P53 Mutations In Human Tumors Research Articles

Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α Determines Gastric Cancer Chemosensitivity via Modulation of p53 and NF-κB

BackgroundReduced chemosensitivity of solid cancer cells represents a pivotal obstacle in clinical oncology. Hence, the molecular characterization of pathways regulating chemosensitivity is a central prerequisite to improve cancer therapy. The hypoxia-inducible factor HIF-1α has been linked to chemosensitivity while the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely elusive. Therefore, we comprehensively analysed HIF-1α's role in determining chemosensitivity focussing on responsible molecular pathways.Methodology and Principal FindingsRNA interference was applied to inactivate HIF-1α or p53 in the human gastric cancer cell lines AGS and MKN28. The chemotherapeutic agents 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin were used and chemosensitivity was assessed by cell proliferation assays as well as determination of cell cycle distribution and apoptosis. Expression of p53 and p53 target proteins was analyzed by western blot. NF-κB activity was characterized by means of electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Inactivation of HIF-1α in gastric cancer cells resulted in robust elevation of chemosensitivity. Accordingly, HIF-1α-competent cells displayed a significant reduction of chemotherapy-induced senescence and apoptosis. Remarkably, this phenotype was completely absent in p53 mutant cells while inactivation of p53 per se did not affect chemosensitivity. HIF-1α markedly suppressed chemotherapy-induced activation of p53 and p21 as well as the retinoblastoma protein, eventually resulting in cell cycle arrest. Reduced formation of reactive oxygen species in HIF-1α-competent cells was identified as the molecular mechanism of HIF-1α-mediated inhibition of p53. Furthermore, loss of HIF-1α abrogated, in a p53-dependent manner, chemotherapy-induced DNA-binding of NF-κB and expression of anti-apoptotic NF-κB target genes. Accordingly, reconstitution of the NF-κB subunit p65 reversed the increased chemosensitivity of HIF-1α-deficient cells.Conclusion and SignificanceIn summary, we identified HIF-1α as a potent regulator of p53 and NF-κB activity under conditions of genotoxic stress. We conclude that p53 mutations in human tumors hold the potential to confound the efficacy of HIF-1-inhibitors in cancer therapy.

Restoration of DNA‐binding and growth‐suppressive activity of mutant forms of p53 via a PCAF‐mediated acetylation pathway

Tumor-derived mutant forms of p53 compromise its DNA binding, transcriptional, and growth regulatory activity in a manner that is dependent upon the cell-type and the type of mutation. Given the high frequency of p53 mutations in human tumors, reactivation of the p53 pathway has been widely proposed as beneficial for cancer therapy. In support of this possibility p53 mutants possess a certain degree of conformational flexibility that allows for re-induction of function by a number of structurally different artificial compounds or by short peptides. This raises the question of whether physiological pathways for p53 mutant reactivation also exist and can be exploited therapeutically. The activity of wild-type p53 is modulated by various acetyl-transferases and deacetylases, but whether acetylation influences signaling by p53 mutant is still unknown. Here, we show that the PCAF acetyl-transferase is down-regulated in tumors harboring p53 mutants, where its re-expression leads to p53 acetylation and to cell death. Furthermore, acetylation restores the DNA-binding ability of p53 mutants in vitro and expression of PCAF, or treatment with deacetylase inhibitors, promotes their binding to p53-regulated promoters and transcriptional activity in vivo. These data suggest that PCAF-mediated acetylation rescues activity of at least a set of p53 mutations. Therefore, we propose that dis-regulation of PCAF activity is a pre-requisite for p53 mutant loss of function and for the oncogenic potential acquired by neoplastic cells expressing these proteins. Our findings offer a new rationale for therapeutic targeting of PCAF activity in tumors harboring oncogenic versions of p53.

Abstract 1495: Analysis of p53 mutations in human esophageal cancer

Abstract Studies on p53 mutations occurring in human tumors have the potential to provide information on causes of human cancer. This is relevant for cancer risk assessment on new products. A database of p53 mutations in human tumors is maintained by Olivier and Hainaut at IARC. We analyzed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), a cancer with known geographic hot spots and life style associations. IARC search allows the rapid determination of sequence distribution, codon location, and strand bias of p53 mutations in tumors stratified by pathology, gender, and lifestyle factors such as tobacco and alcohol use. Although proportions of DNA sequence changes in tumors are provided in IARC profiles, the nature of sequence changes at each base pair is not. Of particular interest are the sequence changes at hot spots. We analyzed the DNA sequence changes among 1032 esophageal mutations occurring at hot spot codons 175, 248, 273, and 282. These are all CpG sites encoding arginine. However, the distribution of mutations was strikingly different at the different sites. At codon 175 (CGC) 98% of the mutations were CAC, virtually all showing strand bias, i.e. G to A from the G containing strand. At codon 248 (CGG), the mutation distribution was 49%TGG and 40% CAG, showing no strand bias, i.e. equally G to A or C to T. At codon 273 (CGT), the mutation distribution was 49% CAT, 33% TGT, and 12% CTT, demonstrating some strand bias but a broader distribution of sequence changes. At codon 282 (CGG), 92% were TGG, again showing striking strand bias. Codons 248 and 282 had identical target sequences but different distributions in the tumors, 282 showing strand bias and 248 showing equivalent distribution of mutations on both strands of DNA. A biased distribution of DNA sequence changes could be related to causal DNA lesions, asymmetric DNA repair, and/or selection of particular mutant phenotypes during tumor progression. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1495.

