Unique induction of p21(WAF1/CIP1)expression by vinorelbine in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells

To study the mechanisms of the development of hormone refractory prostate cancer, we established an androgen-independent (AI) prostate cancer cell line derived from hormone-dependent (AD) LNCaP cells. Our previous studies have demonstrated that AI cells are deficient in expression of p21(WAFl/CIP1) (p21) due to overexpressed AR and are resistant to apoptosis. In this study, the induction of p53 and p21 expression by vinorelbine (Navelbine) was compared between AD and AI cells in an attempt to understand the difference(s) in apoptotic signalling pathways in these cells. Using a series of deletion of p21 reporter constructs, we found that vinorelbine mediated p21 induction in a p53-dependent manner in AD cells. In contrast, p21 expression restored by vinorelbine in AI cells was found to be through both p53-dependent and-independent pathways. In the absence of two p53 binding sites, Spl-3 and Spl-4 sites, in the promoter of human p21 gene, were found to be required for vinorelbine-mediated p21 activation. No p21 induction was observed by paclitaxel in AI cells. Exposure of AI cells to paciltaxel followed by vinorelbine produced synergism. Our data, thus, provide a basis for the synergistic combination of vinorelbine and paclitaxel for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.     

A cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (p21(WAF1/CIP1)) affects thymidine incorporation in human liver cancer cells

p21(WAF1/CIP1) is a universal cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor. To investigate the role of p21(WAF1/CIP1) in proliferation of human liver cancer cells, we examined the expression of p53, p21(WAF1/CIP1), cdk2 and cdk4 expression in two human liver cancer cell lines (HepG2 and PLC/PRF/5 cells). The effects of p21(WAF1/CIP1) on [(3)H]thymidine incorporation and cdks were also examined in these cells. HepG2 cells expressed all these proteins with lower level of cdk4. PLC/PRF/5 cells expressed the other proteins except p21(WAF1/CIP1). Transfection of p21(WAF1/CIP1) gene inhibited [(3)H]thymidine incorporation of both cells with different extent. Although the transfection of p21(WAF1/CIP1) did not affect cdk2 and cdk4 expression, it did reduce cdk2 kinase activity by 20%. These results suggest that: (a) p21(WAF1/CIP1) involved in DNA synthesis of human liver cancer cells; (b) p21(WAF1/CIP1) could be a target gene for the treatment of human hepatocellular carcinoma.     

Reduced p21(WAF1/CIP1) protein expression is predominantly related to altered p53 in hepatocellular carcinomas

To investigate the relationship between the expression of p21(WAF1/CIP1) protein and p53 status and the possible role of the two proteins in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs), we examined the expression of p21(WAF1/CIP1) and p53 immunohistochemically in 81 tumours from 65 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. p21(WAF1/CIP1) protein was absent from 59 of 81 tumours (72.8%), and altered p53 expression was found in 43 (53.1%). p21(WAF1/CIP1) expression was significantly associated with p53 status (P = 0.0008); 38 of 59 tumours lacking p21(WAF1/CIP1) protein were accompanied by altered p53 expression. Further analyses showed that p21(WAF1/CIP1) expression was inversely correlated with p53 expression in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCCs, but not in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinomas and hepatocellular carcinomas without viral infection. All 11 tumours with intrahepatic metastasis showed altered p21(WAF1/CIP1) or p53 expression. In contrast, no intrahepatic metastasis was found in any of the 17 tumours without abnormal expression of either of the two proteins. These results suggest that: (1) different modes of p21(WAF1/CIP1) regulation are involved in HCCs differing in their hepatitis viral infection status, and p21(WAF1/CIP1) expression appears to be predominantly related to altered p53 in HCV-related HCCs; (2) disruption of the p53-p21(WAF1/CIP1) cell-cycle-regulating pathway may contribute to malignant progression of HCC.     

