Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P04637 (p53)
 77,613 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Several newly identified tumor suppressor genes including ATM, NBS1, BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in DNA double-strand break repair (DSBR) and DNA damage-induced checkpoint activation. Many of the gene products involved in checkpoint control and DSBR have been studied in great detail in yeast. In addition to evolutionarily conserved proteins such as Chk1 and Chk2, studies in mammalian cells have identified novel proteins such as p53 in executing checkpoint control. DSBR proteins including Mre11, Rad50, Rad51, Rad54, and Ku are present in yeast and in mammals. Many of the tumor suppressor gene products interact with these repair proteins as well as checkpoint regulators, thus providing a biochemical explanation for the pleiotropic phenotypes of mutant cells. This review focuses on the proteins mediating G1/S, S, and G2/M checkpoint control in mammalian cells. In addition, mammalian DSBR proteins and their activities are discussed. An intricate network among DNA damage signal transducers, cell cycle regulators and the DSBR pathways is illustrated. Mouse knockout models for genes involved in these processes have provided valuable insights into their function, establishing genomic instability as a major contributing factor in tumorigenesis.
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PMID:DNA damage-induced cell cycle checkpoints and DNA strand break repair in development and tumorigenesis. 1063 Jun 41

Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by microcephaly, combined immunodeficiency, and a high incidence of lymphoid tumor. Cells from NBS patients show chromosomal instability, hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation and abnormal p53-mediated cell cycle regulation. We cloned the underlying gene for NBS, designated NBS1, by complementation-assisted positional cloning from the candidate region 8q21. Large genomic sequencing, as well as a search using computer programs, provides a powerful approach for identifying the underlying gene for a disease. The NBS1 gene encodes a protein of 754 amino acids that has FHA and BRCT domains which often are conserved in cell-cycle checkpoint proteins. The gene has weak homology to the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) Xrs2 protein in the N-terminus region. Like yeast Xrs2, the NBS1 protein forms a complex with hRAD50/hMRE11, and the complex is condensed as foci in the nucleus after irradiation, indicative that this triple-complex is a crucial factor in DNA repair. Functional analysis of the NBS1 protein is in progress and it should provide further clues to understanding the repair mechanism of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks.
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PMID:Positional cloning and functional analysis of the gene responsible for Nijmegen breakage syndrome, NBS1. 1083 6

The checkpoint kinase Chk2 has a key role in delaying cell cycle progression in response to DNA damage. Upon activation by low-dose ionizing radiation (IR), which occurs in an ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-dependent manner, Chk2 can phosphorylate the mitosis-inducing phosphatase Cdc25C on an inhibitory site, blocking entry into mitosis, and p53 on a regulatory site, causing G(1) arrest. Here we show that the ATM-dependent activation of Chk2 by gamma- radiation requires Nbs1, the gene product involved in the Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS), a disorder that shares with AT a variety of phenotypic defects including chromosome fragility, radiosensitivity, and radioresistant DNA synthesis. Thus, whereas in normal cells Chk2 undergoes a time-dependent increased phosphorylation and induction of catalytic activity against Cdc25C, in NBS cells null for Nbs1 protein, Chk2 phosphorylation and activation are both defective. Importantly, these defects in NBS cells can be complemented by reintroduction of wild-type Nbs1, but neither by a carboxy-terminal deletion mutant of Nbs1 at amino acid 590, unable to form a complex with and to transport Mre11 and Rad50 in the nucleus, nor by an Nbs1 mutated at Ser343 (S343A), the ATM phosphorylation site. Chk2 nuclear expression is unaffected in NBS cells, hence excluding a mislocalization as the cause of failed Chk2 activation in Nbs1-null cells. Interestingly, the impaired Chk2 function in NBS cells correlates with the inability, unlike normal cells, to stop entry into mitosis immediately after irradiation, a checkpoint abnormality that can be corrected by introduction of the wild-type but not the S343A mutant form of Nbs1. Altogether, these findings underscore the crucial role of a functional Nbs1 complex in Chk2 activation and suggest that checkpoint defects in NBS cells may result from the inability to activate Chk2.
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PMID:Chk2 activation dependence on Nbs1 after DNA damage. 1143 75

