The p53 binding protein PDCD5 is not rate-limiting in DNA damage induced cell death

Anti-carcinogenic effects and mechanisms of actions of Citrus limon fruit peel hydroethanolic extract and limonene in diethylnitrosmine/2-acetylaminofluorene-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in Wistar rats

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer death and disability in the world. Citrus species and their constituents have many biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. This study aimed to assess the anti-carcinogenic effects and postulate the possible mechanisms of action for Citrus limon fruit peel hydroethanolic extract (CLFPHE) and limonene in diethylnitrosamine (DEN)/2-acetylaminofluorene (2AAF)-induced HCC in male Wistar rats. For analysis and characterization of CLFPHE, gas chromatography-mass spectrum (GC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods were applied. A HCC was elaborated by DEN intraperitoneal injection (150 mg/kg/week) for two weeks followed by oral delivery of 2AAF (20 mg/kg) four times a week for three weeks. The DEN/2AAF-administered rats were treated with CLFPHE (50 mg/kg) and limonene (20 mg/kg) by oral gavage every other day for 24 weeks. CLFPHE and limonene significantly attenuated the harmful effects of DEN on liver function. Histopathological analysis confirmed that both treatments inhibited DEN/2AAF-induced tumorigenesis in association with the suppression of serum tumor markers including AFP, CEA, and CA19.9 and liver proliferator indicator (Ki-67). Moreover, CLFPHE and limonene prevented the oxidative stress and enhanced the antioxidant defenses in DEN/2AAF-administered rats. These ameliorations were manifested by decreases in liver lipid peroxidation, increases in GSH, SOD and GPx levels and upregulation of Nrf2. The treatments also abated inflammation by suppressing TNF-α and IL-1β levels and IL-8 and NF-κB expression. CLFPHE and limonene substantially decreased hepatic BCL-2, IQGAP1, IQGAP3, HRAS, KRAS and Ki-67 while they elevated BAX, P53, PDCD5 and IQGAP2 expressions. Our findings suggest that CLFPHE and limonene may abate HCC development via enhancement of apoptotic, antioxidant, cell anti-proliferatory and anti-inflammatory effects.

Lgr5-mediated p53 Repression through PDCD5 leads to doxorubicin resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The devastating prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is partially attributed to chemotherapy resistance. Accumulating evidence suggests that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key driving force of carcinoma metastasis and chemoresistance in solid tumors. Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5), as an EMT inducer, is involved in the potentiation of Wnt signaling in HCC. This study proposes uncovering the roles of Lgr5 in Doxorubicin (Dox) resistance of HCC to improve treatment efficacy for HCC.

Methods: We investigated the expression and significance of Lgr5 in HCC tissue and different cell lines. The effect of Lgr5 in EMT and Dox resistance was analyzed in HCC cells and implanted HCC tumor models. A two-hybrid analysis, using the Lgr5 gene as the bait and a HCC cDNA library, was used to screen targeted proteins that interact with Lgr5. The positive clones were identified by coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pull-down. The impact of the interaction on Dox resistance was investigated by a series of assays in vitro and in vivo .

Result: We found that Lgr5 was upregulated and positively correlated with poor prognosis in HCC. Additionally, it functioned as a tumor promoter to increase cell migration and induce EMT in HCC cells and increase the resistance to Dox. We identified programmed cell death protein 5 (PDCD5) as a target gene of Lgr5 and we found that PDCD5 was responsible for Lgr5-mediated Dox resistance. Further analysis with Co-IP and GST pull-down assays showed that the N-terminal extracellular domain of Lgr5 could directly bind to PDCD5. Lgr5 induced p53 degradation by blocking the nuclear translocation of PDCD5 and leading to the loss of p53 stabilization. Lgr5 showed a protection against the inhibition of Dox on the growth of tumor subcutaneously injected. Moreover, Lgr5 suppressed Dox-induced apoptosis via the p53 pathway and attenuated the cytotoxicity of Dox to HCC.

