The Effects of Phosphomimetic Lid Mutation on the Thermostability of the N-terminal Domain of MDM2

S100A6 inhibits MDM2 to suppress breast cancer growth and enhance sensitivity to chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

S100A6 and murine double minute 2 (MDM2) are important cancer-related molecules. A previous study identified an interaction between S100A6 and MDM2 by size exclusion chromatography and surface plasmon resonance experiments. The present study investigated whether S100A6 could bind to MDM2 in vivo and further explored its functional implication.

METHODS

Co-immunoprecipitation, glutathione-S-transferase pull-down assay, and immunofluorescence were performed to determine the in vivo interaction between S100A6 and MDM2. Cycloheximide pulse-chase assay and ubiquitination assay were performed to clarify the mechanism by which S100A6 downregulated MDM2. In addition, clonogenic assay, WST-1 assay, and flow cytometry of apoptosis and the cell cycle were performed and a xenograft model was established to evaluate the effects of the S100A6/MDM2 interaction on growth and paclitaxel-induced chemosensitivity of breast cancer. The expressions of S100A6 and MDM2 in patients with invasive breast cancer were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. In addition, the correlation between the expression of S100A6 and the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

S100A6 promoted the MDM2 translocation from nucleus to cytoplasm, in which the S100A6 bound to the binding site of the herpesvirus-associated ubiquitin-specific protease (HAUSP) in MDM2, disrupted the MDM2-HAUSP-DAXX interactions, and induced the MDM2 self-ubiquitination and degradation. Furthermore, the S100A6-mediated MDM2 degradation suppressed the growth of breast cancer and enhanced its sensitivity to paclitaxel both in vitro and in vivo. For patients with invasive breast cancer who received epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel (EC-T), expressions of S100A6 and MDM2 were negatively correlated, and high expression of S100A6 suggested a higher rate of pathologic complete response (pCR). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the high expression of S100A6 was an independent predictor of pCR.

CONCLUSION

These results reveal a novel function for S100A6 in downregulating MDM2, which directly enhances sensitivity to chemotherapy.

Improved Stability of Human CGI-58 Induced by Phosphomimetic S237E Mutation

In lipolysis, the activating function of CGI-58 is regulated by its interaction with perilipin 1 (PLIN1) localized on the lipid droplet (LD), and its release is controlled by phosphorylation. Once lipolysis is stimulated by catecholamines, protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation enables the dissociation of the CGI-58/PLIN1 complex, thereby recruiting adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) to initiate fatty acid release. It has been shown that mouse CGI-58 mutant S239E, which mimics the phosphorylation of this residue, is able to dissociate from the CGI-58/PLIN1 complex and activate ATGL. Here, we analyze the stabilizing effect on human CGI-58 of a triple tryptophan to alanine mutant (3WA) on the LD-binding motif, as well as a quadruple mutant in which the phosphomimetic S237E substitution was introduced to the 3WA construct (3WA/S237E). We found that tryptophan residues promote wild-type (WT) protein aggregation in solution since their substitution for alanine residues favors the presence of the monomer. Our experimental data showed increased thermal stability and solubility of 3WA/S237E protein compared to the 3WA mutant. Moreover, the 3WA/S237E protein showed proper folding and a functional binding site for oleoyl-CoA. The analysis of a bioinformatic three-dimensional (3D) model suggests an intramolecular interaction between the phosphomimetic glutamic acid and a residue of the α/β hydrolase core. This could explain the increased solubility and stability observed in the 3WA/S237E mutant and evidences the possible role of serine 237 phosphorylation.

