p53家族新成员p63和p73

抑癌基因p53由于其在大多数人肿瘤细胞中的频繁缺失和突变而倍受重视.近年来,随着对p53基因的深入研究,p53家族的其它成员也不断被发现.     

p63 and p73: teammates or adversaries?

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Kovacic and colleagues have reexamined the role of STAT1 in murine models of leukemogenesis. Their studies shed new light on the complex interplay between cell-autonomous contributions and host responsiveness to cancer and elucidate a previously unknown role of STAT1 in tumor progression.     

p53基因家族的新成员 p73和 p63

p53作为广泛存在的肿瘤抑制基因,最近发现了其家族成员：p73和p63。它们在结构和功能上具有相似性,均能触发细胞周期停滞,诱导凋亡,但它们在肿瘤抑制和组织发育中起着截然不同的作用,深入了解它们彼此之间的相似性和差异将对理解肿瘤发生的机制产生重要的影响。本文总结了最近几年来此领域内的最新进展。另外,p73和p63在C端的SAM结构说明它们可能参与组织的发育过程。     

p53 mutations and resistance to chemotherapy: a stab in the back for p73?

p53 gene is a member of a multigene family that includes p53, p63 and p73. The association of p73 and p63 with cell transformation has been elusive as no genetic or epigenetic alteration of these genes has been uncovered yet. Recent work has shown clearly that p73 is an essential component of the signaling pathway that lead to apoptosis after DNA damage induced by cytotoxic agents use in cancer therapy. Furthermore, it has been established that a sub-category of mutant p53 is able to interact with p73 and inhibit its apoptotic activity. Such discovery will be important for a better understanding of the signaling pathway that lead to resistance to chemotherapy.     

α-TEA cooperates with chemotherapeutic agents to induce apoptosis of p53 mutant, triple-negative human breast cancer cells via activating p73

Introduction  

Successful treatment of p53 mutant, triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) remains a daunting challenge. Doxorubicin (DOXO) and cisplatin (CDDP) are standard-of-care treatments for TNBC, but eventually fail due to acquired drug resistance and toxicity. New treatments for overcoming drug resistance and toxicity in p53 mutant, TNBC are therefore badly needed. Unlike p53, p73 - a member of the p53 family - is usually not mutated in cancers and has been shown to regulate p53-mediated apoptotic signaling in p53-deficient cancers. Therefore, identification of anticancer agents that can activate p73 in p53-deficient cancers may provide a chemotherapeutic approach for treatment of p53 mutant cancers. Here we report on the reconstitution of the p53 tumor suppressor pathway in a p53-independent manner via p73 with combination treatments of α-TEA, a small bioactive lipid, plus DOXO or CDDP.     

Δ133p53 is an independent prognostic marker in p53 mutant advanced serous ovarian cancer

Background:

We aimed to evaluate the clinical relevance of p53 and p73 isoforms that modulate the function of p53.

Methods:

This prospective multicentre study included 154 patients with stage III and IV serous ovarian cancer. A functional yeast-based assay and subsequent sequencing were performed to analyse the p53 mutational status. Expression of p53 and p73 isoforms was determined using RT–qPCR.

Results:

Δ133p53 expression constituted an independent prognostic marker for recurrence-free (hazard ratio=0.571, P=0.016, 95% CI: 0.362–0.899) and overall survival (hazard ratio=0.365, P=0.004, 95% CI: 0.182–0.731) in patients with p53 mutant ovarian cancer (n=121). High Δ40p53 expression was associated with favourable tumour grading (P=0.037) and improved recurrence-free survival (33.4 vs 19.6 months, P=0.029), but not overall survival (43.1 vs 33.6 months, P=0.139), in patients with p53 wild-type cancer (n=33). Neither the p53 mutational status nor p73 isoform expression possessed prognostic significance in the examined ovarian cancer cases.

Conclusion:

Δ133p53 expression was associated with prognosis in the vast majority of ovarian cancer cases, that is, patients with p53 mutant advanced serous carcinomas. Thus, our findings underline the importance of considering the complex p53 regulatory network.     

胃癌组织p53、p63、p73蛋白表达及细胞凋亡的研究

目的:探讨p53、p63、p73蛋白表达及细胞凋亡在胃癌发生发展中的可能机制。方法:选择57例手术切除的胃癌及胃癌旁组织,用免疫组化方法检测组织中的p53、p63、p73蛋白表达,同时用Tunel方法检测胃癌组织中的凋亡细胞。结果:胃癌组织p53、p63、p73蛋白表达率显著高于胃癌旁组织(P<0.05);低、未分化型腺癌表达率显著高于高、中分化型腺癌(P<0.05);有淋巴转移显著高于无转移组(P<0.05);p53、p63、p73高表达的癌组织,细胞凋亡指数减少,早期胃癌凋亡低于晚期胃癌(P<0.05)。结论:胃癌组织p53、p63、p73蛋白表达水平增高,可延缓细胞凋亡;细胞凋亡机制障碍可能是胃癌增生失控的基础。     

Regulation of the cytoskeleton: an oncogenic function for CDK inhibitors?

