Phosphorylated TP63 induces transcription of RPN13, leading to NOS2 protein degradation

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells exposed to cisplatin display ATM-dependent phosphorylation of the most predominant TP63 isoform (ΔNp63α), leading to its activation as a transcription factor. Here, we found that the phospho-ΔNp63α protein binds to the genomic promoter of RPN13 through the TP63-responsive element. We further found that the phospho-ΔNp63α protein associates with other transcription factors (DDIT3 (also known as CHOP), NF-Y, and NF-κB), activating RPN13 gene transcription. Furthermore, cisplatin-induced and phospho-ΔNp63α-dependent RPN13 gene transcription leads to NOS2 degradation. Finally, we show that RPN13 knockdown by siRNA essentially rescues NOS2 from cisplatin-dependent inactivation. These data provide a novel mechanism for the phospho-ΔNp63α-dependent regulation of NOS2 function in cells upon cisplatin treatment, contributing to the cell death pathway of tumor cells.