Characterization of the 5' and 3' untranslated regions in murine mdm2 mRNAs

Mathematical model identifies effective P53 accumulation with target gene binding affinity in DNA damage response for cell fate decision

Functional p53 signaling is essential for appropriate responses to diverse stimuli. P53 dynamics employs the information from the stimulus leading to selective gene expression and cell fate decision. However, the decoding mechanism of p53 dynamics under DNA damage challenge remains poorly understood. Here we mathematically modeled the recently dual-phase p53 dynamics under doxorubicin treatment. We found that p53 could perform sequential pulses followed by a high-amplitude terminal pulse at relatively low doxorubicin treatment, whereas p53 became steadily accumulated when damage level was high. The effective p53 integral above a threshold but not the absolute accumulation of p53 precisely discriminated survival and death. Silencing negative regulators in p53 network might promote the occurrence of terminal pulse. Furthermore, lower binding affinity and degradation rate of p53 target genes could favorably discriminate high and low dose doxorubicin treatment. Grouping by temporal profiles suggested that the p53 dynamics rather than the doxorubicin doses could better discriminate cellular outcomes and confer less variation for effective p53 integral reemphasizing the importance of p53 level regulation. Our model has established a theoretical framework that p53 dynamics can work cooperatively with its binding affinity to target genes leading to cell fate choice, providing new clues of optimized clinical design by manipulating p53 dynamics.

Stochastic and Deterministic Models of Cellular p53 Regulation

The protein p53 is a key regulator of cellular response to a wide variety of stressors. In cancer cells inhibitory regulators of p53 such as MDM2 and MDMX proteins are often overexpressed. We apply in silico techniques to better understand the role and interactions of these proteins in a cell cycle process. Furthermore we investigate the role of stochasticity in determining system behavior. We have found that stochasticity is able to affect system behavior profoundly. We also derive a general result for the way in which initially synchronized oscillating stochastic systems will fall out of synchronization with each other.

Switching p53 states by calcium: dynamics and interaction of stress systems

The integration of calcium and a p53-Mdm2 oscillator model is studied using a deterministic as well as a stochastic approach, to investigate the impact of a calcium wave on single cell dynamics and on the inter-oscillator interaction. The high dose of calcium in the system activates the nitric oxide synthase, synthesizing nitric oxide which then downregulates Mdm2 and influences drastically the p53-Mdm2 network regulation, lifting the system from a normal to a stressed state. The increase in calcium level switches the system to different states, as identified by the different behaviours of the p53 temporal dynamics, i.e. oscillation death to sustain the oscillation state via a mixed state of dampened and oscillation death states. Further increase of the calcium dose in the system switches the system from sustained to oscillation death state again, while an excess of calcium shifts the cell to an apoptotic state. Another important property of the calcium ion is its ability to behave as a synchronizing agent among the interacting systems. The time evolution of the p53 dynamics of the two diffusively coupled systems at stress condition via Ca(2+) shows synchronization between the two systems. The noise contained in the system interestingly helps the system to maintain its stabilized state (normal condition). However, noise has the tendency to destruct the synchronization effect, which means that it tries to restrict the system from external signals to maintain its normal condition. However, at the stress condition, the synchronization rate is found to be faster.

JAK2(V617F) negatively regulates p53 stabilization by enhancing MDM2 via La expression in myeloproliferative neoplasms

JAK2(V617F) is a gain of function mutation that promotes cytokine-independent growth of myeloid cells and accounts for a majority of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Mutations in p53 are rarely found in these diseases before acute leukemia transformation, but this does not rule out a role for p53 deregulation in disease progression. Using Ba/F3-EPOR cells and ex vivo cultured CD34(+) cells from MPN patients, we demonstrate that expression of JAK2(V617F) affected the p53 response to DNA damage. We show that E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2 accumulated in these cells, due to an increased translation of MDM2 mRNA. Accumulation of the La autoantigen, which interacts with MDM2 mRNA and promotes its translation, was responsible for the increase in MDM2 protein level and the subsequent degradation of p53 after DNA damage. Downregulation of La protein or cell treatment with nutlin-3, a MDM2 antagonist, restored the p53 response to DNA damage and the cytokine-dependence of Ba/F3-EPOR-JAK2(V617F) cells. Altogether, these data indicate that the JAK2(V617F) mutation affects p53 response to DNA damage through the upregulation of La antigen and accumulation of MDM2. They also suggest that p53 functional inactivation accounts for the cytokine hypersensitivity of JAK2(V617F) MPN and might have a role in disease progression.

