Immune response to p53 is dependent upon p53/HSP70 complexes in breast cancers.

Overexpression of the p53 protein, resulting from gene mutations that increase protein stability, has been detected in greater than 25% of primary human breast cancers. In addition, approximately 10% of breast cancer patients have circulating antibodies to the p53 protein. In this study, the anti-p53 humoral response is correlated with the presence and type of mutant p53 protein expressed in the tumor. In a series of 60 breast cancer patients, 0 of 30 tumors with normal, low-level p53 expression induced anti-p53 antibodies, whereas 7 (23%) of 30 tumors with p53 overexpression elicited a specific anti-p53 antibody response. These 7 patients had anti-p53 antibodies that recognized wild-type p53 and a variety of mutant p53 proteins. A comparison of p53 mutations revealed that antibody-negative tumors had mutations exclusively in exons 7 and 8, whereas antibody-positive tumors had mutations primarily in exons 5 and 6. Moreover, all antibody-eliciting tumors contained complexes between p53 and a 70-kDa heat shock protein, whereas none of the antibody-negative tumors contained this complex. This study implicates a 70-kDa heat shock protein in the antigenic presentation of p53.     

Integrins regulate the apoptotic response to DNA damage through modulation of p53

p53 mediates apoptosis of cells after DNA damage including tumor cells after radiation or chemotherapy. Survival of isolated cancer cells after therapy leads to recurrence of therapy-resistant tumors. We now show that for some melanoma, sarcoma, or fibroblastic cell types that survive without integrin-mediated adhesion, apoptosis in response to DNA damage requires cell adhesion. This effect correlates with rapid changes in levels of p14/p19 Arf and its downstream component, p53. Killing of nonadherent cells is increased by treatment with antiintegrin antibodies or by increasing levels of p53 or Arf. Consistent with low p53 levels, suspended cells show chromosomal instability after irradiation. Thus, loss of normal adhesion in susceptible tumor cells during genotoxic stress may play a role in therapy resistance and promote survival of cells with aberrant DNA.     

A plausible model for the digital response of p53 to DNA damage

Recent observations show that the single-cell response of p53 to ionizing radiation (IR) is "digital" in that it is the number of oscillations rather than the amplitude of p53 that shows dependence on the radiation dose. We present a model of this phenomenon. In our model, double-strand break (DSB) sites induced by IR interact with a limiting pool of DNA repair proteins, forming DSB-protein complexes at DNA damage foci. The persisting complexes are sensed by ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), a protein kinase that activates p53 once it is phosphorylated by DNA damage. The ATM-sensing module switches on or off the downstream p53 oscillator, consisting of a feedback loop formed by p53 and its negative regulator, Mdm2. In agreement with experiments, our simulations show that by assuming stochasticity in the initial number of DSBs and the DNA repair process, p53 and Mdm2 exhibit a coordinated oscillatory dynamics upon IR stimulation in single cells, with a stochastic number of oscillations whose mean increases with IR dose. The damped oscillations previously observed in cell populations can be explained as the aggregate behavior of single cells.     

Loss of heterozygosity at 11p15 and p53 alterations in malignant gliomas

Purpose: Malignant gliomas are the most frequent primary brain tumors. Recent studies defined several genetic markers, which might characterize molecular-biological subsets of glioblastomas with prognostic implications. In the later steps of tumor-progression, deletions on chromosome 11p15 and mutations of the tumor suppressor gene p53 were determined for different malignancies. To elucidate the involvement of 11p15 deletions in the tumorigenesis of malignant gliomas, we analyzed a series of 50 glioblastomas for loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Methods: Paired tissue and blood samples from 50 patients with glioblastoma multiforme were included. Microsatellite markers located on 11p15.1–11p15.5 were used for LOH analysis. Additionally, mutation analysis of the tumor suppressor gene p53 was performed, which might correlate with favorable survival in glioblastomas. Results: The region 11p15.4–5 was deleted heterozygously in 28% of cases representing 15 cM. Twenty-six glioblastomas did not show allelic loss for any locus. Our data revealed close association of LOH 11p15 with p53 mutations, and survival analysis showed a trend indicating better prognosis in glioblastomas characterized by LOH 11p15. Conclusion: In the tumorigenesis of malignant gliomas, p53 mutations and 11p15 deletions seem to indicate a genetic subset of tumors with favorable prognostic value. Received: 13 June 2000 / Accepted: 2 October 2000     

