Accumulation of mutant p53 and hsp72 by heat treatment, and their association in a human glioblastoma cell line

Therapeutic strategies for head and neck cancer based on p53 status

Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNSCC) are one of the most common types of cancers worldwide, and despite advances in treatment, they still represent a clinical challenge. Inactivation of one or more components in the p53 signaling pathway is an extremely common event in human neoplasia, including HNSCC. The loss of p53 function is responsible for increased aggressiveness in cancers, while tumor chemoresistance and radioresistance can depend on deleted p53 expression, or on the expression of mutated-p53 proteins. Thus, consideration and manipulation of the p53 status during HNSCC cancer therapy should be considered. This review discusses the p53 signaling pathways activated by various cellular stresses, including exposure to cancer therapies. The recognition of the p53 status in cancer cells is a significant factor and could provide valuable assistance during the selection of an effective therapeutic approach.

Chaperones in cell cycle regulation and mitogenic signal transduction: a review

Chaperones/heat shock proteins (HSPs) of the HSP90 and HSP70 families show elevated levels in proliferating mammalian cells and a cell cycle-dependent expression. They transiently associate with key molecules of the cell cycle control system such as Cdk4, Wee-1, pRb, p53, p27/Kip1 and are involved in the nuclear localization of regulatory proteins. They also associate with viral oncoproteins such as SV40 super T, large T and small t antigen, polyoma large and middle S antigen and EpsteinBarr virus nuclear antigen. This association is based on a J-domain in the viral proteins and may assist their targeting to the pRb/E2F complex. Small HSPs and their state of phosphorylation and oligomerization also seem to be involved in proliferation and differentiation. Chaperones/HSPs thus play important roles within cell cycle processes. Their exact functioning, however, is still a matter of discussion. HSP90 in particular, but also HSP70 and other chaperones associate with proteins of the mitogen-activated signal cascade, particularly with the Src kinase, with tyrosine receptor kinases, with Raf and the MAP-kinase activating kinase (MEK). This apparently serves the folding and translocation of these proteins, but possibly also the formation of large immobilized complexes of signal transducing molecules (scaffolding function).

Mild hyperthermia plus adenoviral p53 over-expression additively inhibits the viability of human malignant glioma cells

Adenoviral replacement of the p53 gene has already been proved effective for the treatment of various tumours, including malignant gliomas. However, it is difficult to treat malignant glioma with p53 gene therapy alone because of problems with resistance or a less-than-satisfactory response to the treatment. This study investigated whether heat shock at 43 degrees C (mild hyperthermia) augments the cytotoxic effect of p53 gene transfer on malignant glioma cells expressing wild-type p53 (D54) or mutant p53 (U373-MG and U251-MG). The combination of mild hyperthermia and adenoviral p53 over-expression had an additive inhibitory effect on cellular proliferation in all three cell lines studied. Further, both cell cycle analysis and a DNA fragmentation assay showed that apoptosis was induced by p53 over-expression alone but not by heat shock at 43 degrees C alone. However, p53 over-expression followed by mild hyperthermia additively increased the proportion of cells in which apoptosis was induced, regardless of the endogenous p53 status of the tumour cells. Interestingly, a caspase-independent mechanism was observed to be involved in the p53-induced apoptosis in U251-MG and D54 cells. Taken together, the findings showed that combining adenoviral p53 transfer with mild hyperthermia inhibits the proliferation of malignant glioma cells in an additive manner, irrespective of their endogenous p53 status, suggesting a novel treatment strategy for this malignancy.

Glycerol restores heat-induced p53-dependent apoptosis of human glioblastoma cells bearing mutant p53

BACKGROUND

We have previously reported that glycerol acts as a chemical chaperone to restore the expression of WAF1 in some human cancer cell lines bearing mutant p53. Since the expression of WAF1 is up-regulated by activated wildtype p53, glycerol appears to restore wtp53 function. The aim of the present study is to examine the restoration of heat-induced p53-dependent apoptosis by glycerol in human glioblastoma cells (A-172) transfected with a vector carrying a mutant p53 gene (A-172/mp53 cells) or neo control vector (A-172/neo cells).

RESULTS

A-172/mp53 cells showed heat resistance compared with A-172/neo cells but A-172/mp53 cells in turn became heat sensitive when pre-treated with glycerol before heat treatment. The accumulation of Bax in the A-172/mp53 cells was induced by heating with glycerol pre-treatment, but not without it, whereas the accumulation in the A-172/neo cells was induced in both cases. Furthermore, mp53 extracted from heated cells came to bind to the sequence specific region after heating combined with glycerol pre-treatment. The phosphorylation of mp53 at serine15 was suppressed by an inhibitor of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) family.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that glycerol is effective in inducing conformational change of phosphorylated p53 and restoring mp53 to wtp53 function, leading to enhanced heat sensitivity through the induction of apoptosis. This novel tool for enhancement of heat sensitivity in cancer cells bearing mp53 may be applicable for p53-targeted hyperthermia, because mutation or inactivation of p53 is observed in approximately 50% of human cancers.

