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Query: UNIPROT:P04637 (
p53
)
77,613
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
We observed previously that wild-type
p53
rendered neonatal mouse astrocytes resistant to 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) in a gene dose-dependent fashion. This effect of
p53
appeared to be unrelated to its cell cycle regulation or apoptotic functions. Because in many cell types O(6)-
methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase
(
MGMT
)-mediated DNA repair is an important mechanism of resistance to nitrosoureas, we measured
MGMT
activity in wild-type, heterozygous and
p53
knockout neonatal mouse astrocytes. Wild-type
p53
astrocytes had significantly greater
MGMT
activity than either heterozygous or
p53
knockout astrocytes:
MGMT
activity was approximately 5-fold greater in wild-type
p53
astrocytes than in
p53
knockout cells. However, despite successful depletion of
MGMT
activity in wild-type astrocytes by O(6)-benzylguanine (BG), resistance to BCNU persisted unchanged. Moreover, we excluded the possibility that continued resistance to BCNU at the concentrations used could be explained by a compensatory induction of
MGMT
triggered by exposure to either BCNU or BG. Although these studies support a role for
p53
regulation of
MGMT
in neonatal mouse astrocytes, BCNU resistance in wild-type cells appears to be mediated by a non-
MGMT
mechanism. Nevertheless, regulation of DNA repair by
MGMT
may be another mechanism by which alterations of the
p53
gene promote tumor initiation or progression.
...
PMID:O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity, p53 gene status and BCNU resistance in mouse astrocytes. 1059 Feb 34
The antitumor activity of the methylating agent temozolomide has been evaluated against a panel of 17 xenografts derived from pediatric solid tumors. Temozolomide was administered p.o. daily for five consecutive days at a dose level of 66 mg/kg. Courses of treatment were repeated every 21 days for three cycles. Tumor lines were classified as having high, intermediate, or low sensitivity, determined by complete responses, partial responses, or stable disease, respectively. Overall, temozolomide induced complete responses in five lines and partial responses in three additional tumor lines, giving objective regressions in 47% of xenograft lines. Analysis of temozolomide plasma systemic exposure indicated that this dose level was relevant to exposure achieved in patients. Tumors were analyzed by immunoblotting for levels of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (
MGMT
) and two mismatch repair proteins, MLH-1 and MSH-2. Tumors classified as having high or intermediate sensitivity had low or undetectable
MGMT
and expressed detectable MLH-1 and MSH-2 proteins. Tumors classified as having low sensitivity had either (a) high
MGMT
or (b) low or undetectable
MGMT
but were deficient in MLH-1. The relationship between
p53
and response to temozolomide was also examined. In vitro temozolomide did not induce p21cip1 in
p53
-competent NB-1643 neuroblastoma cells. Suppression of
p53
function in NB1643 clones through stable expression of a trans dominant negative
p53
(NB1643p53TDN) did not confer temozolomide resistance. Similarly, tumor sensitivity to temozolomide did not segregate with
p53
genotype or
p53
functional status. These results indicate that
MGMT
is the primary mechanism for temozolomide resistance, but in the absence of
MGMT
, proficient mismatch repair determines sensitivity to this agent.
...
PMID:Biochemical correlates of temozolomide sensitivity in pediatric solid tumor xenograft models. 1074 27
The two principal subtypes of glial neoplasms, astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas, exhibit striking differences in response to chemotherapy. This differential chemosensitivity might be explained by the specific genetic alterations causing gliomas but could also be attributable to specific properties intrinsic to the cells from which gliomas arise. To examine the possibility that chemosensitivity might be associated with lineage-specific properties of potential ancestors of these tumors, we explored: (a) the expression of drug resistance genes in rat glial cells; (b) the sensitivity of rat glial subtypes to the bifunctional alkylating agent, 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU); and (c) the effect of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (
MGMT
) and glutathione modulation on resistance to BCNU. Astrocytes, O-2A progenitors, and oligodendrocytes each displayed a unique pattern of expression of six drug resistance genes:
MGMT
, GST mu, GST pi,
p53
, MDR, and MT. Oligodendrocytes were more sensitive to BCNU than either astrocytes or O-2A progenitors. The increased resistance of astrocytes in comparison to oligodendrocytes was modulated, at least in part, by both O6-benzylguanine (BG) and DL-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine, suggesting a role for both
MGMT
and glutathione in the resistance of astrocytes to BCNU. The sensitivity of O-2A progenitors to BCNU following BG pretreatment is virtually indistinguishable from that of oligodendrocytes depleted of
MGMT
, suggesting that the down-regulation of
MGMT
is sufficient to account for the increased sensitivity of oligodendrocyte lineage cells to BCNU as they differentiate. These experiments provide support for the hypothesis that properties of glial cells retained in gliomas may contribute to the differential chemosensitivity of glial neoplasms.
