Contribution of p53, p63, and p73 to the developmental diseases and cancer

Tumor suppressor TP53 gene is one of the most mutated genes in human genome. Inactivating somatic mutations and disruption of p53 protein have been described in almost all human malignancies. Its inactivation by germline mutation leads to the rare but severe familial precancerosis termed Li-Fraumeni syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by the early onset of different types of cancers including soft-tissue sarcomas, breast and brain cancers, leukemias, lung, laryngeal cancers, and adrenocortical carcinomas. The key role of p53 in tumor suppression has been confirmed in animal models as well. The p53 -knock-out and knock-in animals were born alive but were tumor prone. In the late nineties, two genes with high homology with TP53 were discovered, TP73 and TP63, respectively. Animal models showed that p73 is an important player in neurogenesis, sensory pathways and homeostatic control. The p63 is critical for the development of stratified epithelial tissues such as epidermis, breast, and prostate. Despite the structural similarities with p53, the function of these proteins in tumorigenesis is controversial. On one hand, there are evidences that both, p63 and p73-deficient animals are not tumor prone; on the other hand, there is evidence that such animals develop tumors later during their life. Unlike in TP53 gene, mutations in TP63 and TP73 genes are rare, however, germline mutations in TP63 are linked to the human developmental diseases. In this minireview, we describe the contribution of the p53, p63, and p73 to human pathology with emphasis on their different roles in development and tumorigenesis.     

Inhibition of p53-induced apoptosis without affecting expression of p53-regulated genes

Using DNA microarray and clustering of expressed genes we have analyzed the mechanism of inhibition of wild-type p53-induced apoptosis by the cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6) and the calcium mobilizer thapsigargin (TG). Clustering analysis of 1,786 genes, the expression level of which changed after activation of wild-type p53 in the absence or presence of IL-6 or TG, showed that these compounds did not cause a general inhibition of the ability of p53 to up-regulate or down-regulate gene expression. Expression of various p53 targets implicated as mediators of p53-induced apoptosis was also not affected by IL-6 or TG. These compounds thus can bypass the effect of wild-type p53 on gene expression and inhibit apoptosis. IL-6 and TG activated different p53-independent pathways of gene expression that include up-regulation of antiapoptotic genes. IL-6 and TG also activated different differentiation-associated genes. The ability of compounds such as cytokines and calcium mobilizers to inhibit p53-mediated apoptosis without generally inhibiting gene expression regulated by p53 can facilitate tumor development and tumor resistance to radiation and chemotherapy in cells that retain wild-type p53.     

Small-molecule RETRA suppresses mutant p53-bearing cancer cells through a p73-dependent salvage pathway

Identification of unique features of cancer cells is important for defining specific and efficient therapeutic targets. Mutant p53 is present in nearly half of all cancer cases, forming a promising target for pharmacological reactivation. In addition to being defective for the tumor-suppressor function, mutant p53 contributes to malignancy by blocking a p53 family member p73. Here, we describe a small-molecule RETRA that activates a set of p53-regulated genes and specifically suppresses mutant p53-bearing tumor cells in vitro and in mouse xenografts. Although the effect is strictly limited to the cells expressing mutant p53, it is abrogated by inhibition with RNAi to p73. Treatment of mutant p53-expressing cancer cells with RETRA results in a substantial increase in the expression level of p73, and a release of p73 from the blocking complex with mutant p53, which produces tumor-suppressor effects similar to the functional reactivation of p53. RETRA is active against tumor cells expressing a variety of p53 mutants and does not affect normal cells. The results validate the mutant p53-p73 complex as a promising and highly specific potential target for cancer therapy.     