Dynamic chromatin localization of Sirt6 shapes stress- and aging-related transcriptional networks

The sirtuin Sirt6 is a NAD-dependent histone deacetylase that is implicated in gene regulation and lifespan control. Sirt6 can interact with the stress-responsive transcription factor NF-κB and regulate some NF-κB target genes, but the full scope of Sirt6 target genes as well as dynamics of Sirt6 occupancy on chromatin are not known. Here we map Sirt6 occupancy on mouse promoters genome-wide and show that Sirt6 occupancy is highly dynamic in response to TNF-α. More than half of Sirt6 target genes are only revealed upon stress-signaling. The majority of genes bound by NF-κB subunit RelA recruit Sirt6, and dynamic Sirt6 relocalization is largely driven in a RelA-dependent manner. Integrative analysis with global gene expression patterns in wild-type, Sirt6−/−, and double Sirt6−/− RelA−/− cells reveals the epistatic relationships between Sirt6 and RelA in shaping diverse temporal patterns of gene expression. Genes under the direct joint control of Sirt6 and RelA include several with prominent roles in cell senescence and organismal aging. These data suggest dynamic chromatin relocalization of Sirt6 as a key output of NF-κB signaling in stress response and aging.

Sirtuins (Sirt) are a family of enzymes that modify chromatin and other proteins to affect gene activity. Loss of Sirt6 leads to a progeria-like phenotype in mice, but the target of SIRT6 action has been elusive. Here we show that Sirt6 binds to thousands of gene promoters in a stress-inducible fashion, guided by the stress-responsive transcription factor NF-κB. Both the departure and arrival of Sirt6 alter gene expression, shaping the temporal dynamics of NF-κB transcriptional response and directly controlling the expression of other key regulators of aging. These findings provide the first view of how an oscillatory transcription factor can drive a progression of chromatin changes over time.

The translational response of the human mdm2 gene in HEK293T cells exposed to rapamycin: a role for the 5'-UTRs

Polysomal messenger RNA (mRNA) populations change rapidly in response to alterations in the physiological status of the cell. For this reason, translational regulation, mediated principally at the level of initiation, plays a key role in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. In an earlier translational profiling study, we followed the impact of rapamycin on polysome re-seeding. Despite the overall negative effect on transcript recruitment, we nonetheless observed that some mRNAs were significantly less affected. Consequently, their relative polysomal occupancy increased in the rapamycin-treated cells. The behaviour of one of these genes, mdm2, has been further analysed. Despite the absence of internal ribosome entry site activity we demonstrate, using a dual reporter assay, that both the reported mdm2 5′-UTRs confer resistance to rapamycin relative to the 5′-UTR of β-actin. This relative resistance is responsive to the downstream targets mTORC1 but did not respond to changes in the La protein, a reported factor acting positively on MDM2 translational expression. Furthermore, extended exposure to rapamycin in the presence of serum increased the steady-state level of the endogenous MDM2 protein. However, this response was effectively reversed when serum levels were reduced. Taken globally, these studies suggest that experimental conditions can dramatically modulate the expressional output during rapamycin exposure.

Regulation of expression of the rat orthologue of mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) by H(2)O(2)-induced oxidative stress in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes

The Mdm2 ubiquitin ligase is an important regulator of p53 abundance and p53-dependent apoptosis. Mdm2 expression is frequently regulated by a p53 Mdm2 autoregulatory loop whereby p53 stimulates Mdm2 expression and hence its own degradation. Although extensively studied in cell lines, relatively little is known about Mdm2 expression in heart where oxidative stress (exacerbated during ischemia-reperfusion) is an important pro-apoptotic stimulus. We demonstrate that Mdm2 transcript and protein expression are induced by oxidative stress (0.2 mm H(2)O(2)) in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. In other cells, constitutive Mdm2 expression is regulated by the P1 promoter (5' to exon 1), with inducible expression regulated by the P2 promoter (in intron 1). In myocytes, H(2)O(2) increased Mdm2 expression from the P2 promoter, which contains two p53-response elements (REs), one AP-1 RE, and two Ets REs. H(2)O(2) did not detectably increase expression of p53 mRNA or protein but did increase expression of several AP-1 transcription factors. H(2)O(2) increased binding of AP-1 proteins (c-Jun, JunB, JunD, c-Fos, FosB, and Fra-1) to an Mdm2 AP-1 oligodeoxynucleotide probe, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed it increased binding of c-Jun or JunB to the P2 AP-1 RE. Finally, antisense oligonucleotide-mediated reduction of H(2)O(2)-induced Mdm2 expression increased caspase 3 activation. Thus, increased Mdm2 expression is associated with transactivation at the P2 AP-1 RE (rather than the p53 or Ets REs), and Mdm2 induction potentially represents a cardioprotective response to oxidative stress.

