P53 Activation In Response Research Articles

Inhibition of Akt signaling by SN-38 induces apoptosis in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer still remains a major health problem in women worldwide. Inhibitors of topoisomerase I have proven to be among the most promising new classes of anti-neoplastic agents introducing into the clinic in recent years. CPT-11 is one of the most widely used Camptothecin analogues and is converted to form the active metabolite SN-38. The study tried to explore the in vitro mechanisms of apoptosis induced by SN-38 in cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and SiHa. The results demonstrated here that SN-38 inhibited cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependant manner. Western Blot showed that SN-38 down-regulated protein expression of p-Akt and increased protein expression of p53 and p21, but it had no effects on protein expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and Akt. Transfection of the full-length Akt cDNA into HeLa and SiHa cells resulted in the reduction of apoptosis induced by SN-38, and Akt kinase activity regulated the p53 pathway, indicating that inhibition of the Akt pathway played an important role in exhibition of SN-38-mediated cytotoxic effect. Our data suggested that SN-38 could induce apoptosis through a p53 pathway and that activation of p53 in response to S-38 is governed by Akt.

Cyclic Pifithrin-α Sensitizes Wild Type p53 Tumor Cells to Antimicrotubule Agent–Induced Apoptosis

As a consequence of multiple functions of p53, its activation in response to cytotoxic stress may have proapoptotic or protective effects depending on the nature of lesions. We have previously shown that mutational inactivation of p53 results in sensitization to paclitaxel. In this study, we used cyclic pifithrin-α, a transcriptional inhibitor of p53, to further investigate the relevance of p53 function in the response of tumor cells to microtubule inhibitors. Using drug concentrations causing only antiproliferative effects, the combination of antimicrotubule agents with subtoxic pifithrin-α doses resulted in increase of sensitivity of two wild type p53 cell lines, associated with a substantial M phase cell accumulation and marked sensitization to apoptosis. Pifithrin-α had no sensitizing effect in p53 defective cells or a marginal effect in normal human fibroblasts. The apoptotic response to the combination was concomitant with p21 down-regulation, Polo-like kinase 1 up-regulation, p34cdc2 kinase dephosphory-lation, and cdc25C phosphatase phosphorylation, supporting mitotic arrest. Sensitization to paclitaxel-induced apoptosis was also achieved by p53-siRNA transfection in wild type p53 H460 cells. Pifithrin-α did not enhance the apoptotic response after p53 down-regulation. The results support a protective role of the transcriptional activity of p53 in response to mitotic spindle damage. The inhibition of transcriptional activity of p53 may have therapeutic implications in the treatment of p53 wild type tumors with antimitotic agents.

Overexpression of HIPK2 circumvents the blockade of apoptosis in chemoresistant ovarian cancer cells

Objective Chemoresistance, due to inhibition of apoptotic response, is the major reason for the failure of anticancer therapies. HIPK2 regulates p53-apoptotic function via serine-46 (Ser46) phosphorylation and activation of p53 is a key determinant in ovarian cancer cell death. In this study we determined whether HIPK2 overexpression restored apoptotic response in chemoresistant cancer cells. Methods Using cisplatin chemosensitive (2008) and chemoresistant (2008C13) ovarian cancer cell lines we compared drug-induced activation of the HIPK2/p53Ser46 apoptotic pathway. The levels of HIPK2, Ser46 phosphorylation, and PARP cleavage were detected by Western blotting. The p53Ser46 apoptotic commitment was evaluated by luciferase assay using the Ser46 specific AIP1 target gene promoter. The apoptotic pathway was detected by caspase-3, -8, and -9 activities. Results HIPK2 was expressed differently in sensitive versus chemoresistant cells in response to different chemotherapeutic drugs (i.e., cisplatin and adriamycin), though the p53Ser46 apoptotic pathway was not defective in chemoresistant 2008C13 cells. Thus, 2008C13 cells were resistant to cisplatin but sensitive to adriamycin-induced apoptosis through activation of the HIPK2/p53Ser46 pathway. HIPK2 knock-down inhibited the adriamycin-induced apoptosis in 2008C13 cells. Exogenous HIPK2 triggered apoptosis in chemoresistant cells, associated with induction of p53Ser46-target gene AIP1. Conclusions HIPK2 is an important regulator of p53 activity in response to a chemotherapeutic drug. These results suggest that different drug-activated pathways may regulate HIPK2 and that HIPK2/p53Ser46 deregulation is involved in chemoresistance. Exogenous HIPK2 might represent a novel therapeutic approach to circumvent inhibition of apoptosis in treatment of chemoresistant ovarian cancers with wtp53.

