Expression of p53 in human leukemic cell lines

Li-Fraumeni syndrome and the role of the p53 tumor suppressor gene in cancer susceptibility

Mutation of the tumor suppressor gene p53 is a molecular genetic event frequently observed in human cancer, and inactivating missense mutations usually are accompanied by the resultant overexpression of mutant p53 protein. In gynecologic cancers, p53 is also often altered; the frequency varies depending on types of cancers and where they develop. Further, human papillomavirus oncoproteins that inactivate p53 and Rb proteins play important roles in the development of several gynecologic cancers. Individuals who are heterozygous for germline mutations of the p53 gene are strongly predisposed to a variety of cancers. The identification of these individuals may have profound value in the future when therapies or chemopreventive agents specific for the p53 alteration are available. The role of p53 tumor suppressor gene in gynecologic cancers and heritable cancer susceptibility syndromes including Li-Fraumeni and Lynch II syndromes is an active and important area of study.

The emerging picture of p53

1. The cellular phosphoprotein p53 is a negative regulator of the cell growth. A great majority of human malignancies expresses a mutated p53 that represents an oncogenic version of the protein. 2. However, in the meantime many tumors were identified containing a p53 protein without any mutation. Here also other events than genomic alterations of p53 might be implicated in the process of cell transformation. 3. The expression of wild-type or mutant conformation is not exclusively defined by the p53 DNA sequence but also influenced by the subcellular environment and the interaction of cellular proteins with p53. 4. In particular, the mdm-2 gene product appears to be an important partner of p53 somehow involved in these complex regulatory processes. 5. Recent findings supported a role for p53 in transcriptional regulation, perhaps by reducing the expression of genes that are needed for ongoing cell proliferation. 6. This property may be based upon the ability of p53 to bind DNA as well as different proteins from viral or cellular origin. 7. Especially transcription factors or further cellular proteins connected in any way with the regulation of cell proliferation are possible candidates. 8. Thus, it is not surprising that p53 is implicated in the regulation of the cell cycle and in the decision of a cell to replicate DNA or to go into apoptosis.

Protein-protein interactions in high molecular weight forms of the transformation-related phosphoprotein p53

The transformation-related cellular phosphoprotein p53 interacts with a variety of viral and cellular proteins and with itself to form high molecular weight complexes. The formation of high molecular weight complexes correlates with the transformed morphology of the cells whereas in non-transformed cells low molecular weight forms are predominant. Thus, aggregation seems to be involved in the regulation of biological functions of p53. Analyzing wild-type and mutant p53 in the same cellular environment i.e. after an in vitro transcription/translation reaction in rabbit reticulocytes we found high molecular weight forms for wild-type and mutant p53. The sedimentation profile resembled the profile obtained for mutant p53 from transformed cells. As shown by dilution experiments, aggregation of p53 was not due to high p53 protein concentrations. Although p53 is known to bind RNA, treatment with RNAse did not change the aggregation state of p53 suggesting that RNA may not contribute to the quaternary structure of p53. High molecular weight aggregates of p53 were resistant to treatment with 1 M NaCl and also stable in weak acidic conditions. Alkaline pH as well as treatment with 3.5 M NaCl led to a disaggregation of high molecular weight complexes of p53. This treatment resulted in low molecular weight forms consisting probably of dimers to tetramers whereas monomers of p53 are hardly detectable. A nearly complete disaggregation was obtained only with the ionic denaturing detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate. Therefore, one has to assume different types of protein-protein interactions leading to the various quaternary structures of p53.