...
PMID:Differential expression of drug resistance genes and chemosensitivity in glial cell lineages correlate with differential response of oligodendrogliomas and astrocytomas to chemotherapy. 1098 91
In the therapy of various kinds of tumors, methylating agents generating O6-methylguanine (O6MeG) in DNA are used. We studied the molecular mechanism of cell death induced by these agents by comparing isogenic cell lines proficient (MGMT+) and deficient (
MGMT
-) for the DNA repair protein alkyltransferase and exhibiting the tolerance phenotype. Hypersensitivity to methylation-induced cell killing of
MGMT
- cells is attributable to the potent induction of apoptosis. We show that apoptosis is a late event occurring >48 h after methylation. It was preceded by decrease in Bcl-2 protein level and accompanied by activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. We also observed cytochrome c release and hypophosphorylation of Bad. Other members of the Bcl-2 family (Bag-1, Bak, Bax, and Bcl-xL) were not altered in expression. Transfection of
MGMT
- cells with bcl-2 protected against methylation-induced apoptosis, indicating that Bcl-2 plays a key role in the response. Induction of apoptosis in
MGMT
- cells was not triggered by Fas and Fas ligand (CD95, Apo-1) because both proteins remained unaltered in expression and receptor-proximal caspase-8 was not activated after methylation. Also, inhibition of caspase-8 was ineffective in modifying the apoptotic response, whereas inhibition of caspase-3 and caspase-9 blocked apoptosis. Tolerant cells that are unable to repair O6MeG and are impaired in mismatch repair were less sensitive regarding the induction of apoptosis and Bcl-2 decline, supporting the view that O6MeG-induced apoptosis requires mismatch repair. The ultimate O6MeG-derived lesions triggering the apoptotic pathway are likely to be DNA double-strand breaks, which were significantly formed in
MGMT
- but not in MGMT+ and tolerant cells and which preceded apoptosis. Overall, the data indicate that O6MeG induces apoptosis via secondary lesions that trigger Bcl-2 decline, cytochrome c release, and caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation independently of Fas/Fas ligand and
p53
, for which the cells are mutated.
...
PMID:Apoptosis induced by DNA damage O6-methylguanine is Bcl-2 and caspase-9/3 regulated and Fas/caspase-8 independent. 1105 78
The existence of genetic alterations affecting genes involved in cellular proliferation and death, such as
TP53
and K-ras, is one of the most common features of tumour cells. Recently, gene inactivation by promoter hypermethylation has been demonstrated. Methylation is the main epigenetic modification in mammals and abnormal methylation of the CpG islands located in the promoter region of the genes leads to transcriptional silencing. Examples include the p16INK4a, p15INK4B, p14ARF, Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL), the oestrogen and progesterone receptors, E-cadherin, death associated protein (DAP) kinase and the first tumour suppressor gene described, retinoblastoma (Rb) gene. In most cases, methylation involves loss of expression, absence of a coding mutation and restoration of transcription by the use of demethylating agents. However, is there a linkage between genetic and epigenetic alterations? Our results show one side of this puzzle demonstrating that epigenetic lesions drive genetic lesions in cancer. Four specific epigenetic lesions, promoter hypermethylation of the DNA mismatch repair gene hMLH1, the DNA alkyl-repair gene O(6)-
methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase
(
MGMT
), the detoxifier glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) and the familial breast cancer gene BRCA1 may lead to four specific genetic lesions, microsatellite instability, G to A transitions, steroid-related adducts and double-strand breaks in DNA. This is probably only the beginning of an extensive list of epigenetic events that change and make the genetic environment of the transformed cell unstable.
...
PMID:Epigenetic lesions causing genetic lesions in human cancer: promoter hypermethylation of DNA repair genes. 1109 2
We used isogenic human tumor cell lines to investigate the specific and direct effects of wild-type (wt)
p53
on the expression of O(6)-
methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase
(
MGMT
), a DNA repair protein that confers tumor resistance to many anticancer alkylating agents. A
p53
-null,
MGMT
-proficient lung tumor cell line (H1299) was engineered to express wt
p53
in a tetracycline-regulated system. High levels of
p53
induction achieved by tetracycline withdrawal were accompanied by G(1) cell cycle arrest without significant apoptosis in this cell line.