A new transgenic mouse line to image chemically induced p53 activation in vivo

Monitoring p53 transcriptional activity to identify genotoxic damages induced by drugs has been proposed and validated in vitro. However, this methodology is by design limited to the cell line tested. In this study, we have fully validated a luciferase-based p53-reporter system in vitro and in vivo. We generated a mouse transgenic line to monitor non-invasively p53 activation in response to chemically induced DNA damage. Doxorubicin was used as a drug of known toxicity to validate our model. Reporter gene expression was measured using bioluminescence imaging. In females, a weak p53 luciferase activity driven by a p53-responsive promoter was detectable in the oral cavity region after doxorubicin treatment. In males, the signal increased in the lower abdominal region. Imaging of various organs revealed that the luciferase activity was mainly generated from the testes. Immunohistology demonstrated that the cells in the seminiferous tubules were damaged by the drug and confirmed that they were luciferase and p53 positive. Therefore, these transgenic mice could provide a powerful tool to predict, map and characterize at the organ and cellular levels the toxicity of compounds and help to develop new therapeutic agents in humans.

341 THE HEMOSTASIS EFFECTS OF HEPATIC STELLATE CELLS IN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Background: Chronic liver inflammation is a critical component of hepatocarcinogenesis. Indeed, inflammatory mediators are believed to promote liver cancer by upholding compensatory proliferation of hepatocytes in response to tissue damage. However, we previously showed that mice, which overexpress interferon (IFN)-gamma under the control of a hepatocyte specific promoter, are protected from chemical hepatocarcinogenesis, although they manifest severe liver inflammation, injury and compensatory regeneration. Methods: To explore the molecular mechanism responsible for the observed IFN-gamma-dependent protection from chemical hepatocarcinogenesis despite chronic inflammatory stress, we treated IFNgamma transgenic or non-transgenic mice with chemical carcinogen diethylnitrosamine (DEN). After 6 days, we examined cellular stress response pathways (STAT, MAPK, NF-kappaB, p53) by western blot analysis and hepatic apoptosis by TUNEL assays. Results: We found that DEN-treated IFN-gamma transgenic livers showed increased STAT1 activation, and increased STAT1-induced p53 accumulation. Moreover, IFN-gamma transgenic livers exhibited increased p53 activation in response to genotoxic stress, as indicated by elevated p21 and cleavage of caspase-3. The IFN/STAT1-induced p53 activation was associated with a significant increase in hepatocellular apoptosis, compared to non-transgenic littermates (53 vs. 4 apoptotic cells/mm2; p< 0.0001), as assessed by TUNEL assay. DEN-treated IFN-gamma transgenic livers did not display differences in the levels of JNK or IKKb phosphorylation. These in vivo findings were confirmed in vitro by stimulation of primary hepatocytes with INFgamma. Here too, we found an increase of STAT1 activation, p53 accumulation and p53 activation in response to DEN, as well as increased p53-dependent DEN-induced apoptosis in an MTT assay (34% vs. 83% survival, compared to DEN-treated hepatocytes without IFN-gamma stimmulation). IFN-induced apoptosis was indeed p53-dependent, since it could be blocked by the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-a. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the inflammatory IFN/STAT1 pathway suppresses liver cancer by activating the tumor-suppressive p53 pathway. These findings challenge the view that chronic inflammation per se promotes carcinogenesis; indeed, the carcinogenic potential of inflammation may be determined by type and composition of its mediators, rather than duration. Thus, manipulation of the type of chronic inflammation may serve the prevention of cancer inflammation may serve the prevention of cancer.

The Glial Response to CNS HIV Infection Includes p53 Activation and Increased Expression of p53 Target Genes