Allosteric changes in HDM2 by the ATM phosphomimetic S395D mutation: implications on HDM2 function

Allosteric changes imposed by post-translational modifications regulate and differentiate the functions of proteins with intrinsic disorder regions. HDM2 is a hub protein with a large interactome and with different cellular functions. It is best known for its regulation of the p53 tumour suppressor. Under normal cellular conditions, HDM2 ubiquitinates and degrades p53 by the 26S proteasome but after DNA damage, HDM2 switches from a negative to a positive regulator of p53 by binding to p53 mRNA to promote translation of the p53 mRNA. This change in activity is governed by the ataxia telangiectasia mutated kinase via phosphorylation on serine 395 and is mimicked by the S395D phosphomimetic mutant. Here we have used different approaches to show that this event is accompanied by a specific change in the HDM2 structure that affects the HDM2 interactome, such as the N-termini HDM2–p53 protein–protein interaction. These data will give a better understanding of how HDM2 switches from a negative to a positive regulator of p53 and gain new insights into the control of the HDM2 structure and its interactome under different cellular conditions and help identify interphases as potential targets for new drug developments.

Wild-type and cancer-related p53 proteins are preferentially degraded by MDM2 as dimers rather than tetramers

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is the most well studied as a regulator of transcription in the nucleus, where it exists primarily as a tetramer. However, there are other oligomeric states of p53 that are relevant to its regulation and activities. In unstressed cells, p53 is normally held in check by MDM2 that targets p53 for transcriptional repression, proteasomal degradation, and cytoplasmic localization. Here we discovered a hydrophobic region within the MDM2 N-terminal domain that binds exclusively to the dimeric form of the p53 C-terminal domain in vitro. In cell-based assays, MDM2 exhibits superior binding to, hyperdegradation of, and increased nuclear exclusion of dimeric p53 when compared with tetrameric wild-type p53. Correspondingly, impairing the hydrophobicity of the newly identified N-terminal MDM2 region leads to p53 stabilization. Interestingly, we found that dimeric mutant p53 is partially unfolded and is a target for ubiquitin-independent degradation by the 20S proteasome. Finally, forcing certain tumor-derived mutant forms of p53 into dimer configuration results in hyperdegradation of mutant p53 and inhibition of p53-mediated cancer cell migration. Gaining insight into different oligomeric forms of p53 may provide novel approaches to cancer therapy.

MDMX (MDM4), a Promising Target for p53 Reactivation Therapy and Beyond

The MDMX protein was identified as a p53-interacting protein with a strong similarity to MDM2. Like Mdm2, Mdmx expression is essential for curbing p53 activity during embryonic development, indicating nonredundant functions of Mdmx and Mdm2. There is now a large body of evidence indicating that cancers frequently up-regulate MDMX expression as a means to dampen p53 tumor-suppressor function. Importantly, MDMX also shows p53-independent oncogenic functions. These data make MDMX an attractive therapeutic target for cancer therapy. Here, we summarize the mechanisms used by cancer cells to increase MDMX expression and promising pharmacological strategies to target MDMX in cancer-in particular, the recent findings that antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) can be used to efficiently modulate MDMX messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing.

Impact of Ser17 Phosphorylation on the Conformational Dynamics of the Oncoprotein MDM2

MDM2 is an important oncoprotein that downregulates the activity of the tumor suppressor protein p53 via binding of its N-terminal domain to the p53 transactivation domain. The first 24 residues of the MDM2 N-terminal domain form an intrinsically disordered "lid" region that interconverts on a millisecond time scale between "open" and "closed" states in unliganded MDM2. While the former conformational state is expected to facilitate p53 binding, the latter competes in a pseudo-substrate manner with p53 for its binding site. Phosphorylation of serine 17 in the MDM2 lid region is thought to modulate the equilibrium between "open" and "closed" lid states, but contradictory findings on the favored lid conformational state upon phosphorylation have been reported. Here, the nature of the conformational states of MDM2 pSer17 and Ser17Asp variants was addressed by means of enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations. Detailed analyses of the computed lid conformational ensembles indicate that both lid variants stabilize a "closed" state, with respect to wild type. Nevertheless, the nature of the closed-state conformational ensembles differs significantly between the pSer17 and Ser17Asp variants. Thus, care should be applied in the interpretation of biochemical experiments that use phosphomimetic variants to model the effects of phosphorylation on the structure and dynamics of this disordered protein region.