蟾蜍灵对胃癌组织MGC-803细胞周期作用机制的研究

目的探讨蟾蜍灵对胃癌MGC803细胞周期及周期蛋白的影响。方法采用台盼蓝拒染法测定细胞增殖活力;瑞士姬姆萨染色观察细胞形态学的变化;流式细胞仪检测细胞周期;免疫组织化学方法检测细胞周期相关蛋白p16、p21、pRb的表达。结果1)蟾蜍灵抑制胃癌MGC803细胞的增殖,24、48、72h的IC50分别为0.086、0.048和0.036μmol/L。2)蟾蜍灵在0.01～0.1μmol/L时作用24～72h,形态学上可见细胞体积增大,出现双核、多核细胞。3)流式细胞仪显示蟾蜍灵浓度为0.01～0.1μmol/L时可明显诱导细胞周期G2/M期阻滞。4)蟾蜍灵作用于胃癌MGC803细胞,观察到p16、p21、pRb蛋白的表达明显上调。结论蟾蜍灵引起胃癌MGC803细胞的周期阻滞可能与p16、p21、pRb蛋白的上调有关。     

p21~(WAF1/CIP1)在乳腺癌中的表达及意义

目的　探讨p2 1WAF1/CIP1蛋白在乳腺癌中表达的临床意义。方法　运用免疫组化SP法半定量检测p2 1蛋白在癌旁正常乳腺组织、乳腺癌组织中的表达。结果　p2 1蛋白表达位于细胞核 ,呈棕黄色。在 2 0例癌旁正常乳腺组织中 ,无p2 1蛋白表达。在 69例乳腺癌组织中有 3 0例p2 1蛋白阳性表达。在乳腺癌组织中 ,随组织学分级升高 ,p2 1阳性率下降 (P <0 0 5 ) ,随临床分期升高 ,p2 1阳性率下降 (P <0 0 5 )。有淋巴结转移组p2 1阳性率低于无淋巴结转移组 (P <0 0 5 )。p2 1蛋白阳性表达者术后 5年无瘤生存率高于p2 1蛋白阴性者术后 5年无瘤生存率 (P <0 0 5 )。结论　p2 1蛋白可用来评估乳腺癌细胞分化情况及转移潜能 ,可判断乳腺癌患者预后。     

The procyanidin-mediated induction of apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in esophageal adenocarcinoma cells is not dependent on p21(Cip1/WAF1)

Previous studies have shown that the proanthocyanidin-mediated induction of apoptosis and arrest of the cell cycle in cancer cells was associated with up-regulation of p21^Cip1/WAF1 (p21), suggesting that p21 may be the molecular mediator of the observed effects. Here we show that procyanidins induce a rapid and sustained arrest of the cell cycle, and increase apoptosis, concomitant with an increase in p21 expression. However, blocking the PA-induced up-regulation of p21 expression with siRNA did not alter PA-mediated changes in apoptosis and cell cycle, demonstrating that p21 is not responsible for the PA-induced effects.     

Differential targeting of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor,p21CIP1/WAF1, by chelators with anti-proliferative activity in a range of tumor cell-types

Chelators such as 2-hydroxy-1-napthylaldehyde isonicotinoyl hydrazone (311) and di-2-pyridylketone-4,4-dimethyl-3-thiosemicarbazone (Dp44mT) target tumor cell iron pools and inhibit proliferation. These agents also modulate multiple targets, one of which is the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p21. Hence, this investigation examined the mechanism of action of these compounds in targeting p21. All the chelators up-regulated p21 mRNA in the five tumor cell-types assessed. In contrast, examining their effect on total p21 protein levels, these agents induced either: (1) down-regulation in MCF-7 cells; (2) up-regulation in SK-MEL-28 and CFPAC-1 cells; or (3) had no effect in LNCaP and SK-N-MC cells. The nuclear localization of p21 was also differentially affected by the ligands depending upon the cell-type, with it being decreased in MCF-7 cells, but increased in SK-MEL-28 and CFPAC-1 cells. Further studies assessing the mechanisms responsible for these effects demonstrated that p21 expression was not correlated with p53 status, suggesting a p53-independent mechanism. Considering this, we examined proteins that modulate p21 independently of p53, namely NDRG1, MDM2 and ΔNp63. These studies demonstrated that a dominant negative MDM2 isoform (p75^MDM2) closely resembled p21 expression in response to chelation in three cell lines. These data suggest MDM2 may be involved in the regulation of p21 by chelators.     