HIV-associated dementia (HAD) is a chronic neuroinflammatory disease that remains an important clinical problem without available rational treatment. As HIV does not infect neurons, the pathogenesis of HAD is thought to be secondary to the impact of infected leukocytes, including parenchymal microglia, which can secrete inflammatory mediators and viral products that alter the function of surrounding uninfected cells. We previously reported that the transcription factor p53 accumulates in neurons, microglia, and astrocytes of HAD patients. We have also shown that microglia from p53-deficient mice fail to induce neurotoxicity in response to the HIV coat protein gp120 in a coculture system, supporting the hypothesis that p53 plays a pathogenic role in the chronic neuroinflammatory component of HIV-associated neurodegeneration. We analyzed the extent and cell type specificity of p53 accumulation in subcortical white matter of ten AIDS patients that had previously been shown to demonstrate white matter p53 accumulation. To determine if p53 activation functioned to alter gene expression in HAD, cortical tissue sections were also immunolabeled for the p53 target genes Bax and p21(WAF1). These studies reveal that microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes all demonstrate p53 activation in response to HIV infection. We observed immunoreactivity for both Bax and p21(WAF1) in neurons and glia from patients demonstrating elevated p53 immunoreactivity. Our findings demonstrate that widespread increased p53 expression is present in HAD. Activation of p53 mediated pathways in the glia of HAD patients may contribute to the neuroinflammatory processes that promote neurodegeneration by inhibiting glial proliferation and/or promoting glial cell dysfunction.

Methylation-Acetylation Interplay Activates p53 in Response to DNA Damage

p53, an important tumor suppressor protein, exerts its function mostly as a sequence-specific transcription factor and is subjected to multiple posttranslational modifications in response to genotoxic stress. Recently, we discovered that lysine methylation of p53 at K372 by Set7/9 (also known as SET7 and Set9) is important for transcriptional activation and stabilization of p53. In this report we provide a molecular mechanism for the effect of p53 methylation on transcription. We demonstrate that Set7/9 activity toward p53, but not the nucleosomal histones, is modulated by DNA damage. Significantly, we show that lysine methylation of p53 is important for its subsequent acetylation, resulting in stabilization of the p53 protein. These p53 modification events can be observed on the promoter of p21 gene, a known transcriptional target of p53. Finally, we show that methylation-acetylation interplay in p53 augments acetylation of histone H4 in the promoter of p21 gene, resulting in its subsequent transcriptional activation and, hence, cell cycle arrest. Collectively, these results suggest that the cross talk between lysine methylation and acetylation is critical for p53 activation in response to DNA damage and that Set7/9 may play an important role in tumor suppression.

P53 Activation in Response to Mitotic Spindle Damage Requires Signaling via BubR1-Mediated Phosphorylation

The mitotic spindle checkpoint plays a crucial role in regulating accurate chromosome segregation and preventing the adaptation of multiploid progeny cells. Recent reports have indicated that the induction of p53 by mitotic checkpoint activation is essential for protecting cells from abnormal chromosome ploidization caused by mitotic failure. However, although studies have shown that p53 deficiencies arrest mitosis, compromise apoptosis, and may cause profound aneuploidy, the molecular mechanisms leading to p53 induction following mitotic checkpoint activation remain unknown. Here, we show that the BubR1 mitotic checkpoint kinase interacts with p53 both in vitro and in vivo, with higher levels of interaction in mitotic cells. This interaction contributes to p53 phosphorylation. Silencing of BubR1 expression reduces the phosphorylation and stability of p53, whereas exogenous introduction of BubR1 proteins into BubR1-depleted cells recovers p53 stability. In addition, inhibition of BubR1 expression in the presence of a microtubule inhibitor accelerates chromosomal instability and polyploidy in p53-null cells. These results collectively suggest that p53 activation in response to mitotic spindle damage requires signaling via BubR1-mediated phosphorylation.

Repression of Sestrin Family Genes Contributes to Oncogenic Ras-Induced Reactive Oxygen Species Up-regulation and Genetic Instability

Oncogenic mutations within RAS genes and inactivation of p53 are the most common events in cancer. Earlier, we reported that activated Ras contributes to chromosome instability, especially in p53-deficient cells. Here we show that an increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative DNA damage represents a major mechanism of Ras-induced mutagenesis. Introduction of oncogenic H- or N-Ras caused elevated intracellular ROS, accumulation of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine, and increased number of chromosome breaks in mitotic cells, which were prevented by antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine. By using Ras mutants that selectively activate either of the three major targets of Ras (Raf, RalGDS, and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase) as well as dominant-negative Rac1 and RalA mutants and inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinases kinase-1 and p38 MAPKs, we have shown that several Ras effectors independently mediate ROS up-regulation. Introduction of oncogenic RAS resulted in repression of transcription from sestrin family genes SESN1 and SESN3, which encode antioxidant modulators of peroxiredoxins. Inhibition of mRNAs from these genes in control cells by RNA interference substantially increased ROS levels and mutagenesis. Ectopic expression of SESN1 and SESN3 from lentiviral constructs interfered with Ras-induced ROS increase, suggesting their important contribution to the effect. The stability of Ras-induced increase in ROS was dependent on a p53 function: in the p53-positive cells displaying activation of p53 in response to Ras, only transient (4-7 days) elevation of ROS was observed, whereas in the p53-deficient cells the up-regulation was permanent. The reversion to normal ROS levels in the Ras-expressing p53-positive cells correlated with up-regulation of p53-responsive genes, including reactivation of SESN1 gene. Thus, changes in expression of sestrins can represent an important determinant of genetic instability in neoplastic cells showing simultaneous dysfunctions of Ras and p53.