p53
accumulation resulted in a gradual and dramatic loss of
MGMT
mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity, whose levels were undetectable by day 3 of induction. The loss of
MGMT protein
was, however, not due to its degradation because the ubiquitin-promoted in vitro degradation of
MGMT
, which mediates the cellular disposal of the repair protein, was not altered by
p53
. Run-on transcription assays revealed a significant reduction in the rate of
MGMT
gene transcription. The negative regulation of
MGMT
expression by wt
p53
was confirmed in two other human isogenic cell lines, namely, the GM47.23 glioblastoma, which contains a dexamethasone-inducible wt
p53
, and the H460 lung cancer cell line, in which wt
p53
had been inactivated by the human papillomavirus E6 protein. Furthermore, a panel of four human tumor cell lines, including gliomas with wt
p53
status, displayed markedly lower levels of
MGMT
gene transcripts than those having
p53
mutations. Induction of wt
p53
in these models led to a 3- and 2-fold increase in sensitivity to 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea and temozolomide, respectively, which generate the
MGMT
-repairable O(6)-alkyl adducts in DNA. These results demonstrate that
p53
is a negative regulator of
MGMT
gene expression and can create a
MGMT
-depleted state in human tumors similar to that achieved by O(6)-benzylguanine, a potent inhibitor of
MGMT
currently undergoing clinical trials. Thus, our study exposes an additional benefit associated with
p53
gene therapy and provides a strong biochemical rationale for combining the
MGMT
-directed alkylators with
p53
gene transfer to achieve improved antitumor efficacy.
...
PMID:Enforced expression of wild-type p53 curtails the transcription of the O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase gene in human tumor cells and enhances their sensitivity to alkylating agents. 1135 Sep 11
The significance of O6-methylguanine formation in urinary bladder carcinogenesis was examined using O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (
MGMT
) transgenic mice carrying the ada gene. The ada
MGMT
transgenic mice demonstrated no differences in development of carcinogens-induced urinary bladder carcinomas compared with non-transgenic mice. Furthermore, no variation in
p53
mutation frequency was evident between the two groups. The results indicated that other repair systems may have an important role for urinary bladder carcinogenesis.
p53
knockout mice showed high sensitivity to urinary bladder carcinogens and increased cell proliferation plays an important role in urinary bladder carcinogenicity of
p53
knockout mice. In addition,
p53
knockout mice have an organ-specific increased sensitivity to carcinogenicity.
...
PMID:Possible involvement of O6-methylguanine formation and p53 dysfunction in mouse urinary bladder carcinogenesis. 1137 94
Defects in DNA repair may be responsible for the genesis of mutations in key genes in cancer cells. The tumor suppressor gene
p53
is commonly mutated in human cancer by missense point mutations, most of them G:C to A:T transitions. A recognized cause for this type of change is spontaneous deamination of the methylcytosine. However, the persistence of a premutagenic O(6)-methylguanine can also be invoked. This last lesion is removed in the normal cell by the DNA repair enzyme O(6)-
methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase
(
MGMT
). In many tumor types, epigenetic silencing of
MGMT
by promoter hypermethylation has been demonstrated and linked to the appearance of G to A mutations in the K-ras oncogene in colorectal tumors. To study the relevance of defective
MGMT
function by aberrant methylation in relation to the presence of
p53
mutations, we studied 314 colorectal tumors for
MGMT
promoter hypermethylation and
p53
mutational spectrum. Inactivation of
MGMT
by aberrant methylation was associated with the appearance of G:C to A:T transition mutations at
p53
(Fischer's exact test, two-tailed; P = 0.01). Overall,
MGMT
methylated tumors displayed
p53
transition mutations in 43 of 126 (34%) cases, whereas
MGMT
unmethylated tumors only showed G:C to A:T changes in 37 of 188 (19%) tumors. A more striking association was found in G:C to A:T transitions in non-CpG dinucleotides; 71% (12 of 17) of the total non-CpG transition mutations in
p53
were observed in
MGMT
aberrantly methylated tumors (Fischer's exact test, two-tailed; P = 0.008). Our data suggest that epigenetic silencing of
MGMT
by promoter hypermethylation may lead to G:C to A:T transition mutations in
p53
.
...