p73和p51基因在结直肠癌中的表达和意义

背景：p53基因是一种肿瘤抑制基因，其家族成员p73和p51在结构上与p53具有高度同源性，影响细胞转录和凋亡的功能与p53相似。目的：研究p73和p51基因在结直肠癌中的表达及其与细胞凋亡和肿瘤临床病理特征的关系，探讨两者在结直肠癌发生、发展中的可能作用。方法：以逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT—PCR）检测60例结直肠癌组织和相应癌旁组织中p73、p51mRNA表达，以原位末端标记（TUNEL）法检测细胞凋亡。结果：结直肠癌组织p73、p51AmRNA表达阳性率显著高于相应癌旁组织（p73：71．7％对5．0％，P〈0．01：p51A：46．7％对11．7％，P〈0．01）：p51B mRNA在结直肠癌组织与相应癌旁组织中的相对表达量无明显差异（0．7318±0．3628对0．6836±0．3516，P〉0．05）。p73、p51A mRNA表达阳性者肿瘤细胞凋亡指数分别显著低于p73、p51A mRNA表达阴性者（p73：3．2％±2．5％对5．5％±2．8％．P=0．003；p51A：2．6％±2．3％对4．9％±2．7％，P=0．001）。p73mRNA表达与结直肠癌的分化程度、TNM分期和淋巴结转移相关（P〈0．05），p51A mRNA表达仅与淋巴结转移相关（P〈0．05）。结论：结直肠癌中p73、p51A基因表达上调，两者可能通过抑制肿瘤细胞凋亡而参与了结直肠癌的发生、发展。p73过表达可能与结直肠癌预后不良有关。     

Directed expression of dominant-negative p73 enables proliferation of cardiomyocytes in mice

Previous studies have shown that p53 plays an important role in maintaining cell cycle arrest of cardiomyocytes, which might account for the inability of human hearts to regenerate adequately after injury. Therefore, inhibition of p53 represents an attractive strategy to restore cell cycle progression in cardiomyocytes although such an approach is hampered by the potential danger of concomitant tumor induction. During normal development, N-terminal truncated isoforms of the p53-related protein p73 are naturally occurring antagonists of p53 and p73, which are not related to tumor induction. We have generated recombinant adenoviruses encoding dominant-interfering p73 (Ad-p73DD) to inhibit p53/p73 in murine hearts at different developmental stages. We found that the expression of p73DD(wt) in newborn mice led to the increase of the relative heart weights after 14 days which is paralleled by a significant increase of proliferating cardiomyocytes as seen by ICC (BrdU-incorporation, phosphorylation of histone3, expression of AuroraB) without induction of apoptosis. Stimulation of cell cycle progression in cardiomyocytes went along with a significant down-regulation of the p53-dependent cdk-inhibitor p21WAF both on mRNA and protein level. Furthermore, mRNA levels and protein expression of D-type cyclins and cyclins A, B2, and E were selectively increased after expression of p73DD. We further show that the cell cycle entry of cardiomyocytes is not restricted to neonatal hearts but is also found in adult mouse hearts 5 days after intramyocardial injection of Ad-p73DD. Taken together we reason that directed expression of dominant-negative p73 might be utilized to stimulate proliferation of cardiomyocytes to improve cardiac regeneration.     

The p53-homologue p63 may promote thyroid cancer progression

Inactivation of p53 and p73 is known to promote thyroid cancer progression. We now describe p63 expression and function in human thyroid cancer. TAp63alpha is expressed in most thyroid cancer specimens and cell lines, but not in normal thyrocytes. However, in thyroid cancer cells TAp63alpha fails to induce the target genes (p21Cip1, Bax, MDM2) and, as a consequence, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis occur. Moreover, TAp63alpha antagonizes the effect of p53 on target genes, cell viability and foci formation, and p63 gene silencing by small interfering (si) RNA results in improved p53 activity. This unusual effect of TAp63alpha depends on the protein C-terminus, since TAp63beta and TAp63gamma isoforms, which have a different arrangement of their C-terminus, are still able to induce the target genes and to exert tumour-restraining effects in thyroid cancer cells. Our data outline the existence of a complex network among p53 family members, where TAp63alpha may promote thyroid tumour progression by inactivating the tumour suppressor activity of p53.     

Expression of the p53 homologue p63alpha and DeltaNp63alpha in the neoplastic sequence of Barrett's oesophagus: correlation with morphology and p53 protein

