Transcript ppt
Tumour Suppressor Genes
TSGs code for proteins
that inhibit cell division
Mutations can cause the
proteins to be inactivated
and may thus deprive
cells of needed restraints
on proliferation
Ways of inactivating a TSG
Active growth promoter
S
P53
– protein of 53kDa
Rb
- retinoblastoma
Inactive growth complex
Active growth promoter
S
Active growth promoter
Mdm2
S
Binding protein
S
P
phosphorylation
Active growth promoter
S
mutation
p53 – ‘guardian’ of the genome
Initially identified as a tumour specific nuclear antigen of 53kDa
4 monomers form a functional tetramer
Comparison with normal cells showed the presence of mutations in cancer
When wild-type gene transfected into tumours, it stopped their growth i.e. a
tumour suppressor gene
Cellular
stress
Cell proliferation
p53p53
Stimulates DNA repair
p53p53
Prepares for apoptosis
P53 function
p53 mutations and cancer
50% of all cancers show mutations in p53
90% mutations in Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)
80% point mutations and 20% truncations
Mutations in p53
cause loss of function
Leads to continued cell division despite DNA damage
Leads to increased mutation rate
Axillary lymph node infiltrated by metastatic breast
carcinoma: IHC for p53 protein
P53 activation
P53 – domain structure
Transactivation
domain
1
DNA binding
100
200
Tetramer C-terminal
formationdomain
300
393
P53 – posttranslational modification sites
Transactivation
domain
DNA binding
Tetramer
C-terminal
formation
domain
circles, Ser/Thr phosphorylation sites; hexagons, acetylation sites; octagons, sumoylation site.
post-translational modifications are induced when cells are
exposed to stress
The N-terminus is heavily phosphorylated while the C-terminus
contains phosphorylated, acetylated and sumoylated residues.
N-terminal phosphorylations are important for stabilizing p53 and
are crucial for acetylation of C-terminal sites, which in combination
lead to the full p53-mediated response to genotoxic stresses.
P53 – Transcriptional activation
Transactivation
domain
DNA binding
Tetramer C-terminal
formation domain
stimulates transcription indirectly by binding to other nuclear
proteins e.g.Mdm2, GADD45, Cyclin G, BAX, IGF –BP3
Mdm2 regulates p53
murine double minute 2 (mdm2) gene was originally
identified by amplification in a spontaneously
transformed mouse BALB/c cell line
The Mdm2 protein binds to p53 and inhibits p53mediated transcription activation
Gene amplification of the human mdm2 gene, hdm2,
observed in about a third of human sarcomas that
retained wild-type p53
Overexpression of hdm2 is an alternative way of
inactivating p53
Regulation of p53 by Mdm2
1) Mdm2 inhibits the transcriptional activity of p53 by
binding to the TAD.
2) p53 is degraded by Mdm2. Mdm2 ubiquitinates p53 and
itself, leading to the degradation of both proteins
genotoxic stress stabilises p53
After stress, p53 accumulates by
the dissociation of the p53–
Oncogenic activation
Mdm2 interaction due to either
1) Posttranslational modification
of p53and/or mdm2 (DNA
damage response)
2) Other interacting proteins like
ARF (alternative reading frame;
p14ARF in human, p19ARF in
mice). ARF sequesters Mdm2
to the nucleoli, stabilising the
p53 tetramer (oncogenic
stimulus and viral
transformation)
Mdm2
P
ARF
p53
p53
p53 53
Regulation of p53 by mdm2
mdm2 and cancer
In many cancers, the protective activity of p53 is switched
off, as a result of overexpression of the protein MDM2, which
binds to the transactivation domain of p53 and blocks its
ability to activate transcription
e.g. de novo glioblastoma
multiforme (a.k.a grade
IV astrocytomas)
grow rapidly, invade
nearby tissue and
contain cells that are
very malignant. clear
MRI – death in < 1 year
Caused by amplification of
Mdm2 leading to p53
inactivation
Dynamics of the p53-Mdm2 feedback loop in individual cells
(a) p53-CFP (green) in clonal MCF7 cells after 5-Gyirradiation. Time (min) post radiation shown
(d) Dynamics of p53-CFP (green) and Mdm2-YFP (red)
in a cell that shows two pulses.