Two-phase dynamics of p53 in the DNA damage response

The tumor suppressor p53 mainly induces cell cycle arrest/DNA repair or apoptosis in the DNA damage response. How to choose between these two outcomes is not fully understood. We proposed a four-module model of the p53 signaling network and associated the network dynamics with cellular outcomes after ionizing radiation. We found that the cellular response is mediated by both the level and posttranslational modifications of p53 and that p53 is activated in a progressive manner. First, p53 is partially activated by primary modifications such as phosphorylation at Ser-15/20 to induce cell cycle arrest, with its level varying in a series of pulses. If the damage cannot be fixed after a critical number of p53 pulses, then p53 is fully activated by further modifications such as phosphorylation at Ser-46 to trigger apoptosis, with its concentration switching to rather high levels. Thus, p53 undergoes a two-phase response in irreparably damaged cells. Such combinations of pulsatile and switch-like behaviors of p53 may represent a flexible and efficient control mode, avoiding the premature apoptosis and promoting the execution of apoptosis. In our model, p53 pulses are recurrently driven by ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) pulses triggered by DNA damage. The p53-Mdm2 and ATM-p53-Wip1 negative feedback loops are responsible for p53 pulses, whereas the switching behavior occurs when the p53-PTEN-Akt-Mdm2 positive feedback loop becomes dominant. Our results suggest that a sequential predominance of distinct feedback loops may elicit multiple-phase dynamical behaviors. This work provides a new mechanism for p53 dynamics and cell fate decision.     

Loss of cryptochrome reduces cancer risk in p53 mutant mice

It is commonly thought that disruption of the circadian clock increases the cancer incidence in humans and mice. However, it was found that disruption of the clock by the Cryptochrome (Cry) mutation in mice did not increase cancer rate in the mutant mice even after exposing the animals to ionizing radiation. Therefore, in this study we tested the effect of the Cry mutation on carcinogenesis in a mouse strain prone to cancer because of a p53 mutation, with the expectation that clock disruption in this sensitized background would further increase cancer risk. Paradoxically, we find that the Cry mutation protects p53 mutant mice from the early onset of cancer and extends their median lifespan ≈50%, in part by sensitizing p53 mutant cells to apoptosis in response to genotoxic stress. These results suggest alternative therapeutic approaches in management of cancers associated with a p53 mutation.     

T-cell immunity to the joining region of p210BCR-ABL protein.

The hallmark of chronic myelogenous leukemia is the translocation of the human c-abl protooncogene (ABL) from chromosome 9 to the specific breakpoint cluster region (bcr) of the BCR gene on chromosome 22. The t(9;22)(q34;q11) translocation results in the formation of a BCR-ABL fusion gene that encodes a 210-kDa chimeric protein with abnormal tyrosine kinase activity. The ABL and BCR genes are expressed by normal cells and thus the encoded proteins are presumably nonimmunogenic. However, the joining-region segment of the p210BCR-ABL chimeric protein is composed of unique sequences of ABL amino acids joined to BCR amino acids that are expressed only by malignant cells. The current study demonstrates that the joining region of BCR-ABL protein is immunogenic to murine T cells. Immunization of mice with synthetic peptides corresponding to the joining region elicited peptide-specific, CD4+, class II major histocompatibility complex-restricted T cells. The BCR-ABL peptide-specific T cells recognized only the combined sequence of BCR-ABL amino acids and not BCR or ABL amino acid sequences alone. Importantly, the BCR-ABL peptide-specific T cells could recognize and proliferate in response to p210BCR-ABL protein. The response of peptide-specific T cells to protein demonstrated that p210BCR-ABL can be processed by antigen-presenting cells so that the joining segment is bound to class II major histocompatibility complex molecules in a configuration similar to that of the immunizing peptide and in a concentration high enough to stimulate the antigen-specific T-cell receptor. Thus, BCR-ABL protein represents a potential tumor-specific antigen related to the transforming event and shared by many individuals with chronic myelogenous leukemia.     

beta-arrestin 2 oligomerization controls the Mdm2-dependent inhibition of p53

β-arrestins (β-arrs), two ubiquitous proteins involved in serpentine heptahelical receptor regulation and signaling, form constitutive homo- and heterooligomers stabilized by inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakisphosphate (IP6). Monomeric β-arrs are believed to interact with receptors after agonist activation, and therefore, β-arr oligomers have been proposed to represent a resting biologically inactive state. In contrast to this, we report here that the interaction with and subsequent titration out of the nucleus of the protooncogene Mdm2 specifically require β-arr2 oligomers together with the previously characterized nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of β-arr2. Mutation of the IP6-binding sites impair oligomerization, reduce interaction with Mdm2, and inhibit p53-dependent antiproliferative effects of β-arr2, whereas the competence for receptor regulation and signaling is maintained. These observations suggest that the intracellular concentration of β-arr2 oligomers might control cell survival and proliferation.