Motexafin Gadolinium (Mgd), a Redox Stress Inducer, Lowers p53 Protein but Not Message in Lymphoma Cell Lines: Mechanisms of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-Mediated Apoptosis in Lymphoma.

Disruption of the tumor suppressor p53 is a frequent event in malignant disorders, including lymphomas. Loss of constitutive low-level p53-dependent expression of anti-oxidant proteins could render cells more susceptable to the acute oxidant stress induced by oxidant generating agents such as MGd, bortezomib and rituximab. Alternatively, loss of p53 would render cells more resistant to apoptosis normally seen after strong activation of p53 activity in response to DNA damage. We hypothesized that the ROS generating expanded porphyrin, MGd, which we have previously shown to cause apoptosis in lymphoma and myeloma cells, results in loss of low-level, basal p53 expression, making cells more susceptable to oxidant stress. In order to test this hypothesis, we incubated Ramos, HIF-1 and SUDHL-4 lymphoma cells for 30, 60, 120 and 300 min with MGd (0.1–100 μM) with or without zinc acetate (Zn) and ascorbate. Following incubation, whole cell lysates were collected, electrophoresed on SDS-PAGE gels and blotted with p53-DO1 antibody. GAPDH was used as an internal standard. We found that at 300 min incubation, there was a dose-dependent loss of p53 by immunoblotting in the presence of Mgd and either Zn or ascorbate in Ramos and SUDHL-4 compared with control, and a dramatic loss with MGd/Zn/ascorbate in each of the cell lines. Maximum loss of p53 was observed at 100 μM MGd with both Zn 100 μM and ascorbate 100 μM. MGd, Zn or ascorbate alone had no effect. To determine if p53 message was altered, Ramos cells were treated for 300 min with the same concentrations of MGd, ascorbate and Zn and total RNA isolated by the Qiagen method and dissolved in RNase-free water. 1.0 μg RNA was used for reverse transcription using the Taq DNA polymerase system. PCR amplificatiion was performed at 94° C for 30 sec (denaturation), 58° C (annealing) and 72° C (extension) for 40 cycles. Anti-sense primers and sense primers (IDT Technologies, Coralville, IA) for p53 and GAPDH were used and DNA was identified by 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. We found that there was no loss of p53 message under these conditions in the Ramos cell line.CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there is post-translational modification of p53 induced by the ROS-generating expanded porphyrin MGd, and that this effect depends on the presence of ascorbate or Zn, similar to the effects of MGd, ascorbate and Zn for lymphoma and myeloma cell apoptosis. These data suggest that oxidant generating agents can result in loss of low-level basal p53 protein expression in lymphoma cells and that this might be important in cellular apoptosis, perhaps through mechanisms that depend on downstream p53 targets.

The Polycystic Kidney Disease-1 Gene Is a Target for p53-mediated Transcriptional Repression

The Polycystic Kidney Disease-1 Gene Is a Target for p53-mediated Transcriptional Repression

Expression of p53 and p53/47 are controlled by alternative mechanisms of messenger RNA translation initiation

P53 controls the growth and survival of cells by acting in response to a multitude of cellular stresses. It is, however, not yet fully understood how different p53 activation pathways result in either cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. We and others have described an N-terminally truncated p53 protein (p53/47) originating from a second translation initiation site in the p53 messenger RNA (mRNA), which can interact with p53 and impose altered stability and transactivation properties to p53 complexes. Here we show that cap-dependent and cap-independent mechanisms of initiation govern the translation of the p53 mRNA. Changes in synthesis of full-length p53 or p53/47 are regulated through distinct cell stress-induced pathways acting through separate regions of the p53 mRNA. We also show that some cytotoxic drugs require the presence of full-length p53 to induce apoptosis, whereas for others p53/47 is sufficient. This indicates that by harbouring alternative translation initiation sites, the p53 mRNA gives rise to different levels of the p53 isoforms which help to orchestrate the cell biological outcome of p53 activation in response to different types of cell stress. This sheds new light into the way p53 can integrate and differentiate a large multiplicity of changes in the cellular environment.

