temperature and that of cell cycle arrest at 32°C strongly differed between cell clones established from yRECs and oRECs, thereby indicating that overexpression of genes such as ts p53^135Val mutant and oncogenic‐Ha‐Ras does not fully override the intrinsic cellular program. J. Cell. Physiol. 219: 459–469, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Microbial Regulation of p53 Tumor Suppressor

p53 tumor suppressor has been identified as a protein interacting with the large T antigen produced by simian vacuolating virus 40 (SV40). Subsequent research on p53 inhibition by SV40 and other tumor viruses has not only helped to gain a better understanding of viral biology, but also shaped our knowledge of human tumorigenesis. Recent studies have found, however, that inhibition of p53 is not strictly in the realm of viruses. Some bacterial pathogens also actively inhibit p53 protein and induce its degradation, resulting in alteration of cellular stress responses. This phenomenon was initially characterized in gastric epithelial cells infected with Helicobacter pylori, a bacterial pathogen that commonly infects the human stomach and is strongly linked to gastric cancer. Besides H. pylori, a number of other bacterial species were recently discovered to inhibit p53. These findings provide novel insights into host–bacteria interactions and tumorigenesis associated with bacterial infections.     

Growth suppression of human transformed cells by treatment with bark extracts from a medicinal plant, Terminalia arjuna

Summary We have investigated the effects of acetone and methanol extracts of a medicinal plant, Terminalia arjuna, on the growth of human normal fibroblasts (WI-38), osteosarcoma (U2OS), and glioblastoma (U251) cells in vitro. We found that both extracts at 30 μg and 60 μg/ml concentrations inhibit the growth of transformed cells; the growth of normal cells was least affected. Although the transformed cells appeared to have fragmented nucleus by Hoechst staining, no deoxyribonucleic acid laddering effect was observed. In response to the extract treatment, the tumor suppressor protein, p53, was induced in U2OS but not in U251 and WI-38 cells. A cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p21^WAF1, was induced in transformed cells only. The study suggests that the bark extract of medicinal plant, T. arjuna, has components that can induce growth arrest of transformed cells by p53-dependent and-independent pathways.     

Mutant p53 DNA clones from human colon carcinomas cooperate with ras in transforming primary rat cells: a comparison of the "hot spot" mutant phenotypes

The majority of the p53 genes derived from human colorectal carcinomas contain point mutations. A significant number of these mutations occur in or around amino acids 143, 175, 273, or 281. Experiments presented here demonstrate for the first time that p53 DNA clones containing any one of these mutations cooperate with the activated ras oncogene to transform primary rat embryo cells in culture. These transformed cells produce elevated levels of the human p53 protein, which has extended half-lives (1.5-7 h), as compared to the wild-type human p53 protein (20-30 min). The p53 mutant with an alteration at residue 175 (p53-175H) binds tightly to the cellular heat shock protein, hsc70. In contrast, the p53 mutants possessing mutations at either residue 273 or 281 (p53-273H/281G) do not bind detectably to this heat shock protein and generally are less efficient at forming transformed foci in culture. The transformed cell lines are tumorigenic in nude mice. Thus, two classes of p53 mutant proteins can be distinguished: p53-175H, which cooperates with ras efficiently and binds to hsc70, and p53-273H/281G, which has a reduced efficiency of transformed foci formation and does not bind hsc70. This demonstrates that complex formation between mutant p53 and hsc70 is not required for p53-mediated transformation, but rather it facilitates this function, perhaps by ensuring sequestration of the endogenous wild-type p53 protein. The positive effect on cell proliferation by these mutant p53 proteins is consistent with a role for activated p53 mutants in the genesis of colorectal carcinomas.     

Surface Alterations of Cells Carrying RNA Tumour Virus Genetic Information

CELLS transformed by the DNA tumour viruses, polyoma virus and SV40, are agglutinated by lectins such as wheat germ agglutinin¹, concanavalin A (Con A)² and soybean agglutinin³. Agglutination in these cases presumably reflects changes in the cell surface related to the transformed properties of the cell; studies with a temperature-dependent mutant of polyoma virus has shown that cell surface changes are controlled by viral genes⁴. Here we describe experiments in which we investigated the agglutinability of cells transformed by RNA tumour viruses. One recent report had suggested that cells transformed by RNA tumour viruses were not specifically agglutinated⁵, whereas a second more recent report claimed the specific agglutination of cells transformed by RSV⁶. We find that transformed rat, mouse and cat cells that replicate the sarcoma-leukaemia virus complex of murine (MSV) and feline (FeSV) origin are strongly agglutinated by Con A, but mouse and human cells that replicate the murine and feline leukaemia virus components alone are not agglutinated. The ability to agglutinate is rapidly acquired by normal mouse cells on infection with the murine sarcoma virus at a rate that parallels virus replication. In contrast to the results obtained with cells producing virus, non-virus-producing transformed hamster and mouse cells that synthesize virus-specific RNA are either not agglutinated or are agglutinated to a lesser degree. These results suggest that the cell surface alterations responsible for agglutination are not necessarily associated with the transformed state of the cell, but rather with the possession of sarcoma virus-specific information.     