Structural basis of how stress-induced MDMX phosphorylation activates p53

The tumor-suppressor protein p53 is tightly controlled in normal cells by its two negative regulators--the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2 and its homolog MDMX. Under stressed conditions such as DNA damage, p53 escapes MDM2- and MDMX-mediated functional inhibition and degradation, acting to prevent damaged cells from proliferating through induction of cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, senescence or apoptosis. Ample evidence suggests that stress signals induce phosphorylation of MDM2 and MDMX, leading to p53 activation. However, the structural basis of stress-induced p53 activation remains poorly understood because of the paucity of technical means to produce site-specifically phosphorylated MDM2 and MDMX proteins for biochemical and biophysical studies. Herein, we report total chemical synthesis, via native chemical ligation, and functional characterization of (24-108)MDMX and its Tyr99-phosphorylated analog with respect to their ability to interact with a panel of p53-derived peptide ligands and PMI, a p53-mimicking but more potent peptide antagonist of MDMX, using FP and surface plasmon resonance techniques. Phosphorylation of MDMX at Tyr99 weakens peptide binding by approximately two orders of magnitude. Comparative X-ray crystallographic analyses of MDMX and of pTyr99 MDMX in complex with PMI as well as modeling studies reveal that the phosphate group of pTyr99 imposes extensive steric clashes with the C-terminus of PMI or p53 peptide and induces a significant lateral shift of the peptide ligand, contributing to the dramatic decrease in the binding affinity of MDMX for p53. Because DNA damage activates c-Abl tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates MDMX at Tyr99, our findings afford a rare glimpse at the structural level of how stress-induced MDMX phosphorylation dislodges p53 from the inhibitory complex and activates it in response to DNA damage.

The use of ion mobility mass spectrometry to probe modulation of the structure of p53 and of MDM2 by small molecule inhibitors

Developing drug-like molecules to inhibit the interactions formed by disordered proteins is desirable due to the high correlation of disorder with protein implicated in disease, but is challenging due in part to the lack of atomistically resolved and resolvable structures from conformationally dynamic systems. Ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is well-positioned to assess protein ligand interactions along with the effect of a given inhibitor on conformation. Here we demonstrate the use of IM-MS to characterize the effect of two inhibitors RITA and Nutlin-3 on their respective binding partners: p53 and MDM2. RITA binds N-terminal transactivation domain of p53 (Np53) weakly, preventing direct observation of the complex in the gas phase. Nonetheless, upon incubation with RITA, we observe an alteration in the charge state distribution and in the conformational distributions adopted by Np53 in the gas phase. This finding supports the hypothesis that RITAs mode of action proceeds via a conformational change in p53. Circular dichroism corroborates our gas phase findings, showing a slight increase in secondary structure content on ligand incubation, and HDX-MS experiments also highlight the dynamic properties of this protein. Using the same approach we present data to show the effect of Nutlin-3 binding to the N-terminal domain of MDM2 (N-MDM2), N-MDM2 presents as at least two conformational families in the absence of Nutlin-3. Upon Nutlin-3 binding, the protein undergoes a compaction event similar to that exhibited by RITA on Np53. This multi-technique approach highlights the inherent disorder in these systems; and in particular exemplifies the power of IM-MS as a technique to study transient interactions between small molecule inhibitors and intrinsically disordered proteins.