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CKIs) are well known inhibitors of cell proliferation. Their activity is disrupted in many tumour types. Recent studies show that some of these proteins have interesting alternative functions, acting in the cytoplasm to regulate Rho signalling and thereby controlling cytoskeletal organization and cell migration. The upregulation of CKIs in the cytoplasm of many cancer cells indicates that although loss of nuclear CKIs is important for cancer cell proliferation, gain of cytoplasmic CKI function might be involved in tumour invasion and metastasis.     

Wild-type and mutant p53 differentially regulate NADPH oxidase 4 in TGF-β-mediated migration of human lung and breast epithelial cells

Background:

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) induces the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) leading to increased cell plasticity at the onset of cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Mechanisms involved in TGF-β-mediated EMT and cell motility are unclear. Recent studies showed that p53 affects TGF-β/SMAD3-mediated signalling, cell migration, and tumorigenesis. We previously demonstrated that Nox4, a Nox family NADPH oxidase, is a TGF-β/SMAD3-inducible source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) affecting cell migration and fibronectin expression, an EMT marker, in normal and metastatic breast epithelial cells. Our present study investigates the involvement of p53 in TGF-β-regulated Nox4 expression and cell migration.

Methods:

We investigated the effect of wild-type p53 (WT-p53) and mutant p53 proteins on TGF-β-regulated Nox4 expression and cell migration. Nox4 mRNA and protein, ROS production, cell migration, and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation were examined in three different cell models based on their p53 mutational status. H1299, a p53-null lung epithelial cell line, was used for heterologous expression of WT-p53 or mutant p53. In contrast, functional studies using siRNA-mediated knockdown of endogenous p53 were conducted in MDA-MB-231 metastatic breast epithelial cells that express p53-R280K and MCF-10A normal breast cells that have WT-p53.

Results:

We found that WT-p53 is a potent suppressor of TGF-β-induced Nox4, ROS production, and cell migration in p53-null lung epithelial (H1299) cells. In contrast, tumour-associated mutant p53 proteins (R175H or R280K) caused enhanced Nox4 expression and cell migration in both TGF-β-dependent and TGF-β-independent pathways. Moreover, knockdown of endogenous mutant p53 (R280K) in TGF-β-treated MDA-MB-231 metastatic breast epithelial cells resulted in decreased Nox4 protein and reduced phosphorylation of FAK, a key regulator of cell motility. Expression of WT-p53 or dominant-negative Nox4 decreased TGF-β-mediated FAK phosphorylation, whereas mutant p53 (R280K) increased phospho-FAK. Furthermore, knockdown of WT-p53 in MCF-10A normal breast epithelial cells increased basal Nox4 expression, whereas p53-R280K could override endogenous WT-p53 repression of Nox4. Remarkably, immunofluorescence analysis revealed MCF-10A cells expressing p53-R280K mutant showed an upregulation of Nox4 in both confluent and migrating cells.

Conclusions:

Collectively, our findings define novel opposing functions for WT-p53 and mutant p53 proteins in regulating Nox4-dependent signalling in TGF-β-mediated cell motility.     

Long-term clinical and immunological effects of p53-SLP® vaccine in patients with ovarian cancer

Vaccine‐induced p53‐specific immune responses were previously reported to be associated with improved response to secondary chemotherapy in patients with small cell lung cancer. We investigated long‐term clinical and immunological effects of the p53‐synthetic long peptide (p53‐SLP®) vaccine in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Twenty patients were immunized with the p53‐SLP® vaccine between July 2006 and August 2007. Follow‐up information on patients was obtained. Clinical responses to secondary chemotherapy after p53‐SLP® immunizations were determined by computerized tomography and/or tumor marker levels (CA125). Disease‐specific survival was compared to a matched historical control group. Immune responses were analyzed by flow cytometry, proliferation assay, interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) ELISPOT and/or cytokine bead array. Lymphocytes cultured from skin biopsy were analyzed by flow cytometry and proliferation assay. Of 20 patients treated with the p53‐SLP® vaccine, 17 were subsequently treated with chemotherapy. Eight of these patients volunteered another blood sample. No differences in clinical response rates to secondary chemotherapy or disease‐specific survival were observed between immunized patients and historical controls (p = 0.925, resp. p = 0.601). p53‐specific proliferative responses were observed in 5/8 patients and IFN‐γ production in 2/7 patients. Lymphocytes cultured from a prior injection site showing inflammation during chemotherapy did not recognize p53‐SLP®. Thus, treatment with the p53‐SLP® vaccine does not affect responses to secondary chemotherapy or survival, although p53‐specific T‐cells do survive chemotherapy.     

SIRT1 is required for oncogenic transformation of neural stem cells and for the survival of “cancer cells with neural stemness” in a p53-dependent manner

Background

Cancer stemness, observed in several types of glioma stem cells (GSCs), has been demonstrated to be an important barrier for efficient cancer therapy. We have previously reported that cancerous neural stem cells (F3.Ras.CNSCs), derived from immortalized human neural stem cells by a single oncogenic stimulation, form glial tumors in vivo.