Nature Genetics 36, 147 - 150 (2004)
P53 – DNA binding domain
Transactivation
domain
Sequence specific
DNA binding:
P53 acts as a
transcription factor
by binding to
genes that have a
p53 response
element
DNA binding
Tetramer Transcriptional
formation inhibition
P53 – DNA binding
Normal cells, p21 is not transcribed
Upon DNA damage, p53 levels are
increased, which in turn actively
transcribe the p21 gene
p21 represses cell growth by
binding to Cdk's (cyclindependent protein kinases) in
the cell resulting in G1 arrest
Mutations in the DNA binding
domain of p53 results in loss of
DNA binding affinity.
Subsequently, p53 can no longer
induce transcription of p21. If
there is no p21, there is no way
to bind the Cdk's and the cell
proceeds, uncontrolled, through
the cell cycle.
P53 – tetramer formation
Transactivation
domain
DNA binding
Tetramer C-terminal
formation domain
P53 – tetramer formation
Children in
southern Brazil
exhibit an
elevated
incidence of
adrenocortical
carcinoma
(ACC) due to an
arginine to His
mutation at 337
(R337H) within
tetramerization
domain of p53
(35/36 patients).
Nature Structural Biology 9, 12 - 16 (2001)
P53 – C-terminal domain
Transactivation
domain
Tetramer C-terminal
formation domain
DNA binding
The C-terminal regulatory domain has 2 functions
Negative regulation: Phosphorylation destabilises the
folding of the DNA binding domain
Positive regulation: Acetylation of the C-terminus of
DNA-bound p53 stabilises p300 binding, which is
required for p53 driven transcription
It also modulates
the stability,
the oligomerization state,
the nuclear import/export process and
the degree of ubiquitination of p53.
P53 – mutational hotspots
p53 and ageing
P53-/- mice develop normally but prone to cancers
Overexpressing p53 mice are resistant to tumours but show
premature ageing
Nature 415, 26-27 (3 January 2002)
Retinoblastoma
Rare childhood cancer of the eye (retinomas) that develops
in children, typically under five years old.
Incidence
• 2 % of childhood malignancies
Influencing factors
30-40% hereditary
60-70% sporadic
leukocoria, a white reflex of the pupil
Treatment
Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy
Molecular genetics of Rb
The 2-hit hypothesis
Nondisjunction
Mitotic
&
recombination
duplication
deletion
Point mutation
Retinoblastoma protein (pRb)
•
•
•
•
Normally inhibits cell proliferation
localised in the nucleus
tumour suppressor protein of ~110kD
pRb has > 10 phosphorylation sites (affects proteinprotein interaction)
• Rb gene is 300kb long & mutations in this gene leads to
loss of function.
• Most mutations involve gross chromosomal changes in
the 3kb coding region and 1/3 are point mutations.
• Loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 13q14.2.
Endogenous expression and
phosphorylation of Rb in human neuronal
cultures
Viral protein (E7) binds Rb
Other TSGs
Genes for cytoplasmic proteins
APC
Involved in colon & stomach cancers
DPC4
Involved in pancreatic cancers. Codes for signalling molecule
involved in inhibition of cell division
NF-1
Codes for inhibitor of ras protein. Involved in neurofibroma,
pheochromocytoma (peripheral nervous system) & myeloid
leukaemia
NF-2
Involved in meningioma & ependynoma (brain) & schwannoma
(shwann cells surrounding the neuron)
Genes for nuclear proteins (also includes Rb and p53)
MTS1
Codes for the p16 protein, a CKI involved in a range of cancers.
WT1
Codes for transcription factor WT1, involved in Wilms' tumor
Genes with unclear cellular locations
BRCA1/2 Involved in breast/ovarian cancers (DNA repair?)
VHL
Involved in renal cell cancer
Some questions
• Why do you get mainly retinal cancer
when the Rb gene is knocked out?
• Is the balance between activity of
oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes
a cumulative effect?
• Is cancer a disease not of cell division but
of cell differentiation?
NATURE|VOL 427 | 15 JANUARY 2004 |www.nature.com/nature
References
• Chapter 14 Cell & Mol Biol by Knowles
and Selby
AND/OR
• Chapter by RJB King