Insights into the conformations of three structurally diverse proteins: cytochrome c, p53, and MDM2, provided by variable-temperature ion mobility mass spectrometry

Thermally induced conformational transitions of three proteins of increasing intrinsic disorder-cytochrome c, the tumor suppressor protein p53 DNA binding domain (p53 DBD), and the N-terminus of the oncoprotein murine double minute 2 (NT-MDM2)-have been studied by native mass spectrometry and variable-temperature drift time ion mobility mass spectrometry (VT-DT-IM-MS). Ion mobility measurements were carried out at temperatures ranging from 200 to 571 K. Multiple conformations are observable over several charge states for all three monomeric proteins, and for cytochrome c, dimers of significant intensity are also observed. Cytochrome c [M + 5H](5+) ions present in one conformer of CCS ∼1200 Å(2), undergoing compaction in line with the reported Tmelt = 360.15 K before slight unfolding at 571 K. The more extended [M + 7H](7+) cytochrome c monomer presents as two conformers undergoing similar compaction and structural rearrangements, prior to thermally induced unfolding. The [D + 11H](11+) dimer presents as two conformers, which undergo slight structural compaction or annealing before dissociation. p53 DBD follows a trend of structural collapse before an increase in the observed collision cross section (CCS), akin to that observed for cytochrome c but proceeding more smoothly. At 300 K, the monomeric charge states present in two conformational families, which compact to one conformer of CCS ∼1750 Å(2) at 365 K, in line with the low solution Tmelt = 315-317 K. The protein then extends to produce either a broad unresolved CCS distribution or, for z > 9, two conformers. NT-MDM2 exhibits a greater number of structural rearrangements, displaying charge-state-dependent unfolding pathways. DT-IM-MS experiments at 200 K resolve multiple conformers. Low charge state species of NT-MDM2 present as a single compact conformational family centered on CCS ∼1250 Å(2) at 300 K. This undergoes conformational tightening in line with the solution Tmelt = 348 K before unfolding at the highest temperatures. The more extended charge states present in two or more conformers at room temperature, undergoing thermally induced unfolding before significant structural collapse or annealing at high temperatures. Variable-temperature IM-MS is here shown to be an exciting approach to discern protein unfolding pathways for conformationally diverse proteins.

Phosphomimetic mutation of the N-terminal lid of MDM2 enhances the polyubiquitination of p53 through stimulation of E2-ubiquitin thioester hydrolysis

Mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) has a phosphorylation site within a lid motif at Ser17 whose phosphomimetic mutation to Asp17 stimulates MDM2-mediated polyubiquitination of p53. MDM2 lid deletion, but not Asp17 mutation, induced a blue shift in the λ(max) of intrinsic fluorescence derived from residues in the central domain including Trp235, Trp303, Trp323, and Trp329. This indicates that the Asp17 mutation does not alter the conformation of MDM2 surrounding the tryptophan residues. In addition, Phe235 mutation enhanced MDM2 binding to p53 but did not stimulate its ubiquitination function, thus uncoupling increases in p53 binding from its E3 ubiquitin ligase function. However, the Asp17 mutation in MDM2 stimulated its discharge of the UBCH5a-ubiquitin thioester adduct (UBCH5a is a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2D 1 UBC4/5 homolog yeast). This stimulation of ubiquitin discharge from E2 was independent of the p53 substrate. There are now four known effects of the Asp17 mutation on MDM2: (i) it alters the conformation of the isolated N-terminus as defined by NMR; (ii) it induces increased thermostability of the isolated N-terminal domain; (iii) it stimulates the allosteric interaction of MDM2 with the DNA-binding domain of p53; and (iv) it stimulates a novel protein-protein interaction with the E2-ubiquitin complex in the absence of substrate p53 that, in turn, increases hydrolysis of the E2-ubiquitin thioester bond. These data also suggest a new strategy to disrupt MDM2 function by targeting the E2-ubiquitin discharge reaction.

