Integration of TGF-beta and Ras/MAPK signaling through p53 phosphorylation

During development and tissue homeostasis, cells must integrate different signals. We investigated how cell behavior is controlled by the combined activity of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling, whose integration mechanism is unknown. We find that RTK/Ras/MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) activity induces p53 N-terminal phosphorylation, enabling the interaction of p53 with the TGF-beta-activated Smads. This mechanism confines mesoderm specification in Xenopus embryos and promotes TGF-beta cytostasis in human cells. These data indicate a mechanism to allow extracellular cues to specify the TGF-beta gene-expression program.     

Collagen synthesis: localization of prolyl hydroxylase in tendon cells detected with ferritin-labeled antibodies

An improved procedure was employed for linking ferritin to antibodies against prolyl hydroxylase, the enzyme that synthesizes the hydroxyproline in collagen. By electron microscopy, the enzyme was then found to be localized in cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum of embryonic tendon cells; this indicates that hydroxylation of proline occurs while newly synthesized polypeptides are fed into the cisternae.     

Apaf-1 and caspase-9 in p53-dependent apoptosis and tumor inhibition

The ability of p53 to promote apoptosis in response to mitogenic oncogenes appears to be critical for its tumor suppressor function. Caspase-9 and its cofactor Apaf-1 were found to be essential downstream components of p53 in Myc-induced apoptosis. Like p53 null cells, mouse embryo fibroblast cells deficient in Apaf-1 and caspase-9, and expressing c-Myc, were resistant to apoptotic stimuli that mimic conditions in developing tumors. Inactivation of Apaf-1 or caspase-9 substituted for p53 loss in promoting the oncogenic transformation of Myc-expressing cells. These results imply a role for Apaf-1 and caspase-9 in controlling tumor development.     

Identification of p53 as a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein

The tumor-suppressor gene p53 is altered by missense mutation in numerous human malignancies. However, the biochemical properties of p53 and the effect of mutation on these properties are unclear. A human DNA sequence was identified that binds specifically to wild-type human p53 protein in vitro. As few as 33 base pairs were sufficient to confer specific binding. Certain guanines within this 33-base pair region were critical, as methylation of these guanines or their substitution with thymine-abrogated binding. Human p53 proteins containing either of two missense mutations commonly found in human tumors were unable to bind significantly to this sequence. These data suggest that a function of p53 may be mediated by its ability to bind to specific DNA sequences in the human genome, and that this activity is altered by mutations that occur in human tumors.     

The mTOR-regulated phosphoproteome reveals a mechanism of mTORC1-mediated inhibition of growth factor signaling

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein kinase is a master growth promoter that nucleates two complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2. Despite the diverse processes controlled by mTOR, few substrates are known. We defined the mTOR-regulated phosphoproteome by quantitative mass spectrometry and characterized the primary sequence motif specificity of mTOR using positional scanning peptide libraries. We found that the phosphorylation response to insulin is largely mTOR dependent and that mTOR exhibits a unique preference for proline, hydrophobic, and aromatic residues at the +1 position. The adaptor protein Grb10 was identified as an mTORC1 substrate that mediates the inhibition of phosphoinositide 3-kinase typical of cells lacking tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2), a tumor suppressor and negative regulator of mTORC1. Our work clarifies how mTORC1 inhibits growth factor signaling and opens new areas of investigation in mTOR biology.     

The cellular basis of GABA(B)-mediated interhemispheric inhibition

Interhemispheric inhibition is thought to mediate cortical rivalry between the two hemispheres through callosal input. The long-lasting form of this inhibition is believed to operate via γ-aminobutyric acid type B (GABA(B)) receptors, but the process is poorly understood at the cellular level. We found that the firing of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in rat somatosensory cortex due to contralateral sensory stimulation was inhibited for hundreds of milliseconds when paired with ipsilateral stimulation. The inhibition acted directly on apical dendrites via layer 1 interneurons but was silent in the absence of pyramidal cell firing, relying on metabotropic inhibition of active dendritic currents recruited during neuronal activity. The results not only reveal the microcircuitry underlying interhemispheric inhibition but also demonstrate the importance of active dendritic properties for cortical output.     

p53: a frequent target for genetic abnormalities in lung cancer

Allele loss is a hallmark of chromosome regions harboring recessive oncogenes. Lung cancer frequently demonstrates loss of heterozygosity on 17p. Recent evidence suggests that the p53 gene located on 17p13 has many features of such an antioncogene. The p53 gene was frequently mutated or inactivated in all types of human lung cancer. The genetic abnormalities of p53 include gross changes such as homozygous deletions and abnormally sized messenger RNAs along with a variety of point or small mutations, which map to the p53 open reading frame and change amino acid sequence in a region highly conserved between mouse and man. In addition, very low or absent expression of p53 messenger RNA in lung cancer cell lines compared to normal lung was seen. These findings, coupled with the previous demonstration of 17p allele loss in lung cancer, strongly implicate p53 as an anti-oncogene whose disruption is involved in the pathogenesis of human lung cancer.     