MiR-224 promotes the chemoresistance of human lung adenocarcinoma cells to cisplatin via regulating G1/S transition and apoptosis by targeting p21WAF1/CIP1

Background:

Increasing evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) can serve as oncogenes and tumour suppressors to participate in tumour development. However, the roles of miRNAs in chemoresistance of human lung adenocarcinoma (LA) remain largely undefined.

Methods:

On the basis of miRNA microarray data, miR-224 was identified as the most upregulated miRNA in cisplatin (DDP; cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II)-resistant A549 cells compared with parental A549 cells. The aim of our study was to investigate the roles of miR-224 in the formation of DDP-resistant phenotype of LA cells and its possible molecular mechanisms.

Results:

Here we showed that miR-224 could promote the in vitro and in vivo DDP resistance of LA cells via regulating G₁/S cell cycle transition and apoptosis. p21^WAF1/CIP1, a potent cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, was identified as the direct and functional target gene of miR-224. Overexpression of p21^WAF1/CIP1 could phenocopy the effect of miR-224 downregulation and silencing of p21^WAF1/CIP1 could partially reverse the effect of miR-224 downregulation on DDP resistance of DDP-resistant LA cells. In addition, miR-224 could affect the G₁/S transition of cell cycle and apoptosis in LA cells through the p21^WAF1/CIP1-pRb pathway and the intrinsic mitochondrial death pathway. Furthermore, miR-224 was found to be downregulated in DDP-responding LA tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with p21^WAF1/CIP1. Multivariate analyses indicated that the status of miR-224 might be an independent prognostic factor for predicting the survival of LA patients.

Conclusions:

Our findings shed novel light on the roles of miR-224/p21^WAF1/CIP1 signalling in the DDP resistance of LA cells, and targeting it will be a potential strategic approach for reversing the DDP resistance in human LAs.     

Leptin-induced growth of human ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells is associated with up-regulation of cyclin D1 and c-Myc and down-regulation of tumor suppressor p53 and p21WAF1/CIP1

Summary Obesity has been recognized as a risk factor for breast cancer. Adipocyte-derived leptin may play as a paracrine regulator on the growth of breast cancer cells. Expression of both leptin and its OB-Rb receptor was detected in human breast cancer ZR-75-1 cells and further induced by leptin, suggesting that both expression and message mediation of leptin were autoregulated by itself. With cell counting and MTT assay, we had observed leptin stimulated ZR-75-1 growth in dose- and time-dependent manners. To study what steps of cell cycle progression leptin may involve in, we analyzed cell-cycle profile with flow cytometric analysis, mRNA and protein expressions of four cell-cycle regulators with RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. Under the treatment of leptin, the G1 arrest of cells was reduced accompanied with up-regulation of G1 phase-specific cyclin D1 and proto-oncogene c-Myc, but down-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21^WAF1/CIP1 and tumor suppressor p53. Furthermore, JAK2 inhibitor AG490, PI3K/Akt inhibitor Wortmannin, and MEK/ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 were efficiently prevented leptin-promoted cell growth. Effect of cooperation between leptin and estrogen on ZR-75-1 growth had been observed. Collectively, the results showed that the proliferative effect of leptin on ZR-75-1 was associated with the up-regulation of cyclin D1 and c-Myc and down-regulation of tumor suppressor p53 and p21^WAF1/CIP1 plausibly through a hypothesized JAK2-PI3K/Akt-MEK/ERK pathway. The leptin- and OB-Rb-expressing capability of ZR-75-1 created a possible autocrine control of leptin, in which signal could be effectively amplified by itself, on cell growth.     