A systems wide mass spectrometric based linear motif screen to identify dominant in-vivo interacting proteins for the ubiquitin ligase MDM2

Linear motifs mediate protein-protein interactions (PPI) that allow expansion of a target protein interactome at a systems level. This study uses a proteomics approach and linear motif sub-stratifications to expand on PPIs of MDM2. MDM2 is a multi-functional protein with over one hundred known binding partners not stratified by hierarchy or function. A new linear motif based on a MDM2 interaction consensus is used to select novel MDM2 interactors based on Nutlin-3 responsiveness in a cell-based proteomics screen. MDM2 binds a subset of peptide motifs corresponding to real proteins with a range of allosteric responses to MDM2 ligands. We validate cyclophilin B as a novel protein with a consensus MDM2 binding motif that is stabilised by Nutlin-3 in vivo, thus identifying one of the few known interactors of MDM2 that is stabilised by Nutlin-3. These data invoke two modes of peptide binding at the MDM2 N-terminus that rely on a consensus core motif to control the equilibrium between MDM2 binding proteins. This approach stratifies MDM2 interacting proteins based on the linear motif feature and provides a new biomarker assay to define clinically relevant Nutlin-3 responsive MDM2 interactors.

Identification of a second Nutlin-3 responsive interaction site in the N-terminal domain of MDM2 using hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry

MDM2 is a multidomain protein that functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase, transcription repressor, mRNA-binding protein, translation factor, and molecular chaperone. The small molecule Nutlin-3 has been engineered to bind to the N-terminal hydrophobic pocket domain of MDM2. This binding of Nutlin-3 has two consequences: (i) antagonistic effects through competitive disruption of the MDM2-p53 complex and (ii) agonist effects that allosterically stabilize MDM2 protein-protein interactions that increase p53 ubiquitination as well as nucleophosmin deoligomerization. We present a methodology using a hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange platform that measures Nutlin-3 binding to the N-terminal domain of MDM2 (MDM2(1-126)) in order to begin to develop dynamic assays that evaluate MDM2 allostery. In order to localize the regions in MDM2 being suppressed by Nutlin-3, MDM2 was incubated with the ligand and H/D amide exchange was measured after pepsin digestion. One dynamic segment containing amino acids 55-60 exhibited slower deuterium exchange after Nutlin-3 binding, reflecting ligand binding within the hydrophobic pocket. However, another dominant suppression of H/D exchange was observed in a motif from amino acids 103-107 that reflects surface hydrophobic residues surrounding the hydrophobic pocket of MDM2. In order to explore the consequences of this latter Nutlin-3 interaction site on MDM2, the Y104G and L107G mutant series was constructed. The MDM2(Y104G) and MDM2(L107G) mutants were fully active in p53 binding. However, the authentic p53-derived peptide:MDM2(Y104G) complex exhibited partial resistance to Nutlin-3 inhibition, while the p53-mimetic 12.1 peptide:MDM2(Y104G) complex retained normal Nutlin-3 responsiveness. These data reveal the existence of a second functional Nutlin-3-binding site in a surface hydrophobic patch of MDM2, flanking the hydrophobic pocket. This reveals two modes of peptide binding by MDM2 and highlights the utility of H/D exchange as an assay for measuring allosteric effects in MDM2.

In vitro selection of mutant HDM2 resistant to Nutlin inhibition

HDM2 binds to the p53 tumour suppressor and targets it for proteosomal degradation. Presently in clinical trials, the small molecule Nutlin-3A competitively binds to HDM2 and abrogates its repressive function. Using a novel in vitro selection methodology, we simulated the emergence of resistance by evolving HDM2 mutants capable of binding p53 in the presence of Nutlin concentrations that inhibit the wild-type HDM2-p53 interaction. The in vitro phenotypes were recapitulated in ex vivo assays measuring both p53 transactivation function and the direct p53-HDM2 interaction in the presence of Nutlin. Mutations conferring drug resistance were not confined to the N-terminal p53/Nutlin–binding domain, and were additionally seen in the acidic, zinc finger and RING domains. Mechanistic insights gleaned from this broad spectrum of mutations will aid in future drug design and further our understanding of the complex p53-HDM2 interaction.