The clinical trail of TRAIL

The naturally occurring tumour necrosis factor related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis through two death receptors, death receptor 4 (DR4) and death receptor 5 (DR5), that are expressed on the cell membrane. Binding of the ligand to the death receptors leads to activation of the extrinsic apoptosis pathway. Chemotherapy on the other hand stimulates the intrinsic apoptosis pathway via activation of p53 in response to cellular damage. Many cancer cells have mutations in p53 causing resistance to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Concomitant signalling through the extrinsic pathway may overcome this resistance. Moreover, enthusiasm for TRAIL as an anticancer agent is based on the demonstration of rhTRAIL-induced selective cell death in tumour cells and not in normal cells. In this review, we provide an overview of the TRAIL pathway, the physiological role of TRAIL and the factors regulating TRAIL sensitivity. We also discuss the clinical development of novel agents, i.e. rhTRAIL and agonistic antibodies, that activate the death receptors.

Regulation of the MDM2-p53 Pathway by Ribosomal Protein L11 Involves a Post-ubiquitination Mechanism

Inhibition of the MDM2-p53 feedback loop is critical for p53 activation in response to cellular stresses. The ribosomal proteins L5, L11, and L23 can block this loop by inhibiting MDM2-mediated p53 ubiquitination and degradation in response to ribosomal stress. Here, we show that L11, but not L5 and L23, leads to a drastic accumulation of ubiquitinated and native MDM2. This effect is dependent on the ubiquitin ligase activity of MDM2, but not p53, and requires the central MDM2 binding domain (residues 51-108) of L11. We further show that L11 inhibited 26 S proteasome-mediated degradation of ubiquitinated MDM2 in vitro and consistently prolonged the half-life of MDM2 in cells. These results suggest that L11, unlike L5 and L23, differentially regulates the levels of ubiquitinated p53 and MDM2 and inhibits the turnover and activity of MDM2 through a post-ubiquitination mechanism.

Critical role for Daxx in regulating Mdm2

The tumour suppressor p53 induces apoptosis or cell-cycle arrest in response to genotoxic and other stresses. In unstressed cells, the anti-proliferative effects of p53 are restrained by mouse double minute 2 (Mdm2), a ubiquitin ligase (E3) that promotes p53 ubiquitination and degradation. Mdm2 also mediates its own degradation through auto-ubiquitination. It is unclear how the cis- and trans-E3 activities of Mdm2, which have opposing effects on cell fate, are differentially regulated. Here, we show that death domain-associated protein (Daxx) is required for Mdm2 stability. Downregulation of Daxx decreases Mdm2 levels, whereas overexpression of Daxx strongly stabilizes Mdm2. Daxx simultaneously binds to Mdm2 and the deubiquitinase Hausp, and it mediates the stabilizing effect of Hausp on Mdm2. In addition, Daxx enhances the intrinsic E3 activity of Mdm2 towards p53. On DNA damage, Daxx dissociates from Mdm2, which correlates with Mdm2 self-degradation. These findings reveal that Daxx modulates the function of Mdm2 at multiple levels and suggest that the disruption of the Mdm2-Daxx interaction may be important for p53 activation in response to DNA damage.

A functional link between the tumour suppressors ARF and p33ING1

The ARF tumour suppressor protein plays a critical role in the activation of p53 in response to oncogenic stress. ARF can activate p53 through nucleolar sequestration of Mdm2. However, several lines of evidence indicate that this is not the only way of action of ARF, and alternative mechanisms must exist. p33ING1 is a putative tumour suppresor, which induces cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in a p53-dependent manner. Here, we describe that ARF and p33ING1 can interact in vivo. We also show that the subcellular localization of ING1 can be modulated by ARF protein levels, causing a displacement from nuclear to nucleolar localization. Finally, the ability of p33ING1 to cause cell-cycle arrest and induction of p21CIP1, or Mdm2, is impaired in ARF-deficient primary mouse fibroblasts. Based on these observations, we propose that the interaction with p33ING1 represents a novel mechanism for the tumour suppression function of ARF.