Conclusion: Lgr5 induces the EMT and inhibits apoptosis, thus promoting chemoresistance by regulating the PDCD5/p53 signaling axis. Furthermore, Lgr5 may be a potential target gene for overcoming Dox resistance.

RNA damage in biological conflicts and the diversity of responding RNA repair systems

RNA is targeted in biological conflicts by enzymatic toxins or effectors. A vast diversity of systems which repair or ‘heal’ this damage has only recently become apparent. Here, we summarize the known effectors, their modes of action, and RNA targets before surveying the diverse systems which counter this damage from a comparative genomics viewpoint. RNA-repair systems show a modular organization with extensive shuffling and displacement of the constituent domains; however, a general ‘syntax’ is strongly maintained whereby systems typically contain: a RNA ligase (either ATP-grasp or RtcB superfamilies), nucleotidyltransferases, enzymes modifying RNA-termini for ligation (phosphatases and kinases) or protection (methylases), and scaffold or cofactor proteins. We highlight poorly-understood or previously-uncharacterized repair systems and components, e.g. potential scaffolding cofactors (Rot/TROVE and SPFH/Band-7 modules) with their respective cognate non-coding RNAs (YRNAs and a novel tRNA-like molecule) and a novel nucleotidyltransferase associating with diverse ligases. These systems have been extensively disseminated by lateral transfer between distant prokaryotic and microbial eukaryotic lineages consistent with intense inter-organismal conflict. Components have also often been ‘institutionalized’ for non-conflict roles, e.g. in RNA-splicing and in RNAi systems (e.g. in kinetoplastids) which combine a distinct family of RNA-acting prim-pol domains with DICER-like proteins.

AtPDCD5 Plays a Role in Programmed Cell Death after UV-B Exposure in Arabidopsis

DNA damage responses have evolved to sense and react to DNA damage; the induction of DNA repair mechanisms can lead to genomic restoration or, if the damaged DNA cannot be adequately repaired, to the execution of a cell death program. In this work, we investigated the role of an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) protein, AtPDCD5, which is highly similar to the human PDCD5 protein; it is induced by ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation and participates in programmed cell death in the UV-B DNA damage response. Transgenic plants expressing AtPDCD5 fused to GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN indicate that AtPDCD5 is localized both in the nucleus and the cytosol. By use of pdcd5 mutants, we here demonstrate that these plants have an altered antioxidant metabolism and accumulate higher levels of DNA damage after UV-B exposure, similar to levels in ham1ham2 RNA interference transgenic lines with decreased expression of acetyltransferases from the MYST family. By coimmunoprecipitation and pull-down assays, we provide evidence that AtPDCD5 interacts with HAM proteins, suggesting that both proteins participate in the same pathway of DNA damage responses. Plants overexpressing AtPDCD5 show less DNA damage but more cell death in root tips upon UV-B exposure. Finally, we here show that AtPDCD5 also participates in age-induced programmed cell death. Together, the data presented here demonstrate that AtPDCD5 plays an important role during DNA damage responses induced by UV-B radiation in Arabidopsis and also participates in programmed cell death programs.

Cellular functions of programmed cell death 5

Programmed cell death 5 (PDCD5) was originally identified as an apoptosis-accelerating protein that is widely expressed and has been well conserved during the process of evolution. PDCD5 has complex biological functions, including programmed cell death and immune regulation. It can accelerate apoptosis in different type of cells in response to different stimuli. During this process, PDCD5 rapidly translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. PDCD5 regulates the activities of TIP60, HDAC3, MDM2 and TP53 transcription factors. These proteins form part of a signaling network that is disrupted in most, if not all, cancer cells. Recent evidence suggests that PDCD5 participates in immune regulation by promoting regulatory T cell function via the PDCD5-TIP60-FOXP3 pathway. The stability and expression of PDCD5 are finely regulated by other molecules, such as NF-κB p65, OTUD5, YAF2 and DNAJB1. PDCD5 is phosphorylated by CK2 at Ser119, which is required for nuclear translocation in response to genotoxic stress. In this review, we describe what is known about PDCD5 and its cellular functions.