Emerging roles for the pro-oncogenic anterior gradient-2 in cancer development

Clinical studies have defined the core 'genetic blueprint' of a cancer cell, but this information does not necessarily predict the cancer phenotype. Signalling hubs that mediate such phenotype have been identified largely using OMICS platforms that measure dynamic molecular changes within the cancer cell landscape. The pro-oncogenic protein anterior gradient 2 (AGR2) is a case in point; AGR2 has been shown using a range of expression platforms to be involved in asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, cell transformation, cancer drug resistance and metastatic growth. AGR2 protein is also highly overexpressed in a diverse range of human cancers and can be secreted and detected in extracellular fluids, thus representing a compelling pro-oncogenic signalling intermediate in human cancer. AGR2 belongs to the protein disulphide isomerase family with all the key features of an endoplasmic reticulum-resident protein-this gives clues into how it might function as an oncoprotein through the regulation of protein folding, maturation and secretion that can drive metastatic cell growth. In this review, we will describe the known aspects of AGR2 molecular biology, including gene structure and regulation, emerging protein interaction networks and how its subcellular localization mediates its biological functions. We will finally review the cases of AGR2 expression in human cancers, the pathophysiological consequences of AGR2 overexpression, its potential role as a tumour biomarker that predicts the response to therapy and how the AGR2 pathway might form the basis for drug discovery programmes aimed at targeting protein folding/maturation pathways that mediate secretion and metastasis.

Exploiting the MDM2-CK1α protein-protein interface to develop novel biologics that induce UBL-kinase-modification and inhibit cell growth

Protein-protein interactions forming dominant signalling events are providing ever-growing platforms for the development of novel Biologic tools for controlling cell growth. Casein Kinase 1 α (CK1α) forms a genetic and physical interaction with the murine double minute chromosome 2 (MDM2) oncoprotein resulting in degradation of the p53 tumour suppressor. Pharmacological inhibition of CK1 increases p53 protein level and induces cell death, whilst small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of CK1α stabilizes p53 and induces growth arrest. We mapped the dominant protein-protein interface that stabilizes the MDM2 and CK1α complex in order to determine whether a peptide derived from the core CK1α-MDM2 interface form novel Biologics that can be used to probe the contribution of the CK1-MDM2 protein-protein interaction to p53 activation and cell viability. Overlapping peptides derived from CK1α were screened for dominant MDM2 binding sites using (i) ELISA with recombinant MDM2; (ii) cell lysate pull-down towards endogenous MDM2; (iii) MDM2-CK1α complex-based competition ELISA; and (iv) MDM2-mediated ubiquitination. One dominant peptide, peptide 35 was bioactive in all four assays and its transfection induced cell death/growth arrest in a p53-independent manner. Ectopic expression of flag-tagged peptide 35 induced a novel ubiquitin and NEDD8 modification of CK1α, providing one of the first examples whereby NEDDylation of a protein kinase can be induced. These data identify an MDM2 binding motif in CK1α which when isolated as a small peptide can (i) function as a dominant negative inhibitor of the CK1α-MDM2 interface, (ii) be used as a tool to study NEDDylation of CK1α, and (iii) reduce cell growth. Further, this approach provides a technological blueprint, complementing siRNA and chemical biology approaches, by exploiting protein-protein interactions in order to develop Biologics to manipulate novel types of signalling pathways such as cross-talk between NEDDylation, protein kinase signalling, and cell survival.

Simulating molecular mechanisms of the MDM2-mediated regulatory interactions: a conformational selection model of the MDM2 lid dynamics