新型穿膜肽介导 p53融合蛋白的表达及其免疫原性分析

目的：原核表达新型细胞穿膜肽RDP介导p53融合蛋白,并检测其免疫原性的强弱．方法：以质粒pET28a‐p53为模板扩增p53基因,并克隆至原核表达载体pET28a‐RDP中,构建重组表达质粒pET28a‐RDP‐p53,转化至大肠杆菌Rosetta ,IPTG诱导表达蛋白并纯化,SDS‐PAGE确定该蛋白准确性．同时,将昆明小鼠分为空白对照组（等容生理盐水）和RDP‐p53融合蛋白高、中、低剂量（4 mg／kg ,2 mg／kg ,1 mg／kg）组,经腹腔注射免疫,每隔2 d给药1次,30 d后眼球取血,用酶联免疫吸附法（ELISA）测定血清中IgG的含量．结果：双酶切及测序结果显示, p53基因已克隆入表达载体中;RDP‐p53融合蛋白在上清和沉淀中均获得表达．ELISA测定结果表明,与对照组比较,低、中剂量组小鼠血清中IgG含量没有明显升高（p＞0.05）,高剂量组显著升高（p＜0.05）．结论：成功表达并纯化RD P‐p53融合蛋白,其免疫原性较弱且与给药剂量相关,为进一步研究RD P‐p53融合蛋白对脑肿瘤的药理作用奠定基础．     

Dendrodendritic inhibition through reversal of dopamine transport

Synapses in the central nervous system are usually defined by presynaptic exocytotic release sites and postsynaptic differentiations. We report here a demonstration of dendrodendritic inhibition that does not engage a conventional synapse. Using amperometric and patch-clamp recordings in rat brain slices of the substantia nigra, we found that blockade of the dopamine transporter abolished the dendritic release of dopamine and the resulting self-inhibition. These findings demonstrate that dendrodendritic autoinhibition entails the carrier-mediated release of dopamine rather than conventional exocytosis. This suggests that some widely used antidepressants that inhibit the dopamine transporter may benefit patients in the early stages of Parkinson's disease.     

3-MCPD棕榈酸酯通过JNK1/p53通路诱导NRK-52E细胞凋亡

3-氯-1,2-丙二醇(3-MCPD)脂肪酸酯是一类在食品加工过程中产生的有害物质,关于其毒性机制尚不明确。本文以大鼠肾细胞NRK-52E为模型,采用RNA干扰技术,研究3-MCPD-1-棕榈酸单酯(C_(16:0)-ME)诱导肾细胞凋亡过程中JNK及p53的靶向调控作用,以及JNK1、JNK2和JNK3亚型在肾损伤过程中发挥的作用。结果表明,采用浓度为300μmol/L的C_(16:0)-ME处理细胞24h,JNK及p53磷酸化水平均显著提高,细胞凋亡相关蛋白bax及cleaved caspase-3表达量显著上调,bcl-2表达被明显抑制。当采用shRNA沉默p53蛋白表达后,采用浓度为300μmol/L的C_(16:0)-ME处理细胞24h,bax及cleaved caspase-3的表达均被抑制。在JNK 3个亚型中,只有JNK1shRNA处理组能显著减轻C_(16:0)-ME引起的肾细胞凋亡,p-c-Jun、bax、cleaved caspase-3、p53及p-p53的表达明显被抑制。研究结果表明,C_(16:0)-ME通过JNK1/p53通路诱导肾细胞凋亡。     

Protein kinase C beta and prolyl isomerase 1 regulate mitochondrial effects of the life-span determinant p66Shc

The 66-kilodalton isoform of the growth factor adapter Shc (p66Shc) translates oxidative damage into cell death by acting as reactive oxygen species (ROS) producer within mitochondria. However, the signaling link between cellular stress and mitochondrial proapoptotic activity of p66Shc was not known. We demonstrate that protein kinase C beta, activated by oxidative conditions in the cell, induces phosphorylation of p66Shc and triggers mitochondrial accumulation of the protein after it is recognized by the prolyl isomerase Pin1. Once imported, p66Shc causes alterations of mitochondrial Ca2+ responses and three-dimensional structure, thus inducing apoptosis. These data identify a signaling route that activates an apoptotic inducer shortening the life span and could be a potential target of pharmacological approaches to inhibit aging.     

果蝇p53基因的克隆及序列分析

从紫外刺激的果蝇(Drosophila melanogaster)抽提总RNA,通过RT-PCR方法扩增得到有完整读码框的p53基因,并且通过对p53基因的序列分析表明,所得到的序列与网上已经登陆的果蝇p53序列有99.4%的相似系数,而与其他生物的p53序列存在一定的分歧。系统进化树的分析表明,7个物种来源的p53基因起源于同一个祖先分子,且同属于一个有相似功能作用的蛋白家族。但由于长久以来的进化发展,p53基因在不同的物种内发生了一定的突变,并延续了这种变异。