Further studies with a cell immortalization assay to investigate the mutation signature of aristolochic acid in human p53 sequences

To test hypotheses on the origins of p53 mutations in human tumors, novel strategies are needed for generating mutation spectra experimentally. To this end we developed an assay employing Hupki (Human p53 knock-in) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (HUFs). Here we examine p53 mutations induced by aristolochic acid I (AAI)), the carcinogen probably responsible for Chinese herbal nephropathy. Six immortalized cultures (cell lines) from 18 HUF primary cultures exposed at passage 1 for 48 h to 50 μM AAI harbored p53 mutations in the human DNA binding domain sequence of the Hupki p53 tumor suppressor gene. The most frequently observed mutation was A to T transversion, corroborating our previous mutation study with AAI, and consistent with the presence of persistent AAI-adenine adducts found both in DNA of exposed patients and in DNA of AAI-exposed HUF cells. One of the mutations was identical in position (codon 139) and base change (A to T on the non-transcribed strand) to the single p53 mutation that has thus far been characterized in a urothelial tumor of a nephropathy patient with documented AAI exposure. Of the seven p53 mutations identified thus far in >60 HUF cell lines that immortalized spontaneously (no carcinogen treatment), none were A:T to T:A transversions. In addition, no A to T substitutions were identified among the previously reported set of 18 mutations in HUF cell lines derived from B( a)P treatment in which transversions at G:C base pairs predominated.

MEF immortalization to investigate the ins and outs of mutagenesis

The importance of tumor suppressor/oncogene mutations in tumor development is clear, but the causes of the DNA sequence changes in human cancers are not. Although elegant experiments with transgenic mice harboring lacZ or cII target sequences show that exposure to mutagenic human carcinogens can cause base substitutions in vivo, it does not follow from this that the mutations found in human cancers have to be the direct result of damage by external mutagens. They could be due to endogenously generated reactive oxygen species, or polymerase infidelity, for example. Specific patterns of mutations in the defined sequence of a test system set up to address this question can provide information on the molecular events leading to DNA sequence changes in humans if the experimentally induced mutations and patient tumor mutations are compared in the same gene. Fortuitously, inactivating point mutations in the p53 gene are driving events in the immortalization of murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) in vitro. This discovery offers a natural biological strategy for selecting p53 mutants. Immortalized cell lines arising from primary MEFs harboring human p53 sequences (Hupki, human p53 knock-in) have p53 mutations that match p53 mutations in human tumors.

P53 Mutations in Benzo(a)Pyrene-Exposed Human p53 Knock-in Murine Fibroblasts Correlate with p53 Mutations in Human Lung Tumors

Human p53 mutation spectra differ significantly from one cancer type to another. One possible reason is that carcinogenic risk factors differ, and these factors elicit distinct mutation patterns. There has been no mammalian assay, however, with which to generate mutation patterns in human p53 sequences experimentally, hampering interpretation of the human tumor spectra. We have designed a new mammalian cell assay using gene targeting technology that selects and scores human p53 gene sequence mutations in human-p53 knock-in (Hupki) murine embryonic fibroblasts (HUF) that have undergone immortalization. With the Hupki assay we examined here whether benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a major tobacco smoke carcinogen could elicit p53 mutation patterns characterizing the human lung tumor p53 mutation spectrum. We found that, in contrast to unexposed HUFs or HUFs exposed to other carcinogenic agents, HUFs exposed to BaP acquire mutations that display major features of the human lung tumor p53 mutation spectrum: (a) predominance of G-to-T mutations, (b) unequivocal strand bias of the transversions, and (c) a mutation hotspot at codons 157 to 158. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that BaP has a direct role in causing smokers' lung tumor p53 mutations. The assay can be used to examine various hypotheses on the endogenous or exogenous factors responsible for the p53 mutations in human tumors arising in other tissues.

Induction of lysosomal membrane permeabilization by compounds that activate p53-independent apoptosis.