Stochastic modeling and simulation of the p53-MDM2/MDMX loop

The p53 gene is crucial for effective tumor suppression in humans as supported by its universal inactivation in cancer cells either through mutations affecting the p53 locus directly or through aberration of its normal regulation. The p53 tumor repressor is regulated through a negative feedback loop involving its transcriptional target MDM2. MDMX is also an essential negative regulator of p53. Several computational models have been proposed to simulate the dynamics of the p53-MDM2 loop, but they do not include MDMX, only account for some basic interactions between p53 and MDM2 and cannot capture the intrinsic noise in the loop. In this article, we present a comprehensive model for the p53-MDM2/MDMX loop that accounts for most known interactions among p53, MDM2 and MDMX. Our model is characterized by a set of molecular reactions, which enables us to employ stochastic simulation to investigate the dynamics of the loop. In agreement with experiments, our results show that p53 and MDM2 undergo oscillations after DNA damage in the presence of noise, and the variation in oscillation amplitudes is much higher than that in oscillation periods. Our simulations predict that intrinsic noise contributes to 60%-70% of the total variation in oscillation amplitudes and periods. The protein levels of p53, MDM2, and MDMX after treatment with Nutlin in our simulations are also consistent with experimental results. Our simulation results further predict that p53 levels increase dramatically after MDM2 is knocked out, but increase with a much less amount after MDMX is knocked out. This may partially explain why MDM2-null and MDMX-null mouse embryos die in different developmental stages. Our stochastic model and simulation provide insights into the variability of the behavior of the p53 pathway and can be used to predict the dynamics of the pathway after certain interventions.

Selective translation of mRNAs in the left ventricular myocardium of the mouse in response to acute pressure overload

During pressure overload hypertrophy, selective changes in cardiac gene expression occur that regulate growth and modify the structural and functional properties of the myocardium. To determine the role of translational mechanisms, a murine model of transverse aortic constriction was used to screen a set of specified mRNAs for changes in translational activity by measuring incorporation into polysomes in response to acute pressure overload. Candidate mRNAs were selected on the basis of two main criteria: (1) the 5'-untranslated region of the mRNA contains an excessive amount of secondary structure (DeltaG<-50 kCal/mol), which is postulated to regulate efficiency of translation, and (2) the protein product has been implicated in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy. After 24 h of transverse aortic constriction, homogenates derived from the left ventricle were layered onto 15-50% linear sucrose gradients and resolved into monosome fractions (messenger ribonucleoprotein particles) and polysome fractions by density gradient ultracentrifugation. The levels of mRNA in each fraction were quantified by real-time RT-PCR. The screen revealed that pressure overload increased translational activity of 6 candidate mRNAs as determined by a significant increase in the percentage of total mRNA incorporated into the polysome fractions. The mRNAs code for several functional classes of proteins linked to cardiac hypertrophy: the transcription factors c-myc, c-jun and MEF2D, growth factors VEGF and FGF-2 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2. These studies demonstrate that acute pressure overload alters cardiac gene expression by mechanisms that selectively regulate translational activity of specific mRNAs.

Human MDM2 isoforms translated differentially on constitutive versus p53-regulated transcripts have distinct functions in the p53/MDM2 and TSG101/MDM2 feedback control loops

Proteins encoded by the mdm2 gene, which has a pivotal role in the regulation of growth and differentiation, exist principally in human and murine cells as two isoforms that migrate in gels as 75-kDa and 90-kDa proteins. There is limited understanding of the respective biological roles of these isoforms, their molecular nature, and their mechanism of formation. We report here that human p75(MDM2) is an N-terminally truncated mixture of protein isoforms produced by the initiation of translation at two distinct internal AUG codons. The p75(MDM2) doublets and p90(MDM2), which is the full-length MDM2 protein, are expressed in approximately equal amounts from transcripts initiated at the constitutive P1 promoter of mdm2. Unlike murine transcripts initiated at the p53-activated P2 promoter, human cell transcripts initiated at the P2 promoter preferentially produce p90(MDM2). The ubiquitin enzyme variant protein TSG101, which interacts functionally with MDM2 in an autoregulatory loop that parallels the p53/MDM2 feedback control loop, interferes with degradation of both isoforms; however, only p90(MDM2) promotes proteolysis of TSG101 and p53. Our results reveal the mechanism of formation of the principal MDM2 isoforms, the differential effects of p53 on the production of these isoforms, and the differential abilities of human MDM2 isoforms as regulators of the MDM2/TSG101 and p53/MDM2 feedback control loops.