Method

We searched for a commonly expressed stress modulator in both F3.Ras.CNSCs and GSCs and identified silent mating type information regulation 2, homolog (SIRT1) as a key factor in maintaining cancer stemness.

Result

We demonstrate that the expression of SIRT1, expressed in “cancer cells with neural stemness,” is critical not only for the maintenance of stem cells, but also for oncogenic transformation. Interestingly, SIRT1 is essential for the survival and tumorigenicity of F3.Ras.CNSCs and GSCs but not for the U87 glioma cell line.

Conclusion

These results indicate that expression of SIRT1 in cancer cells with neural stemness plays an important role in suppressing p53-dependent tumor surveillance, the abrogation of which may be responsible not only for inducing oncogenic transformation but also for retaining the neural cancer stemness of the cells, suggesting that SIRT1 may be a putative therapeutic target in GSCs.     

Combinatorial inhibition of Plk1 and PKCβ in cancer cells with different p53 status

PKCβ and Plk1 are fascinating targets in cancer therapy. Therefore, we combined Enzastaurin targeting PKCβ and SBE13 targeting Plk1 to test synergistic effects in cells with different p53 status. We analyzed cell proliferation and apoptosis induction, and did Western blot and FACScan analyses to examine the combined PKCβ and Plk1 inhibition. p53-wild-type cells are more resistant to the combinatorial treatment than p53-deficient cells, which displayed a synergistic reduction of cell proliferation after the combination. HeLa, MCF-7 and HCT116^p53wt and HCT116^p53-/- cells differed in their cell cycle distribution after combinatorial treatment in dependence on a functional p53-dependent G1/S checkpoint (p53-deficient cells showed an enrichment in S and G2/M, p53-wild-type cells in G0/G1 phase). hTERT-RPE1 cells did not show the synergistic effects of cancer cells.Thus, we demonstrate for the first time that Plk1 inhibition using SBE13 enhances the effects of Enzastaurin in cancer cells. HCT116^p53wt and HCT116^p53-/- cells confirmed the p53-dependence of different effects after Plk1 and PKCβ inhibition observed in HeLa and MCF-7 cells. Obviously, p53 protects cells from the cytotoxicity of Enzastaurin in combination with SBE13. For that reason this combination can be useful to treat p53-deficient cancers, without displaying toxicity to normal cells, which all have functional p53.     

Are p53 Antibodies a Diagnostic Indicator for Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma? Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: P53 has been reported to be involved with tumorigenesis and has also been implicated as a significant biomarker in oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC). However, the diagnostic value of p53 antibodies remains controversial; hence, we comprehensively and quantitatively assessed the potential in the present systematic review. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search was performed using PubMed and Embase, up to October 31, 2014, without language restriction. Studies were assessed for quality using QUADAS (quality assessment of studies of diagnostic accuracy). The positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) were pooled separately and compared with overall accuracy measures using diagnostic odds ratios (DORs) and symmetric summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves. Results: Of 150 studies initially identified, 7 eligible regarding serum p53 antibodies met the inclusion criteria. Some 85.7% (6/7) were of relatively high quality (QUADAS score≥7). The summary estimates for quantitative analysis of serum p53 antibody in the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma were: PLR 2.06 [95% confidence interval (CI) : 1.35-3.15], NLR 0.85 (95%CI: 0.80- 0.90) and DOR 2.47 (95%CI: 1.49- 4.12). Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that the use of s-p53-antibodies has potential diagnostic value with relatively high sensitivity and specificity for OSCC particularly with serum specimens for discrimination of OSCCs from healthy controls. However, its discrimination power is not perfect because of low sensitivity.     

Knockout and transgenic mice of Trp53: what have we learned about p53 in breast cancer?

The human p53 tumor suppressor gene TP53 is mutated at a high frequency in sporadic breast cancer, and Li-Fraumeni syndrome patients who carry germline mutations in one TP53 allele have a high incidence of breast cancer. In the 10 years since the first knockout of the mouse p53 tumor suppressor gene (designated Trp53) was published, much has been learned about the contribution of p53 to biology and tumor suppression in the breast through the use of p53 transgenic and knockout mice. The original mice deficient in p53 showed no mammary gland phenotype. However, studies using BALB/c-Trp53-deficient mice have demonstrated a delayed involution phenotype and a mammary tumor phenotype. Together with other studies of mutant p53 transgenes and p53 bitransgenics, a greater understanding has been gained of the role of p53 in involution, of the regulation of p53 activity by hormones, of the effect of mouse strain and modifier genes on tumor phenotype, and of the cooperation between p53 and other oncogenic pathways, chemical carcinogens and hormonal stimulation in mammary tumorigenesis. Both p53 transgenic and knockout mice are important in vivo tools for understanding breast cancer, and are yet to be exploited for developing therapeutic strategies in breast cancer.