The amount of a specific cellular protein (p53) is a correlate of differentiation in embryonal carcinoma cells

A specific cellular protein of molecular weight of 53–55,000 (p53) has been shown to be induced in all SV40 transformed cells. A similar protein has also been shown to be present in embryonal carcinoma cells and in midgestation murine embryo primary cells, which are not infected by SV40. In embryo cell primaries the amount of the protein was shown to decrease with the increase in the stage of embryo development. As differentiation or decrease in cell growth rate can account for this, and since the growth rate of embryo primary cells cannot be measured, we chose to investigate various embryonal carcinoma cells. We report that the p53 is present in a pluripotent embryonal carcinoma cell OTT6050, and in its differentiated parietal endoderm derivative, PYS-2 cells. The amount of p53 is higher in the undifferentiated EC stem cells than in the differentiated PYS-2 (parietal endoderm) cells. The amount of the protein decreases in F9 embryonal carcinoma cells induced to differentiate to a parietal endoderm cell type by treatment with retinoic acid, as it does following spontaneous differentiation of OTT6050 EC cells. To determine if a change in growth rate, rather than differentiation, might acount for the diminished levels of this protein, the amount ofp53 was measured in growing and in growth arrested cell populations. When the growth rate of F9 cells was reduced by treatment with 8-bromocyclic AMP there was no change in the amount of p53. The half life of the p53 was compared in the undifferentiated and the differentiated cell types to determine if a change in stability might account, in part, for the altered levels of this protein. The p53 is found to be most stable in the SV40 transformed established clonal cells. It is less stable in the fibroblast clonal cells which were not transformed by SV40. The results of these experiments indicate that a decrease in the amount of p53 primarily correlates with differentiation in the embryonal carcinoma cell lines studied and not with cell growth rate. Furthermore, the decrease appears to be related (in part) to the decreased stability of the p53.     

Radioimmunoassay of the cellular protein p53 in mouse and human cell lines

We have developed quantitative radioimmunological solid phase assays for the host protein p53 from mouse cells and from human cells. The first assay, for mouse p53, depends on having two monoclonal antibodies reacting with different determinants on the p53 molecule. With this assay we have shown that SV40-transformed cells have approximately 100-fold more p53 than untransformed mouse cells and that other transformed cells have intermediate levels. Embryonal carcinoma cell lines have approximately 50-fold less p53 than SV40-transformed cells. This is in contrast to the high levels of incorporation of [35S]methionine into p53 in these cells and indicates that metabolic labelling is not a valid approach for measuring p53 levels. The second assay, for human p53, required a different approach and made use of the anti-p53 antibodies detected in the sera of some breast cancer patients. Human tumour cell lines contained amounts of p53 varying from the high level seen in SV40-transformed human fibroblasts down to less than one hundredth of this amount. Normal human cells showed low levels of p53. The data confirm that many, but not all, human tumour cell lines contain more p53 than normal cells.     

Analysis of human p53 proteins and mRNA levels in normal and transformed cells

p53 mRNA and proteins were examined in a variety of human transformed cells and in normal human foreskin fibroblast cells. Both the steady-state and translatable levels of p53 mRNA were the same in normal and transformed human cells. In vitro synthesized p53, programmed by mRNA from normal and transformed human cells, revealed that there was heterogeneity in the primary structure of p53 from these cells. Pulse labeling of cells and immunoprecipitation analysis with a panel of human reactive anti-p53 antibodies demonstrated that the types of p53 synthesized in vitro corresponded to the types made in vivo from SV80 and COLO 320 cells. No p53 was detectable by similar pulse-labeling analysis of HeLa and normal foreskin fibroblast cells. Since it was necessary to use anti-p53 sera from cancer patients to carry out much of the immunoprecipitation analysis in this study we therefore further characterised these sera to determine if they reacted with one or more than one epitope. p53-beta-galactosidase fusion proteins were synthesized in Escherichia coli and used to analyse the anti-p53 antibodies produced by cancer patients. We demonstrate that the antisera contain antibodies directed against epitopes in both the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of the p53 molecule.     

Energy requirement for degradation of tumor-associated protein p53.

