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Stress-dependent changes in the properties of p53 complexes by the alternative translation product p53/47

Darren J Powell1, Roman Hrstka, Marco Candeias

  • 1INSERM U716, Institut de Génétique Moléculaire, Paris, France.

Cell Cycle (Georgetown, Tex.)
|April 17, 2008
PubMed

Insights

The protein p53, crucial for cancer prevention, has a variant called p53/47. This variant influences p53

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • The tumor suppressor protein p53 is vital for cellular responses to DNA damage and cancer prevention.
  • p53 activation leads to altered expression of numerous genes, but mechanisms differentiating damage types and cellular outcomes (apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, DNA repair) remain unclear.
  • The p53 gene translates into multiple protein products via alternative initiation, including p53/47, which lacks Mdm2 binding and transactivation domain I but retains oligomerization capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the p53 alternative translation product, p53/47, in modulating p53 complex formation and function.
  • To determine how p53/47 influences p53 properties in a cell stress-dependent manner.
  • To elucidate the specific mechanisms by which p53/47 affects gene expression, such as p21 induction.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated the functional impact of p53/47 on p53 complex folding, oligomerization, and post-translational modifications.
  • Analyzed the effect of p53/47 on gene expression, specifically p21, under various cellular stress conditions.
  • Examined the recruitment of p53/47 to target gene promoters, such as the p21 promoter, following DNA damage.

Main Results:

  • p53/47 was found to control the folding, oligomerization, and post-translational modification of p53 complexes.
  • p53/47 diversifies p53 properties in a cell stress-dependent manner.
  • p21 expression, normally unaffected by p53/47, was induced 18-fold after doxorubicin treatment, accompanied by p53/47 recruitment to the p21 promoter.

Conclusions:

  • p53/47 plays a significant role in diversifying p53 functions in response to cellular stress.
  • The alternative translation product p53/47 actively participates in regulating gene expression, exemplified by its role in p21 induction after DNA damage.
  • These findings highlight a novel regulatory mechanism involving p53 isoforms in cellular responses to DNA damage and cancer prevention.

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