Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Studying RNA Interactors of Protein Kinase RNA-Activated during the Mammalian Cell Cycle
10:05

Studying RNA Interactors of Protein Kinase RNA-Activated during the Mammalian Cell Cycle

Published on: March 5, 2019

RNA polymerase III transcription is repressed in response to the tumour suppressor ARF

Jennifer P Morton1, Theodoros Kantidakis, Robert J White

  • 1Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.

Nucleic Acids Research
|April 19, 2007
PubMed

Insights

The tumor suppressor ARF inhibits tRNA synthesis, a process dependent on the p53 protein. This reveals a new p53-dependent mechanism by which ARF controls cell growth and proliferation.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cellular Biology

Background:

  • The tumor suppressor protein ARF defends against hyperproliferation caused by oncogene activation.
  • ARF is often silenced or deleted in human cancers.
  • ARF activation can halt cell growth and cycle progression or induce apoptosis, often by stabilizing p53 via MDM2 inhibition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ARF in regulating tRNA synthesis.
  • To determine if ARF's inhibition of tRNA synthesis is p53-dependent.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated the effect of ARF on tRNA synthesis.
  • Examined ARF's impact on tRNA gene transcription in the presence and absence of p53.

Main Results:

  • ARF was found to inhibit the synthesis of tRNA.
  • Unlike its p53-independent suppression of rRNA synthesis, ARF's inhibition of tRNA gene transcription requires the presence of p53.

Conclusions:

  • ARF regulates tRNA synthesis through a p53-dependent pathway.
  • This adds tRNA synthesis inhibition to the list of cellular changes induced by ARF.

More Related Videos

Describing a Transcription Factor Dependent Regulation of the MicroRNA Transcriptome07:23

Describing a Transcription Factor Dependent Regulation of the MicroRNA Transcriptome

Published on: June 15, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
Negative Regulator Molecules01:23

Negative Regulator Molecules

Positive regulators allow a cell to advance through cell cycle checkpoints. Negative regulators have an equally important role as they terminate a cell’s progression through the cell cycle—or pause it—until the cell meets specific criteria.
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle02:36

DNA Damage Can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a superfamily...