A 53,000-dalton protein (p53) present in large amounts in several types of tumorigenic cells was rapidly degraded in nontumorigenic BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts (t 1/2, approximately 0.5 h) but not in tumorigenic methylcholanthrene-induced mouse sarcoma cells (t 1/2, greater than 2 h). In 3T3 cells, dinitrophenol and 2-deoxyglucose, agents which reduce ATP production, inhibited the rapid degradation of p53 and the slower breakdown of total cell protein. After removal of these agents, the degradation of both p53 and total cell proteins resumed at their normal rates. Inhibitors of intralysosomal proteolysis (Ep475 and chloroquine) did not reduce the rate of degradation of p53. Thus, in 3T3 cells, p53 appears to be degraded by a nonlysosomal, ATP-dependent proteolytic system similar to that previously shown to degrade short- and long-lived proteins in growing fibroblasts. The immunoreactive p53 which remained in ATP-depleted cells had the same molecular weight as the p53 in the control cells. No intermediate products of p53 degradation were detected by immunoprecipitation in either ATP-depleted or control cells. Hence, ATP seems to be required for an initial step in the degradation of p53. Although the amount of labeled p53 was increased in simian virus 40-transformed and methylcholanthrene-induced mouse sarcoma cells, the amount of p53 labeled during a 3-h pulse in Moloney virus- and Rous sarcoma virus-transformed cells and untransformed 3T3 cells was similar. Thus, an increased net rate of p53 accumulation is not a common feature of transformed tumorigenic cells.     

Expression of cellular genes in HPV16-immortalized and cigarette smoke condensate-transformed human endocervical cells

We studied the molecular mechanism of successive multistep cervical carcinogenic progression with our previously established in vitro model system. This system was composed of primary human endocervical cells (HEN), two lines of HEN immortalized by HPV16 and their counterparts subsequently malignantly transformed by cigarette smoke condensate (CSC). The expression was examined of diverse cellular genes associated with oncogenesis and senescence, especially for cervical cancer. Consistent results were seen for the pairs of immortalized and malignantly transformed lines. Immortalization of HEN by HPV16 resulted in enhanced expression of H-ras, c-myc, B-myb, p53, p16^INK4 and PCNA mRNA; enhanced expression of p16 and PCNA proteins; decreased expression of WAF1/p21/Cip1/Sid1 and fibronectin mRNA; and decreased p53 protein. On the other hand, the CSC-transformed counterparts of HPV16-immortalized cells had up-regulated levels of B-myb, p53 and WAF1 mRNA and p53 protein. Our results indicate that the differential activation or inactivation of multiple cellular genes is important for the immortalization, as well as the transformation, of human cervical cells. Further, we suggest that our in vitro model system is useful for investigating the molecular mechanism of multistep cervical carcinogenesis. J. Cell. Biochem. 66: 309–321, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Large E1B proteins of adenovirus types 5 and 12 have different effects on p53 and distinct roles in cell transformation.

The formation of complexes between oncoproteins of DNA tumor viruses and the cellular protein p53 is thought to result in inactivation of the growth suppressor function of p53. In cells transformed by nononcogenic human adenovirus type 5 (Ad5), the 55-kDa protein encoded by E1B forms a stable complex with p53 and sequesters it in the cytoplasm. However, the homologous 54-kDa protein of highly oncogenic Ad12 does not detectably associate with p53. Yet in Ad12-transformed cells, p53 is metabolically stable, is present at high levels in the nucleus, and contributes to the oncogenicity of the cells. Such properties have previously been described for mutant forms of p53. Here, we show that stable p53 in Ad12-transformed cells is wild type rather than mutant and that stabilization of p53 is a direct consequence of the expression of the Ad12 E1B protein. We also compared the effects of the E1B proteins on transformation of rodent cells by different combinations of oncogenes. A synergistic interaction was observed for the gene encoding the 54-kDa E1B protein of Ad12 with myc plus ras oncogenes, resembling the effect of mutant p53 on myc plus ras. In contrast, the Ad5 55-kDa E1B protein strongly inhibited transformation by myc plus ras but stimulated transformation by E1A plus ras. The data are explained in terms of different interactions of the two E1B proteins with endogenous p53. The results suggest that in cultured rat cells, endogenous wild-type p53 plays an essential role in cell proliferation, even in the presence of myc plus ras. The dependence on p53 is lost, however, when the adenovirus E1A oncogene is present.     

