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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Identification of Transcription Factor Regulators using Medium-Throughput Screening of Arrayed Libraries and a Dual-Luciferase-Based Reporter
Published on: March 27, 2020
Computational identification of a p38SAPK-regulated transcription factor network required for tumor cell quiescence
Alejandro P Adam1, Ajish George, Denis Schewe
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health and Center for Excellence in Cancer Genomics, SUNY-Albany, Rensselaer, New York, USA.
Abstract:
The stress-activated kinase p38 plays key roles in tumor suppression and induction of tumor cell dormancy. However, the mechanisms behind these functions remain poorly understood. Using computational tools, we identified a transcription factor (TF) network regulated by p38alpha/beta and required for human squamous carcinoma cell quiescence in vivo. We found that p38 transcriptionally regulates a core network of 46 genes that includes 16 TFs. Activation of p38 induced the expression of the TFs p53 and BHLHB3, while inhibiting c-Jun and FoxM1 expression. Furthermore, induction of p53 by p38 was dependent on c-Jun down-regulation. Accordingly, RNAi down-regulation of BHLHB3 or p53 interrupted tumor cell quiescence, while down-regulation of c-Jun or FoxM1 or overexpression of BHLHB3 in malignant cells mimicked the onset of quiescence. Our results identify components of the regulatory mechanisms driving p38-induced cancer cell quiescence. These may regulate dormancy of residual disease that usually precedes the onset of metastasis in many cancers.
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