Lycorine hydrochloride inhibits melanoma cell proliferation,migration and invasion via down-regulating p21Cip1/WAF1

Lycorine hydrochloride (LH) is an active ingredient sourced from the medicinal herb Lycoris radiata. Previous studies have suggested that LH exerts tumor suppression activity in several human cancers. However, the anti-cancer effect of LH in melanoma and the potential molecular mechanisms still need to be further studied. p21^Cip1/WAF1, unlike its traditional cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor role, is believed to act as an oncogene under certain cellular conditions. In this research, an increased expression of p21^Cip1/WAF1 was found in human melanoma tissues and positively related to the tumor invasion depth. High level of p21^Cip1/WAF1 was found to correlate with bad outcomes of melanoma patients by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Functional experiments demonstrated that the proliferation, migration and invasion ability of A375 and MV3 melanoma cells was powerfully inhibited by LH through inducing S phase cell cycle arrest and regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In NOD/SCID mice model, LH effectively inhibited the xenograft tumor growth and lung metastasis of A375 cells. Further research revealed that LH reduced p21^Cip1/WAF1 protein by accelerating its ubiquitination. Importantly, the LH-induced suppression of cell proliferation and metastasis was rescued by p21^Cip1/WAF1 overexpression, both in vitro an in vivo. Taken together, LH, which suppresses the proliferation and metastasis of melanoma cells via down-regulating p21^Cip1/WAF1, is expected to be developed as an effective medicine for melanoma therapy.     

Interferon Regulatory Factor 1 (IRF-1) induces p21(WAF1/CIP1) dependent cell cycle arrest and p21(WAF1/CIP1) independent modulation of survivin in cancer cells

We have shown that the ectopic expression of Interferon Regulatory Factor 1 (IRF-1) results in human cancer cell death accompanied by the down-regulation of the Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (IAP) survivin and the induction of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(WAF1/CIP1). In this report, we investigated the direct role of p21 in the suppression of survivin. We show that IRF-1 down-regulates cyclin B1, cdc-2, cyclin E, E2F1, Cdk2, Cdk4, and results in p21-mediated G1 cell cycle arrest. Interestingly, while p21 directly mediates G1 cell cycle arrest, IRF-1 or other IRF-1 signaling pathways may directly regulate survivin in human cancer cells.     

胃癌中p21WAF1/CIP1、细胞周期素D1、p53表达的相关性

目的　探讨p2 1WAF1/CIP1、细胞周期素D1(cyclinD1)、p5 3在胃癌中表达之间的相关性。 方法　应用原位杂交技术检测p2 1WAF1/CIP1mRNA、细胞周期素D1mRNA及免疫组化技术检测p5 3蛋白在胃癌中的表达。结果　p2 1WAF1/CIP1mRNA在癌组织及癌旁正常粘膜中阳性表达率各为 93.15 % (6 8/73)及76 .71% (5 6 /73) ,二者相比具有显著差异 (P <0 .0 5 )。CyclinD1mRNA在癌组织及癌旁正常粘膜中阳性表达率各为 5 4 .79% (40 /73)及 30 .16 % (2 2 /73) ,二者具有显著差异 (P <0 .0 5 )。p5 3蛋白在胃癌中的阳性表达率为 32 .87% (2 4 /73) ,p5 3过表达者 ,其 p2 1WAF1/CIP1mRNA表达较p5 3阴性者为低 ,二者存在显著差异 (P <0 .0 5 )。p2 1WAF1/CIP1表达与细胞周期素D1表达呈负相关。结论　p2 1WAF1/CIP1、CyclinD1、p5 3的异常表达及它们之间可能存在的相互作用 ,对于胃癌的发生发展具有重要意义。     

Involvement of bcl-2 and p21waf1 proteins in response of human breast cancer cell clones to Tomudex.