PUMA-mediated apoptosis in fibroblast-like synoviocytes does not require p53

PUMA (p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis) is a pro-apoptotic gene that can induce rapid cell death through a p53-dependent mechanism. However, the efficacy of PUMA gene therapy to induce synovial apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis might have limited efficacy if p53 expression or function is deficient. To evaluate this issue, studies were performed to determine whether p53 is required for PUMA-mediated apoptosis in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). p53 protein was depleted or inhibited in human FLS by using p53 siRNA or a dominant-negative p53 protein. Wild-type and p53^-/- murine FLS were also examined to evaluate whether p53 is required. p53-deficient or control FLS were transfected with PUMA cDNA or empty vector. p53 and p21 expression were then determined by Western blot analysis. Apoptosis was assayed by ELISA to measure histone release and caspase-3 activation, or by trypan blue dye exclusion to measure cell viability. Initial studies showed that p53 siRNA decreased p53 expression by more than 98% in human FLS. Loss of p53 increased the growth rate of cells and suppressed p21 expression. However, PUMA still induced apoptosis in control and p53-deficient FLS after PUMA cDNA transfection. Similar results were observed in p53^-/- murine FLS or in human FLS transfected with a dominant-negative mutant p53 gene. These data suggest that PUMA-induced apoptosis in FLS does not require p53. Therefore, approaches to gene therapy that involve increasing PUMA expression could be an effective inducer of synoviocyte cell death in rheumatoid arthritis regardless of the p53 status in the synovium.     

Accumulation of Mutant p53 Modulates the Growth, Clonogenicity, and Radiochemosensitivity of Malignant Glioma Cells Independent of Endogenous p53 Status

Alterations of the p53 gene have been attributed a major role in the development and resistance to therapy of several human cancers. Accumulation of p53 in tumor cells may result from mutations associated with prolonged half-life or from stabilization of wild-type p53 by different mechanisms. To address the role of p53 accumulation in the response of malignant glioma cells to radiochemotherapy, we expressed the p53 mutant p53^V143A in five human malignant glioma cell lines with different genetic and functional p53 status. Accumulation of p53^V143A modulated proliferation in three and clonogenicity in four of five cell lines without a clear pattern with regard to their endogenous p53 status. p53^V143A inhibited the camptothecin-induced accumulation of p21^WAF1/CIP1 in cell lines with p53 functional wild-type activity, but not in cell lines lacking p53 activity, consistent with a transdominant-negative effect of p53^V143A. Irradiation induced a moderate G2/M arrest in all cell lines, irrespective of the p53 status, that was unaffected by p53^V143A. Radiosensitivity as well as sensitivity to BCNU, teniposide (VM26), topotecan, vincristine, Taxol, and cisplatin both in cytotoxic cell death and in clonogenic cell death was unchanged in p53^V143A-transfected cells with few exceptions. These data do not support the hypothesis that accumulation of mutant p53 is a major determinant of the response to adjuvant radiochemotherapy in human malignant glioma cells.     

The role of p53 in growth of mouse fibroblast lines

To examine the hypothesis that p53 protein may play a central role in regulating reproduction of mammalian cells, we compared the absolute amounts and relative rates of synthesis of p53 protein in two pseudonormal cell lines, 3T3 and C3H 10T1/2, during quiescence, during log proliferation, and in quiescent cells stimulated with serum. The absolute amount of p53 protein per cell was found to be severalfold lower in quiescent cells than in log-phase cells. The ratio of the rate of synthesis of p53 protein to the rate of synthesis of total protein was slightly higher in quiescent cells than the same ratio in log-phase cells. Thus, entry into quiescence is not accompanied by a differential switch-off of synthesis of p53 protein. In quiescent cells stimulated with serum the amount of p53 protein per cell and its rate of synthesis increase, but only in proportion to the increase in total protein per cell and the increase in rate of total protein synthesis. Similarly, 12-14 h after serum stimulation, the time of the G1 to S transition, the accumulated increase in p53 protein per cell is about what would be expected for a short-lived protein whose rate of synthesis has increased in proportion to the increase in rate of synthesis of total protein. The results are not those expected for a protein that functions specifically in release from quiescence or in transition from G1 to S.     

Cell-specific modulation of papovavirus replication by tumor suppressor protein p53

Small DNA tumor viruses like human papillomaviruses, simian virus 40, and adenoviruses modulate the activity of cellular tumor suppressor proteins p53 and/or pRB. These viruses replicate as nuclear multicopy extrachromosomal elements during the S phase of the cell cycle, and it has been suggested that inactivation of p53 and pRb is necessary for directing the cells to the S phase. Mouse polyomavirus (Py), however, modulates only the pRB protein activity without any obvious interference with the action of p53. We show here that Py replication was not suppressed by the p53 protein indeed in all tested different mouse cell lines. In addition, E1- and E2-dependent papillomavirus origin replication was insensitive to the action of p53 in mouse cells. We show that in hamster (Chinese hamster ovary) or human (osteosarcoma 143) cell lines the replication of both Py and papillomavirus origins was efficiently blocked by p53. The block of Py replication in human and hamster cells is not caused by the downregulation of large T-antigen expression. The deletion analysis of the p53 protein shows that the RPA binding, proline-rich regulatory, DNA-binding, and oligomerization domains are necessary for p53 action in both replication systems. These results indicate that in mouse cells the p53 protein could be inactive for the suppression of papovavirus replication.