Aflatoxin B1 alters the expression of p53 in cytochrome P450-expressing human lung cells

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a potent dietary hepatocarcinogen in animals and probably in humans. Mutations (and altered expression) of the tumor suppresser gene p53 have been observed in liver tumors from patients exposed to high dietary AFB1. Inhalation of AFB1-laden grain dusts has been associated with an increased incidence of lung cancer in humans as well. We examined the effects of low concentrations of AFB1 on the expression of p53 and MDM2 in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) transfected with cDNA for either cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2 (B-CMV1A2) or CYP 3A4 (B3A4), two isozymes that are responsible for AFB1 activation in human liver and possibly the lung. Untreated B-CMV1A2 and B3A4 cells constitutively expressed p53. Exposure to a range (0.015-15 microM for 30 min) of AFB1 concentrations caused a concentration-dependent decline in p53 expression in B-CMV1A2 cells, and to a lesser extent, in B3A4 cells. The AFB1-mediated decrease in p53 continued for at least 12 h after 30-min exposures to 1.5 muM AFB(1). Mirroring the decrease in p53 expression was a concentration-dependent increase in the expression of the 76-kDa MDM2 isoform in B-CMV1A2 and B-3A4 cells. Interestingly, AFB1 did not induce DNA laddering, an indicator of apoptotic cell death, but proteolytic activation of caspase-3 was detected in AFB1-treated B-CVM1A2 cells. In total, these data show that low, environmentally-relevant concentrations of AFB1 alter the expression of p53 and MDM2 in these human lung cells, and that cells that stably express CYP 1A2 were more susceptible to this effect than nontransfected, or 3A4-expressing cells.

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, statins, induce phosphorylation of Mdm2 and attenuate the p53 response to DNA damage

3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, statins, are widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs and have been shown to have anticancer effects in many models. We have investigated the effect of statins on Mdm2, a p53-specific ubiquitin ligase. It was found that pravastatin induced Mdm2 phosphorylation at Ser166 and at 2A10 antibody-specific epitopes in HepG2 cells, while mRNA levels were unchanged. Furthermore, pravastatin was found to induce phosphorylation of mTOR at Ser2448. Ser166 phosphorylation of Mdm2 was abrogated by an inhibitor of mTOR, rapamycin, but not by the PI3-kinase inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin. Ser166 phosphorylation of Mdm2 has been associated to active Mdm2 and has been shown to increase its ubiquitin ligase activity and lead to increased p53 degradation. Our data show that statins attenuated the p53 response to DNA damage. Thus, in HepG2 cells pravastatin and simvastatin pretreatment attenuated the p53 response to DNA damage induced by 5-fluorouracil and benzo(a)pyrene. Similar attenuation was induced when p53 stabilization was induced by the inhibitor of nuclear export, leptomycin B. Furthermore, in the DNA-damaged cells, half-lives of Mdm2 and p53 were decreased by statins, indicating a more rapid formation of p53/Mdm2 complexes and facilitated p53 degradation. The induction of p53 responsive genes and apoptosis was attenuated. Mdm2 and p53 were also studied in vivo in rat liver employing immunohistochemistry, and it was found that constitutive Mdm2 expression was changed in livers of pravastatin-treated rats. We also show that the p53 response to a challenging dose of diethylnitrosamine was attenuated in hepatocytes in situ and in primary cultures of hepatocytes by pravastatin pretreatment. Taken together, these data indicate that statins induce an mTOR-dependent Ser166 phosphorylation of Mdm2, and this effect may attenuate the duration and intensity of the p53 response to DNA damage in hepatocytes.

PTEN Regulates Mdm2 Expression through the P1 Promoter

MDM2 is an oncoprotein that controls tumorigenesis through both p53-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Mdm2 mRNA level is transcriptionally regulated by p53 in response to stress such as DNA damage, and its protein level and subcellular localization are post-translationally modulated by the AKT serine/threonine kinase. Previous studies showed that PTEN, a dual specificity phosphatase that antagonizes phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT signaling, is capable of blocking MDM2 nuclear translocation and destabilizing the MDM2 protein. Results from our current study demonstrate an additional role for PTEN in regulating MDM2 functions; PTEN modulates Mdm2 transcription and isoform selection by negatively regulating its P1 promoter. In Pten-null cell lines and prostate cancer tissues, Mdm2 P1 promoter activity is up-regulated, resulting in increased L-Mdm2 expression and enhanced p90(MDM2) isoform production. Furthermore, PTEN controls Mdm2 P1 promoter activity through its lipid phosphatase activity, independent of p53. Thus, our results provide a novel mechanism for PTEN in controlling MDM2 oncoprotein functions.