Diversity and complexity of MDM2 mechanisms govern its principal function as the cellular antagonist of the p53 tumor suppressor. Structural and biophysical studies have demonstrated that MDM2 binding could be regulated by the dynamics of a pseudo-substrate lid motif. However, these experiments and subsequent computational studies have produced conflicting mechanistic models of MDM2 function and dynamics. We propose a unifying conformational selection model that can reconcile experimental findings and reveal a fundamental role of the lid as a dynamic regulator of MDM2-mediated binding. In this work, structure, dynamics and energetics of apo-MDM2 are studied as a function of posttranslational modifications and length of the lid. We found that the dynamic equilibrium between "closed" and "semi-closed" lid forms may be a fundamental characteristic of MDM2 regulatory interactions, which can be modulated by phosphorylation, phosphomimetic mutation as well as by the lid size. Our results revealed that these factors may regulate p53-MDM2 binding by fine-tuning the thermodynamic equilibrium between preexisting conformational states of apo-MDM2. In agreement with NMR studies, the effect of phosphorylation on MDM2 interactions was more pronounced with the truncated lid variant that favored the thermodynamically dominant closed form. The phosphomimetic mutation S17D may alter the lid dynamics by shifting the thermodynamic equilibrium towards the ensemble of "semi-closed" conformations. The dominant "semi-closed" lid form and weakened dependence on the phosphorylation seen in simulations with the complete lid can provide a rationale for binding of small p53-based mimetics and inhibitors without a direct competition with the lid dynamics. The results suggested that a conformational selection model of preexisting MDM2 states may provide a robust theoretical framework for understanding MDM2 dynamics. Probing biological functions and mechanisms of MDM2 regulation would require further integration of computational and experimental studies and may help to guide drug design of novel anti-cancer therapeutics.

Nanosensing protein allostery using a bivalent mouse double minute two (MDM2) assay

The tumor suppressor protein, p53, is either mutated or absent in >50% of cancers and is negatively regulated by the mouse double minute (MDM2) protein. Understanding and inhibition of the MDM2-p53 interaction are, therefore, critical for developing novel chemotherapeutics, which are currently limited because of a lack of appropriate study tools. We present a nanosensing approach to investigate full-length MDM2 interactions with p53, thus providing an allosteric assay for identifying binding ligands. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-active nanoparticles, functionalized with a p53 peptide mimic (peptide 12.1), display biologically specific aggregation following addition of MDM2. Nanoparticle assembly is competitively inhibited by the N-terminal MDM2-binding ligands peptide 12.1 and Nutlin-3. This study reports nanoparticle assembly through specific protein-peptide interactions that can be followed by SERS. We demonstrate solution-based MDM2 allosteric interaction studies that use the full-length protein.

Interrogation of MDM2 phosphorylation in p53 activation using native chemical ligation: the functional role of Ser17 phosphorylation in MDM2 reexamined

The E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2 functions as a crucial negative regulator of the p53 tumor suppressor protein by antagonizing p53 transactivation activity and targeting p53 for degradation. Cellular stress activates p53 by alleviating MDM2-mediated functional inhibition, even though the molecular mechanisms of stress-induced p53 activation still remain poorly understood. Two opposing models have been proposed to describe the functional and structural role in p53 activation of Ser17 phosphorylation in the N-terminal "lid" (residues 1-24) of MDM2. Using the native chemical ligation technique, we synthesized the p53-binding domain (1-109)MDM2 and its Ser17-phosphorylated analogue (1-109)MDM2 pS17 as well as (1-109)MDM2 S17D and (25-109)MDM2, and comparatively characterized their interactions with a panel of p53-derived peptide ligands using surface plasmon resonance, fluorescence polarization, and NMR and CD spectroscopic techniques. We found that the lid is partially structured in apo-MDM2 and occludes p53 peptide binding in a ligand size-dependent manner. Binding of (1-109)MDM2 by the (15-29)p53 peptide fully displaces the lid and renders it completely disordered in the peptide-protein complex. Importantly, neither Ser17 phosphorylation nor the phospho-mimetic mutation S17D has any functional impact on p53 peptide binding to MDM2. Although Ser17 phosphorylation or its mutation to Asp contributes marginally to the stability of the lid conformation in apo-MDM2, neither modification stabilizes apo-MDM2 globally or the displaced lid locally. Our findings demonstrate that Ser17 phosphorylation is functionally neutral with respect to p53 binding, suggesting that MDM2 phosphorylation at a single site is unlikely to play a dominant role in stress-induced p53 activation.