Mechanisms of resistance to Tomudex include increased thymidylate synthase activity, as well as reduced intracellular drug uptake and polyglutamation. However, little is known about other mechanisms of resistance, such as a possible protection against Tomudex-induced apoptosis mediated by bcl-2. We transfected the MDA-MB-435 human breast cancer cell line, which is characterized by a mutated p53 gene, with cDNA of the bcl-2 gene and generated two clones (MDA-bcl4 and MDA-bcl7) characterized by bcl-2 expression twofold and fourfold that observed in the control cell clone (MDAneo). A concomitant overexpression of p21wafl was also detected in the MDA-bcl7 clone. The MDA-bcl4 clone was three times more resistant to a 24-h Tomudex exposure than the MDAneo clone, whereas the MDA-bcl7 clone was as sensitive to Tomudex as the control cell clone. A lower sensitivity of the MDA-bcl4 clone than MDAneo and MDA-bcl7 clones to 5-fluorouracil and gemcitabine was also observed. No significant difference was noted in the susceptibility of clones to fludarabine and methothrexate. Basal levels of thymidylate synthase activity were superimposable in the three clones. Tomudex induced a marked accumulation of cells in the S phase in all the clones. However, an apoptotic hypodiploid DNA peak and the characteristic nuclear morphology of apoptosis were observed only in the MDA-bcl7 clone after exposure to Tomudex. No difference in the treatment-induced modulation of proteins involved in cell cycle progression (cyclin A, cdk2, pRB, E2F-1) and apoptosis (bcl-2, bax) was observed in the three clones. The only exception was that the expression of p21wafl in the MDA-bcl4 clone was inducible at a Tomudex concentration much higher than that required to induce the protein in the other clones. Overall, the results indicate that bcl-2 and p21wafl proteins concur in determining the cellular profile of sensitivity/resistance to Tomudex.     

Cellular response and activation of apoptosis by mithramycin SK in p21-deficient HCT116 human colon carcinoma cells

HCT116 (p21^−/−) human colon carcinoma cells treated with mithramycin SK (MSK), a novel analog of the antitumor antibiotic mithramycin A (MTA), were transiently arrested in G2/M, with some cells entering a faulty mitotic cycle without cytokinesis that resulted in G1-like cell arrest, which consisted of post-mitotic aneuploid G1 cells. Some of these cells synthesized DNA and elicited an apoptotic response. The absence of p21^WAF1 made HCT116 cells more sensitive to MSK than to the related MTA. MSK also showed higher antiproliferative activity than MTA on HCT116 cells with different genetic backgrounds, including those lacking the p53 gene. Apoptosis in MSK-treated p21^−/− cells involved caspase 2 rather than caspase 3. Untreated HCT116 (p21^−/−) cells presented a little caspase 3 activity, which increased slightly after treatment with MSK. The apoptotic response in p21^−/− cells comprised caspase 2 acting as an executor caspase together with a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential that may be initiated by caspase 2. In contrast, caspase 3 was activated in wild-type HCT116 after treatment with MSK.     

p53 missense but not truncation mutations are associated with low levels of p21(CIP1/WAF1) mRNA expression in primary human sarcomas

Many growth-suppressing signals converge to control the levels of the CDK inhibitor p21(CIP1/WAF1). Some human cancers exhibit low levels of expression of p21(CIP1/WAF1) and mutations in p53 have been implicated in this down-regulation. To evaluate whether the presence of p53 mutations was related to the in vivo expression of p21(CIP1/WAF1) mRNA in sarcomas we measured the p21(CIP1/WAF1) mRNA levels for a group of 71 primary bone and soft tissue tumours with known p53 status. As expected, most tumours with p53 mutations expressed low levels of p21(CIP1/WAF1)mRNA. However, we identified a group of tumours with p53 gene mutations that exhibited normal or higher levels of p21(CIP1/WAF1) mRNA. The p53 mutations in the latter group were not the common missense mutations in exons 4-9, but were predominantly nonsense mutations predicted to result in truncation of the p53 protein. The results of this study suggest that different types of p53 mutations can have different effects on the expression of downstream genes such as p21(CIP1/WAF1) in human sarcomas.