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Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53
14:57

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53

Published on: August 4, 2019

Twist and p53 reciprocally regulate target genes via direct interaction

M Shiota1, H Izumi, T Onitsuka

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu, Japan.

Oncogene
|May 28, 2008
PubMed

Insights

The transcription factor Twist directly interacts with the tumor suppressor p53, inhibiting its function. This interaction interferes with p53

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research
  • Transcription Factors

Background:

  • Twist is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor implicated in oncogenesis.
  • Twist can interfere with the tumor suppressor functions of p53.
  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms of Twist-p53 interaction is crucial for cancer biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the direct interaction between Twist and p53.
  • To elucidate the functional consequences of this interaction on gene expression and cellular processes.
  • To determine the domains involved in the Twist-p53 interaction.

Main Methods:

  • Membrane pull-down assays were employed to detect direct protein-protein interactions.
  • Analysis of p53 target gene expression, including the p21 promoter.
  • Assessment of Twist-dependent promoter activity and p53-mediated growth suppression.

Main Results:

  • Twist directly binds to p53, specifically to its DNA-binding domain, inhibiting p53's DNA-binding activity.
  • Twist expression significantly represses p53-mediated transcriptional activation of the p21 promoter.
  • p53 interacts with the N-terminal domain of Twist and represses Twist-dependent YB-1 promoter activity; p53-induced growth suppression is abrogated by Twist or YB-1.

Conclusions:

  • Twist directly interacts with p53, leading to the inhibition of p53's tumor suppressor functions.
  • This interaction impacts p53's ability to regulate target gene expression and induce growth suppression.
  • The findings highlight a novel mechanism by which Twist promotes oncogenesis by neutralizing p53 activity.

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