P53 Protein or BID protein select the route to either apoptosis (programmed cell death) or to cell cycle arrest opposing carcinogenesis after DNA damage by ROS

p53 is a tumour-suppressor protein of human cells that prevents their entry into the route to carcinogenesis. Furthermore, p53 protein acts at the p53-response loci in genomic DNA to facilitate the switch-on of genes that can be expressed by the biosynthesis of routing-proteins for apoptosis or stalling of cellular proliferation (via cell cycle progression checkpoint arrests). Moreover, oxidative stress by reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as the hydroxyl radical (*OH) produced by ionizing radiation (carcinogenic) triggers p53 activation in response to the damage of DNA (followed by initiation of DNA-repair mechanisms). Phosphorylation of the BID protein may lead to the recovery from DNA-damage by ROS.

IN SILICO ANALYSIS OF P53 RESPONSE TO DNA DAMAGE

p53 gene and its protein product play a key role in the cell's response to DNA damage. Approximately 50% of all human cancers displays p53 mutations, and in the vast majority of the other cases the gene's functionality is otherwise impaired. In this paper a new dynamic model of p53 activation in response to double strand brakes damage (DSB) is developed. Proteins that have been left behind by other works (such as ARF) are found to be important for the dynamics of this process, which is characterized by an oscillatory behavior. A technique for assessing the system's period is also proposed.

Cyclooxygenase-2 Suppresses Hypoxia-induced Apoptosis via a Combination of Direct and Indirect Inhibition of p53 Activity in a Human Prostate Cancer Cell Line

Although p53-inactivating mutations have been described in the majority of human cancers, their role in prostate cancer is controversial as mutations are uncommon, particularly in early lesions. p53 is activated by hypoxia and other stressors and is primarily regulated by the Mdm2 protein. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, an inducible enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins and other eicosanoids, is also induced by hypoxia. COX-2 and resultant prostaglandins increase tumor cell proliferation, resistance to apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Previous reports indicate a complex, reciprocal relationship between p53 and COX-2. To elucidate the effects of COX-2 on p53 in response to hypoxia, we transfected the COX-2 gene into the p53-positive, COX-2-negative MDA-PCa-2b human prostate cancer cell line. The expression of functional p53 and Mdm2 was compared in COX-2+ versus COX-2- cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Our results demonstrated that hypoxia increases both COX-2 protein levels and p53 transcriptional activity in these cells. Forced expression of COX-2 increased tumor cell viability and decreased apoptosis in response to hypoxia. COX-2+ cells had increased Mdm2 phosphorylation in either normoxic or hypoxic conditions. Overexpression of COX-2 abrogated hypoxia-induced p53 phosphorylation and promoted the binding of p53 to Mdm2 protein in hypoxic cells. In addition, COX-2-expressing cells exhibited decreased hypoxia-induced nuclear accumulation of p53 protein. Finally, forced expression of COX-2 suppressed both basal and hypoxia-induced p53 transcriptional activity, and this effect was mimicked by the addition of PGE2 to wild-type cells. These results demonstrated a role for COX-2 in the suppression of hypoxia-induced p53 activity via both direct effects and indirect modulation of Mdm2 activity. These data imply that COX-2-positive prostate cancer cells can have impaired p53 function even in the presence of wild-type p53 and that p53 activity can be restored in these cells via inhibition of COX-2 activity.

Roles of SIRT1 and Phosphoinositide 3-OH Kinase/Protein Kinase C Pathways in Evodiamine-Induced Human Melanoma A375-S2 Cell Death

We previously demonstrated that evodimine isolated from Evodia rutaecarpa (Goshuyu in Japan) induced apoptosis in human malignant melanoma A375-S2 cells within 24 h. In this study, TUNEL assay also indicated that one cause of A375-S2 cell death induced by evodiamine was apoptosis. After treatment with evodiamine for the indicated time periods, antiapoptotic protein SIRT1 expression was decreased; p53 expression and its phosphorylation were both enhanced, whereas transient induction of downstream p21 was not enough to promote cell cycle arrest. Inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3-K)/protein kinase C (PKC) survival pathway as well as subsequent inhibition of the ERK cascade might contribute to evodiamine-induced cell death. In addition, p53 activation in response to evodiamine administration was correlated with the activation of the PI3-K/PKC pro-apoptotic pathway, but did not require ERK participation. The inhibition of the PI3-K/PKC survival pathway might be responsible for SIRT1 inactivation and increased Bax/Bcl-2 expression ratio in evodiamine-induced cell death.