Mdm2 in the Response to Radiation

Murine double minute 2 (Mdm2) is a critical component of the responses to both ionizing and UV radiation. The level of Mdm2 expression determines the extent to which radiation induces an increase in the activity of the p53 tumor suppressor. Mdm2 acts as a survival factor in many cell types by limiting the apoptotic function of p53. In addition, expression of mdm2 is induced in response to DNA damage, and the resulting high levels of Mdm2 protein are thought to shorten the length of the cell cycle arrest established by p53 in the radiation response. Increased levels of Mdm2 appear to ensure that the activity of p53 returns to its low basal levels in surviving cells. Decreased levels of Mdm2 sensitize cells to ionizing radiation. Thus, Mdm2 is a potential target for therapeutic intervention because its inhibition may radiosensitize the subset of human tumors expressing wild-type p53 such that radiotherapy is more efficacious.

The two upstream open reading frames of oncogene mdm2 have different translational regulatory properties

Few details are known of the mechanisms through which multiple upstream open reading frames (uORFs) interact to regulate translation in higher eukaryotes. The predominant transcript of oncogene mdm2 in normal human cells (L-mdm2) contains two upstream open reading frames in its 5' leader. Elimination of these two uORFs raises the translational efficiency of the transcript by over 10-fold in HeLa cells. The 5'-most uORF (uORF1) alone suppresses downstream translational activity by over 5-fold, whereas uORF2 contributes <2-fold to the inhibition by the intact leader. The different activities of the two uORFs do not depend on the nucleotide sequence surrounding the uORFs in the 5' leader, the order of the two uORFs in the 5' leader, or the occurrence of secondary structure or rare codons within the uORFs. Specific features of the amino acid sequence encoded by uORF1 contribute to its stronger suppressive activity, suggesting that it belongs to the class of "sequence-specific" uORFs. The weaker inhibitory activity inherent in uORF2 is potentiated by a sub-optimal nucleotide context surrounding its initiator AUG. The occurrence of two uORFs with differing activities in both the human gene and the mouse orthologue suggests that this pair of elements may play a fundamental role in regulating expression of the mdm2 gene.

mdm2 Is critical for inhibition of p53 during lymphopoiesis and the response to ionizing irradiation

The function of the p53 tumor suppressor protein must be highly regulated because p53 can cause cell death and prevent tumorigenesis. In cultured cells, the p90MDM2 protein blocks the transcriptional activation domain of p53 and also stimulates the degradation of p53. Here we provide the first conclusive demonstration that p90MDM2 constitutively regulates p53 activity in homeostatic tissues. Mice with a hypomorphic allele of mdm2 revealed a heretofore unknown role for mdm2 in lymphopoiesis and epithelial cell survival. Phenotypic analyses revealed that both the transcriptional activation and apoptotic functions of p53 were increased in these mice. However, the level of p53 protein was not coordinately increased, suggesting that p90MDM2 can inhibit the transcriptional activation and apoptotic functions of p53 in a manner independent of degradation. Cre-mediated deletion of mdm2 caused a greater accumulation of p53, demonstrating that p90MDM2 constitutively regulates both the activity and the level of p53 in homeostatic tissues. The observation that only a subset of tissues with activated p53 underwent apoptosis indicates that factors other than p90(MDM2) determine the physiological consequences of p53 activation. Furthermore, reduction of mdm2 in vivo resulted in radiosensitivity, highlighting the importance of mdm2 as a potential target for adjuvant cancer therapies.

Expression of the chicken homologue of the mouse double minute 2 gene

While the p53 tumor suppressor plays a crucial role in regulating cell cycle checkpoints and apoptosis by acting as either a transcriptional activator or repressor in a variety of mammalian cells, its evolutionarily conserved functions remain to be elucidated in non-mammalian species. In the present study, we determined the functional role of p53 in avian cells by analyzing the expression pattern of the chicken homologue (CDM2) of mouse double minute 2, one of the transcriptional target genes of p53. CDM2 displayed considerable conservation in the p53 binding region as well as the nuclear localization and nuclear export signals and was found to be abundantly expressed in the reproductive organs (testis and ovarian follicles) and in the immune organs (bone marrow, bursa and thymus). CDM2 expression exhibited an early serum-response pattern consistent with its mammalian counterparts and was dramatically downregulated in most of the p53-downregulated immortal chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells analyzed. Expression of CDM2 was shown to be transcriptionally upregulated in the primary CEF cells where p53 was activated by either mitomycin C treatment or by the exogenous transfection of the chicken p53 cDNA. Together, the current studies demonstrate that the expression of MDM2 homologues may be biologically conserved in mammalian and avian cells.