The p53 protein activates cellular death programs through multiple pathways. Because the high frequency of p53 mutations in human tumors is believed to contribute to resistance to commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, it is important to identify drugs that induce p53-independent cell death and to define the mechanisms of action of such drugs. Here we screened a drug library (the National Cancer Institute mechanistic set; 879 compounds with diverse mechanisms of actions) and identified 175 compounds that induced caspase cleavage of cytokeratin-18 in cultured HCT116 colon cancer cells at <5 microM. Interestingly, whereas most compounds elicited a stronger apoptotic response in cells with functional p53, significant apoptosis was observed also in p53-null cells. A subset of 15 compounds showing weak or no dependence on p53 for induction of apoptosis was examined in detail. Of these compounds, 11 were capable of activating caspase-3 in enucleated cells. Seven such compounds with nonnuclear targets were found to induce lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP). Translocation of the lysosomal proteases cathepsin B and cathepsin D into the cytosol was observed after treatment with these drugs, and apoptosis was inhibited by pepstatin A, an inhibitor of cathepsin D. Apoptosis depended on Bax, suggesting that LMP induced a mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. We conclude that a large number of potential anticancer drugs induce p53-independent apoptosis and that LMP is a mediator of many such responses.

IARC p53 mutation database: A relational database to compile and analyze p53 mutations in human tumors and cell lines

IARC p53 mutation database: A relational database to compile and analyze p53 mutations in human tumors and cell lines

IARC p53 mutation database: a relational database to compile and analyze p53 mutations in human tumors and cell lines. International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The tumor suppressor p53 gene is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer. To date, more than 10,000 mutations have been described in the literature, and these data are available in various electronic formats on the World Wide Web. Here we describe the structure and format of the different p53 datasets maintained and curated at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France. These include p53 somatic mutations (more than 10,000 entries), p53 germline mutations (144 entries), and p53 polymorphisms (13 entries), with the somatic mutations organized into a relational database using AccessTM. The main features of these datasets are (1) controlled entry with standardized format and restricted vocabulary, (2) inclusion of annotations on individual characteristics and exposures, and (3) a classification of pathologies based on the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O). In addition, several interfaces have been developed to analyze the data in order to produce mutation spectra, codon analyses, or visualization of the mutation with the tertiary structure of the protein. All datasets and tools for analysis are available at http://www.iarc.fr/p53/homepage.

Conformational effects of environmentally induced, cancer-related mutations in the p53 protein.

The tumor suppressor gene p53 has been identified as the most frequent target of genetic alterations in human cancers. A considerable number of environmentally induced, cancer-related p53 mutations in human tumors have been found in a highly conserved proline-rich sequence of the p53 protein encompassed by amino acid residues 147-158. Using conformational energy analysis based on ECEPP (Empirical Conformational Energy for Peptides Program), we have determined the low-energy three-dimensional structures for this dodecapeptide sequence for the human wild-type p53 protein and three environmentally induced, cancer-related mutant p53 proteins with His-151, Ser-152, and Val-154, respectively. The results suggest that the wild-type sequence adopts a well-defined low-energy conformation and that the mutant peptides adopt well-defined conformations that are distinctly different from the conformation of the wild-type peptide. These results are consistent with experimental conformational studies demonstrating altered detectability of antigenic epitopes in wild-type and mutant p53 proteins. These results suggest that the oncogenic effects of these environmentally induced, cancer-related, mutant p53 proteins may be mediated by distinct local conformational changes in the protein.

FRAMESHIFT AND NONSENSE P53 MUTATIONS IN SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA OF HEAD AND NECK - NON-REACTIVITY WITH 3 ANTI-P53 MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES

p53 mutations in human tumors are often associated with overexpression of p53, and immunohistochemical detection of p53 has frequently been chosen as a simpler method than genetic analysis to access p53 mutations. In this study, we analyzed the p53 gene by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequencing, and correlated findings to Ab staining results. In a series of 58 squamous cell carcinoma, 15 showed mutations in exons 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 by SSCP. Of these 15 cases, 11 were positive by antibody staining, and DNA sequencing showed missense mutations but no frameshift or nonsense mutations. In contrast, the antibody-negative cases had frameshift or nonsense mutations, but no missense mutations. SSCP analysis of these 4 cases showed mutations in exon 6 (2 cases), exon 7 (1), and exon 8 (1), respectively. In case 1, sequencing data revealed a single-base addition in exon 6, leading to a truncated gene product of 207 amino acids (aa), in contrast to 393 aa in wild-type p53. Similar frameshift mutations were shown in case 2 and case 3. Case 4, instead of a frameshift mutation, carried a nonsense mutation, and a truncated peptide of 235 aa. All these mutations thus shared the feature of producing truncated p53 products nonreactive with antibodies. We conclude that frameshift mutations as well as nonsense mutations can lead to altered p53 undetectable by available monoclonal antibodies. Our finding indicates that the absence of Ab reactivity does not rule out genetic alterations of the p53 gene in human tumors.