PMID:Promoter hypermethylation of the DNA repair gene O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase is associated with the presence of G:C to A:T transition mutations in p53 in human colorectal tumorigenesis. 1140 38
The etiology of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is strongly tied to cigarette smoking, and now there is considerable information concerning molecular abnormalities involved in the pathogenesis of SCLC. Autocrine growth factors such as neuroendocrine regulatory peptides (eg, bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide) are prominent in SCLC. Dominant oncogenes of the Myc family are frequently overexpressed in both SCLC and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while the K-RAS oncogene is never mutated in SCLC but it is in 30% of NSCLCs. The most frequent genetic abnormalities involve tumor suppressor genes (TSGs). The TSG
p53
is mutated in more than 90% of SCLCs and more than 50% of NSCLCs; the retinoblastoma TSG is inactivated in over 90% of SCLC but only 15% of NSCLCs, and p16, the other component of the retinoblastoma/p16 pathway, is almost never abnormal in SCLC but is inactivated in more than 50% of NSCLCs. The FHIT TSG is inactivated in 50% to 70% of all lung cancers. Recently, we completed a genome-wide allelotyping study using approximately 400 polymorphic markers distributed at around 10 cM resolution across the human genome comparing SCLCs and NSCLCs, looking for all possible TSG sites by loss of heterozygosity. We found that, on average, 17 loci showed loss of heterozygosity in individual SCLCs and 22 for NSCLC, with an average size of loss of 50 to 60 cM, and an average frequency of microsatellite abnormalities of five per tumor. There were 22 different "hot spots" for loss of heterozygosity, 13 with a preference for SCLC, seven for NSCLC, and two affecting both. This provides clear evidence on a genome-wide scale that SCLC and NSCLC differ significantly in the TSGs that are inactivated during their pathogenesis. Acquired hypermethylation of the promoter region of key genes has become one of the most common mechanisms that tumors use to inactivate the function of tumor suppressor and other genes. We recently completed a study of tumor-acquired promoter hypermethylation for nine genes (p16, DAPK,
MGMT
, GSTP1, RAR beta, FHIT, ECAD, p14ARF, and TIMP1). We found differences in the frequency of RAR beta methylation (70% for SCLC and 40% for NSCLCs). Finally, we looked at the bronchial epithelium accompanying SCLC and NSCLC for the occurrence of clonal alterations using precise laser capture microdissection with subsequent allelotyping for polymorphic markers. In NSCLC, we frequently find clones of cells with molecular abnormalities in histologically affected epithelium (eg, carcinoma in situ, dysplasia, hyperplasia) and occasionally in normal-appearing epithelium in the cases of current or former smokers. In SCLC these histologic preneoplastic changes were minimal. However, in studies of histologically normal respiratory epithelium, we found a several-fold increased rate of allele loss in SCLC compared with NSCLC patients. Thus, the smoking-damaged histologically normal epithelium associated with SCLC appeared genetically scrambled and has incurred significantly more damage than the epithelium accompanying NSCLCs. We conclude that SCLC and NSCLCs do not differ significantly in the number of genetic alterations that occur. However, SCLCs do differ significantly from NSCLCs in the specific genetic alterations that occur. In addition, smoking-damaged bronchial epithelium accompanying SCLCs appears to have undergone significantly more acquired genetic damage than that accompanying NSCLCs. Future studies need to identify the specific genes involved at these multiple sites and determine if these provide new tools for early molecular detection and monitoring of chemoprevention efforts, and serve as specific targets for developing new therapies. Semin Oncol 28 (suppl 4):3-13.
...
PMID:Molecular genetics of small cell lung carcinoma. 1147 91
Aberrant methylation of CpG islands within promoter regions is associated with transcriptional inactivation of various tumor suppressor genes in neoplasms. Recently, O(6)-
methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase
,
MGMT
, was shown to be hypermethylated in certain carcinomas, resulting in loss of
MGMT protein
. We studied DNA methylation of CpG islands of the
MGMT
gene by methylation specific PCR in 26 gastric carcinoma tissues and 8 gastric carcinoma cell lines for comparison with levels of
MGMT protein
expression. In addition, we examined
p53
mutation status in the same tissues by PCR-SSCP analysis for comparison with
MGMT protein
expression levels. In total, promoter hypermethylation of the
MGMT
gene was found in 8 (31%) of the 26 gastric carcinomas with reduced expression of
MGMT protein
, whereas the hypermethylation was not detected in the 18 carcinomas with non-reduced
MGMT
expression.
MGMT protein
expression levels were associated with promoter hypermethylation of
MGMT
(p = 0.0001; Mann-Whitney test); however,
MGMT
expression was not associated with
p53
mutation status (p = 0.461; Mann-Whitney test). Among in gastric carcinoma cell lines, the TMK-1 cell line showed loss of the
MGMT protein
association with promoter hypermethylation and this loss was rectified by treatment with a demethylating agent, 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Our results suggest that transcriptional inactivation of
MGMT
by aberrant methylation of the promoter region may participate in carcinogenesis in the stomach.
...
PMID:Promoter hypermethylation of MGMT is associated with protein loss in gastric carcinoma. 1151 41
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