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Updated: May 24, 2026

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

Identification of Akt interaction protein PHF20/TZP that transcriptionally regulates p53

Sungman Park1, Donghwa Kim, Han C Dan

  • 1Department of Molecular Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry
|February 16, 2012
PubMed

Insights

A novel protein, PHF20, regulates p53 and cell growth. Akt phosphorylates PHF20, inhibiting its function and promoting cell survival signaling.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cellular Signaling

Background:

  • Akt signaling pathway regulates crucial cellular functions like survival, proliferation, differentiation, and metabolism.
  • The precise mechanisms underlying Akt's regulation of these cellular processes are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of the novel transcription factor PHF20/TZP in Akt signaling.
  • To elucidate the interaction between PHF20 and Akt and its impact on cellular processes.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated the interaction between PHF20 and Akt using in vitro and in vivo assays.
  • Assessed the effect of PHF20 knockdown on p53 expression.
  • Examined the impact of Akt phosphorylation on PHF20 localization and function.

Main Results:

  • PHF20 binds to Akt and transcriptionally induces p53 expression.
  • Knockdown of PHF20 leads to a significant reduction in p53 levels.
  • PHF20 inhibits cell growth, DNA synthesis, and cell survival.
  • Akt phosphorylates PHF20 at Ser(291), causing its translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and reducing its inhibitory function.

Conclusions:

  • PHF20 is a novel substrate of Akt.
  • PHF20 plays a role in Akt-mediated cell survival and growth signaling.
  • Akt-mediated phosphorylation of PHF20 is a key regulatory mechanism in this pathway.

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