Ribosome biogenesis surveillance: probing the ribosomal protein-Mdm2-p53 pathway

C Deisenroth1, Y Zhang

  • 1Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Oncogene
|May 26, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Cellular surveillance relies on p53, a key gatekeeper. Disruptions in ribosome biogenesis trigger nucleolar stress, activating a p53-Mdm2 pathway crucial for maintaining homeostasis.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Cellular homeostasis is maintained by surveillance mechanisms, with p53 acting as a crucial gatekeeper.
  • Ribosome biogenesis, essential for protein synthesis and cell growth, occurs in the nucleolus and is a resource-intensive process.
  • Perturbations in ribosome biogenesis can lead to 'nucleolar stress', activating cellular stress responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review how disruptions in ribosome biogenesis components trigger nucleolar stress.
  • To elucidate the activation of the p53 pathway in response to nucleolar stress.
  • To support the existence of a ribosome biogenesis surveillance pathway involving ribosomal proteins (RPs), Mdm2, and p53.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on ribosome biogenesis, nucleolar stress, and p53 signaling.
  • Analysis of the interplay between ribosomal protein production, Mdm2, and p53.
  • Identification of key disruptions in ribosome biogenesis that activate stress responses.

Main Results:

  • Disruptions in three major ribosome biogenesis components can induce nucleolar stress.
  • Nucleolar stress activates the p53 tumor suppressor.
  • A surveillance pathway involving ribosomal proteins (RPs), Mdm2, and p53 is implicated in monitoring ribosome biogenesis.

Conclusions:

  • The p53-Mdm2 pathway acts as a critical surveillance mechanism for ribosome biogenesis.
  • Maintaining the fidelity of ribosome biogenesis is essential for cellular homeostasis.
  • Understanding this pathway offers insights into cellular stress responses and potential therapeutic targets.

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...
Ribosome Profiling02:24

Ribosome Profiling

Ribosome profiling or ribo-sequencing is a deep sequencing technique that produces a snapshot of active translation in a cell. It selectively sequences the mRNAs protected by ribosomes to get an insight into a cell’s translation landscape at any given point in time.
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique helps...
Nuclear Export of mRNA02:31

Nuclear Export of mRNA

Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several different mechanisms, collectively known as mRNA surveillance, to look for irregularities in mRNAs. Irregular or aberrant mRNA are rapidly degraded by various enzymes. If a defective mRNA escapes the surveillance, it would be translated into a protein which would either be non-functional or not function properly. One of the primary irregularities in...
Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay02:27

Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay

The Upf proteins that carry out nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) are found in all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Each protein has an individual role, but they need to work in collaboration. Upf1 is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase that unwinds the RNA helix. Because Upf1 can unwind any RNA, Upf2 and Upf3 are required to help Upf1 discriminate between nonsense and normal mRNAs.
Usually, Upf3 binds to an Exon Junction Complex (EJC) at mRNA splice sites. If a ribosome fully translates the mRNA,...
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...
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway

The mammalian target of rapamycin  (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1  (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2  (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast,  mTORC2 consists of a rapamycin-insensitive companion...