Effects of hyperthermia on p53 protein expression and activity

Although p53 responses after DNA damage have been investigated extensively, p53 responses after heat shock, which exerts cytotoxic action by mechanisms other than direct induction of DNA damage, are less well characterized. We investigated, therefore, the effect of hyperthermic exposures on the levels and DNA-binding activity of p53. Experiments were carried out with U2OS and ML-1 cells, known to express wild-type p53 protein. Although heating at 41 degrees C for up to 6 h had only a small effect on p53 levels or DNA binding activity, exposure to temperatures between 42.5 and 45.5 degrees C caused an immediate decrease in protein levels that was associated with a reduction in DNA binding activity. This observation is compatible with a high lability of p53 to heat shock, or heat sensitivity of the pathway regulating p53 levels in non-stressed cells. When cells were heated to 42.5 degrees C and returned to normal temperatures, a strong p53 response associated with an increase in protein levels and DNA binding activity was observed, suggesting the production of p53-inducing cellular damage. At higher temperatures, however, this response was compromised in an exposure-time-dependent manner. The increase in DNA binding activity was more heat sensitive than the increase in p53 levels and was inhibited at lower temperatures and shorter exposure times. Thus, the pathway of p53 activation is itself heat sensitive and compromised at high levels of exposure. Compared to p53 activation after exposure to ionizing radiation, heat-induced activation is rapid and short lived. When cells were exposed to combined heat and radiation, the response observed approximated that of cells exposed to heat alone. Wortmannin at 10 microM inhibited p53 activation for up to 2 h after heat shock suggesting the involvement of wortmannin-sensitive kinases, such as DNA-PK and ATM. Heat shock causes phosphorylation of p53 at Serine-15, but there is no correlation between phosphorylation at this site and activation of the protein. The results in aggregate indicate p53 activation in the absence of DNA damage by a heat-sensitive mechanism operating with faster kinetics than radiation-induced p53 activation. The former response may induce pathways preventing other stimuli from activating p53, as heat-induced activation of p53 is dominant over activation of p53 by DNA damage in combined-treatment experiments. These observations suggest means for abrogating p53 induction after DNA damage with the purpose of potentiating response and enhancing cell killing.

Chemoprotection from p53-dependent apoptosis: potential clinical applications of the p53 inhibitors

The p53 tumor suppressor pathway is a key mediator of stress response that protects the organism from accumulating genetically altered and potentially cancerous cells by inducing growth arrest or apoptosis in damaged cells. However, under certain stressful conditions, p53 activity can result in massive apoptosis in sensitive tissues, leading to severe pathological consequences for the organism. One such situation is anticancer therapy that is often associated with general genotoxic stress, leading to p53-dependent apoptosis in the epithelia of the digestive tract and in the hematopoietic system. A chemical inhibitor of p53, capable of suppressing p53-mediated apoptosis, was shown to protect mice from lethal doses of gamma-radiation, making pharmacological suppression of p53 a perspective therapeutic approach to reduce the side-effects of cancer treatment. There are other situations, besides anti-cancer therapy, when humans are exposed to stressful conditions known to involve p53 activation, which, in extreme cases, could result in the development of life-threatening diseases. Here we review the experimental evidence on the role of p53 in tissue injuries associated with hypoxia (heart and brain ischemias) and hyperthermia (fever and burns), comparing these pathologies with the consequences of genotoxic stress of cancer treatment. The accumulated information points to the involvement of p53 in the generation of the pathological outcome of the above stresses, making them potential targets for the therapeutic application of p53 inhibitors.

Adenovirus-mediated transfer of p53 augments hyperthermia-induced apoptosis in U251 glioma cells

PURPOSE

Hyperthermia kills glioma cells by inducing apoptosis and is thereby an effective therapeutic modality for the treatment of malignant gliomas. However, cells harboring mutated p53 are refractory to hyperthermia-induced apoptosis. In this study, we assessed whether or not adenovirus (Adv)-mediated transduction of p53 overrides this resistant mechanism.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

We transduced the p53 wild-type tumor suppressor gene into U251 glioma cells harboring mutated p53 using Adv vectors in combination with hyperthermia (43, 44.5 degrees C), and evaluated the degree of cell death and apoptosis.

RESULTS

The percentage of cells that had died, as measured by trypan blue staining, among U251 cells infected with the Adv for p53 (Adv-p53) and treated with hyperthermia, was significantly higher than the percentage of cells that had died among U251 cells infected with Adv-p53 and not treated with hyperthermia, or those infected with the control Adv for dE (Adv-dE) and treated with hyperthermia. The degree of apoptosis, measured at 24 h after treatment, in hyperthermia-treated U251 cells infected with Adv-p53 (43 degrees C, 73%; 44.5 degrees C, 92%) was much higher than that infected with Adv-p53 (41%), or that infected with control Adv-dE and treated with hyperthermia (43 degrees C, 1.3%; 44.5 degrees C, 19%). Treatment with combined hyperthermia and Adv-p53 infection induced cleavage of caspase-3 in U251 cells.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that Adv-mediated transduction of p53 would render glioma cells highly sensitive to hyperthermia.

Accumulation of stress protein 72 (HSP72) in muscle and spleen of goldfish taken into space

Using Western blot analysis, here, we report the levels of HSP72 in several organs from goldfish which were taken into space on the NASA space shuttle. A remarkable accumulation of HSP72 was detected in muscle and spleen of those fish taken into space as compared with controls. These results suggested that the HSP72 induction is a kind of stress response at the molecular level introduced by the space environment consisting of microgravity and/or cosmic radiation as stressors.