A novel p53 phosphorylation site within the MDM2 ubiquitination signal: II. a model in which phosphorylation at SER269 induces a mutant conformation to p53

The p53 DNA-binding domain harbors a conformationally flexible multiprotein binding site that regulates p53 ubiquitination. A novel phosphorylation site exists within this region at Ser(269), whose phosphomimetic mutation inactivates p53. The phosphomimetic p53 (S269D) exhibits characteristics of mutant p53: stable binding to Hsp70 in vivo, elevated ubiquitination in vivo, inactivity in DNA binding and transcription, increased thermoinstability using thermal shift assays, and λ(max) of intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence at 403 nm rather than 346 nm, characteristic of wild type p53. These data indicate that p53 conformational stability is regulated by a phosphoacceptor site within an exposed flexible surface loop and that this can be destabilized by phosphorylation. To test whether other motifs within p53 have similarly evolved, we analyzed the effect of Ser(215) mutation on p53 function because Ser(215) is another inactivating phosphorylation site in the conformationally flexible PAb240 epitope. The p53(S215D) protein is inactive like p53(S269D), whereas p53(S215A) is as active as p53(S269A). However, the double mutant p53(S215A/S269A) was transcriptionally inactive and more thermally unstable than either individual Ser-Ala loop mutant. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that (i) solvation of phospho-Ser(215) and phospho-Ser(269) by positive charged residues or solvent water leads to local unfolding, which is accompanied by local destabilization of the N-terminal loop and global destabilization of p53, and (ii) the double alanine 215/269 mutation disrupts hydrogen bonding normally stabilized by both Ser(215) and Ser(269). These data indicate that p53 has evolved two serine phosphoacceptor residues within conformationally flexible epitopes that normally stabilize the p53 DNA-binding domain but whose phosphorylation induces a mutant conformation to wild type p53.

Drug discovery and mutant p53

Missense mutations in the p53 gene are commonly selected for in developing human cancer cells. These diverse mutations in p53 can inactivate its normal sequence-specific DNA-binding and transactivation function, but these mutations can also stabilize a mutant form of p53 with pro-oncogenic potential. Recent multi-disciplinary advances have demonstrated exciting and unexpected potential in therapeutically targeting the mutant p53 pathway, including: the development of biophysical models to explain how mutations inactivate p53 and strategies for refolding and reactivation of mutant p53, the ability of mutant p53 protein to escape MDM2-mediated degradation in human cancers, and the growing 'interactome' of mutant p53 that begins to explain how the mutant p53 protein can contribute to diverse oncogenic and pro-metastatic signaling. Our rapidly accumulating knowledge on mutant p53-signaling pathways will facilitate drug discovery programmes in the challenging area of protein-protein interactions and mutant protein conformational control.

Controlling the Mdm2-Mdmx-p53 Circuit

The p53 tumor suppressor is a key protein in maintaining the integrity of the genome by inducing either cell cycle arrest or apoptosis following cellular stress signals. Two human family members, Mdm2 and Mdmx, are primarily responsible for inactivating p53 transcription and targeting p53 protein for ubiquitin-mediated degradation. In response to genotoxic stress, post-translational modifications to p53, Mdm2 and Mdmx stabilize and activate p53. The role that phosphorylation of these molecules plays in the cellular response to genotoxic agents has been extensively studied with respect to cancer biology. In this review, we discuss the main phosphorylation events of p53, Mdm2 and Mdmx in response to DNA damage that are important for p53 stability and activity. In tumors that harbor wild-type p53, reactivation of p53 by modulating both Mdm2 and Mdmx signaling is well suited as a therapeutic strategy. However, the rationale for development of kinase inhibitors that target the Mdm2-Mdmx-p53 axis must be carefully considered since modulation of certain kinase signaling pathways has the potential to destabilize and inactivate p53.