BACKGROUND: While loss of p53 function is a key oncogenic step in human tumorigenesis, mutations of p53 are generally viewed as late events in the metaplasia-dysplasia-adenocarcinoma sequence of Barrett's oesophagus. Recent reports of a series of genes (p63, p73, and others) exhibiting close homology to p53 raise the possibility that abnormalities of these p53 family members may exert their influence earlier in the sequence. AIM: Following recent characterisation of expression of p63 and a major isoform DeltaNp63 by generation of an antiserum that recognises p63 isoforms, but not p53, our aim was a comparative study of expression of p63 protein and p53 protein in a morphologically well defined biopsy series representative of all stages of the metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence in Barrett's oesophagus. METHODS: A series of 60 biopsy cases representing normal oesophagus through to invasive adenocarcinoma were stained, using immunohistochemistry, with antibodies to p63 and p53. All biopsies derived from patients with endoscopic and histopathological substantiation of a diagnosis of traditional/classical Barrett's oesophagus. RESULTS: There was exact concordance in p53 and p63 expression in more advanced forms of neoplasia, high grade dysplasia, and invasive adenocarcinoma, while p63, but not p53, was detected in the proliferative compartment of some non-neoplastic oesophageal tissue, in both squamous mucosa and in the non-neoplastic metaplastic glandular epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: In neoplastic Barrett's oesophagus there is upregulation of both p63 and p53 while p63 isoforms may well have an important role in epithelial biology in both non-metaplastic and metaplastic mucosa of the oesophagus. While abnormalities of p53 function represent an indisputable and critical element of neoplastic transformation, other closely linked genes and their proteins have a role in both the physiology and pathophysiology of the oesophageal mucosa.     

Expression of p53and C—myc genes and its clinical relevance in the hepatocellular carcinomatous and pericarcinomatous tissues

AIM：To investigate the possible roles of p53and C-myc genes in the primary hepatocellular carciogenesis and the relationship between the liver hyperplastic nodule(LHN)and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).METHODS:The expression of p53and C-myc genes was detcted immunohist-ochemically in 73and 60cases of HCCand pericarcinomatous tissues,respectively.RESULTS:The positive expression of p53in HCCwas significantly higher than that in pericarcinomatous tissues(P<0.050.In pericarcinomatous tissues,the p53 expression was observed onlyin LHN,but not in liver cirrhosis(LC)and normal liver tissues.The positive expression rate of C-myc in HCC or LHN was significantly higher than that in LCor normal liver tissues(P<0.05and P<0.01).however,no significant difference was found between HCCand LHN(P>0.05).The positive expression rate of p53and C-myc in HCCwas correlated with the histological differentiation,that in the poorly6 differentiated was significantly higher than that in well differentiated samples(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The overexpression of p53and C-myc genes might play a orle in the carcinogenesis of HCC;And LHN seems a preneoplastic lesion related to hepatocarcinogenesis.No evidence supports that LC contribute directly to the hepatocarcinogenesis.     

c-myc and bcl-2 modulate p53 function by altering p53 subcellular trafficking during the cell cycle.

We have studied the ability of c-myc and bcl-2 oncogenes to modulate p53 function. Our studies show that coincident expression of human Bcl-2 protein with p53 prolongs survival of murine erythroleukemia cells. This effect was associated with a loss of the G1 specificity of p53-mediated cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, we found that the c-myc and bcl-2 genes cooperate to inhibit p53 functions. Coexpression of bcl-2 and c-myc can totally overcome p53-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by altering the subcellular trafficking of p53 during the cell cycle: the p53 remains in the cytoplasm of the cotransfected cells during a critical period in G1. This finding suggests a mechanism by which normal hematopoietic progenitors can survive and proliferate despite p53 expression and by which the inappropriate expression of bcl-2 and c-myc can cooperate in transformation.     

Aurora B kinase phosphorylates and instigates degradation of p53

Aurora B is a mitotic checkpoint kinase that plays a pivotal role in the cell cycle, ensuring correct chromosome segregation and normal progression through mitosis. Aurora B is overexpressed in many types of human cancers, which has made it an attractive target for cancer therapies. Tumor suppressor p53 is a genome guardian and important negative regulator of the cell cycle. Whether Aurora B and p53 are coordinately regulated during the cell cycle is not known. We report that Aurora B directly interacts with p53 at different subcellular localizations and during different phases of the cell cycle (for instance, at the nucleus in interphase and the centromeres in prometaphase of mitosis). We show that Aurora B phosphorylates p53 at S183, T211, and S215 to accelerate the degradation of p53 through the polyubiquitination-proteasome pathway, thus functionally suppressing the expression of p53 target genes involved in cell cycle inhibition and apoptosis (e.g., p21 and PUMA). Pharmacologic inhibition of Aurora B in cancer cells with WT p53 increased p53 protein level and expression of p53 target genes to inhibit tumor growth. Together, these results define a mechanism of p53 inactivation during the cell cycle and imply that oncogenic hyperactivation or overexpression of Aurora B may compromise the tumor suppressor function of p53. We have elucidated the antineoplastic mechanism for Aurora B kinase inhibitors in cancer cells with WT p53.