PML nuclear bodies (PML NBs) respond to many cellular stresses including viral infection, heat shock, arsenic and oncogenes and have been implicated in the regulation of p53-dependent replicative senescence and apoptosis. Recently, the hMre11/Rad50/NBS1 repair complex, involved in Double Strand Breaks (DSBs) repair, was found to colocalize within PML NBs, suggesting a role for these nuclear sub-domains in the DNA repair signalling pathway. We report here that in normal human fibroblasts, after ionizing radiation (IR), the PML NBs are modified and recognize sites of DNA breaks (ssDNA breaks and DSBs). Eight to 12 h after radiation PML NBs associate with hMre11 Ionizing Radiation-Induced Foci (IRIF), and subsequently with p53 within discrete foci. The PML, hMre11 and p53 colocalizing structures mark sites of DSBs as identified by immunolocalization with anti phosphorylated histone gamma-H2AX. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ionizing radiation induces the stable association of p53 with hMre11 and PML. These results suggest that the PML NBs are involved in the recognition and/or processing of DNA breaks and possibly in the recruitment of proteins (p53 and hMre11) required for both checkpoint and DNA-repair responses.
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PMID:PML NBs associate with the hMre11 complex and p53 at sites of irradiation induced DNA damage. 1189 94

BRCA1 is critical for the maintenance of genomic stability, in part through its interaction with the Rad50.Mre11.Nbs1 complex, which occupies a central role in DNA double strand break repair mediated by nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination. BRCA1 has been shown to be required for homology-directed recombination repair. However, the role of BRCA1 in NHEJ, a critical pathway for the repair of double strand breaks and genome stability in mammalian cells, remains elusive. Here, we established a pair of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from 9.5-day-old embryos with genotypes Brca1(+/+):p53(-/-) or Brca1(-/-):p53(-/-). The Brca1(-/-):p53(-/-) MEFs appear to be extremely sensitive to ionizing radiation. The contribution of BRCA1 in NHEJ was evaluated in these cells using three different assay systems. First, transfection of a linearized plasmid in which expression of the reporter gene required precise end joining indicated that Brca1(-/-) MEFs display a moderate deficiency when compared with Brca1(+/+) cells. Second, using a retrovirus infection assay dependent on NHEJ, a 5-10-fold reduction in retroviral integration efficiency was observed in Brca1(-/-) MEFs when compared with the Brca1(+/+) MEFs. Third, Brca1(-/-) MEFs exhibited a 50-100-fold deficiency in microhomology-mediated end-joining activity of a defined chromosomal DNA double strand break introduced by a rare cutting endonuclease I-SceI. These results provide evidence that Brca1 has an essential role in microhomology-mediated end joining and suggest a novel molecular basis for its caretaker role in the maintenance of genome integrity.
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PMID:BRCA1 facilitates microhomology-mediated end joining of DNA double strand breaks. 1203 51

Our previous recombination and biochemical analyses have led to the hypothesis that the tumor suppressor p53 monitors homologous recombination, a function which was previously attributed to the mismatch repair protein MSH2. Here, we show that a certain fraction of p53 is concentrated within discrete nuclear foci of cells synchronized in G1 phase, a pattern which becomes even more pronounced in S phase, especially after gamma-ray treatment. p53 foci show some colocalization with MSH2 within distinct foci during G1 phase, while dots formed by BRCA1 display an independent localization pattern. In S phase nuclei, p53 foci almost completely colocalize with MSH2 foci and associate with the recombination surveillance factor BRCA1 in irradiated S phase cells. These p53 and MSH2 foci also show significant overlaps with foci of the recombination enzymes Rad50 and Rad51, which for the first time unveiled recombination-related functions of p53 in replicating cells. During S phase, p53 and MSH2 are maximally active in binding to early recombination intermediates, and coexist within the same nuclear DNA-protein complexes. Our data suggest that p53 is linked similarly to homologous recombination as MSH2 and provide further evidence for the new concept of a dual role of p53 in the regulation of growth and repair.
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PMID:Association of p53 and MSH2 with recombinative repair complexes during S phase. 1210 17

Mre11, Rad50, and Nbs1 function in a protein complex that is central to the metabolism of chromosome breaks. Null mutants of each are inviable. We demonstrate here that hypomorphic Rad50 mutant mice (Rad50(S/S) mice) exhibited growth defects and cancer predisposition. Rad50(S/S) mice died with complete bone marrow depletion as a result of progressive hematopoietic stem cell failure. Similar attrition occurred in spermatogenic cells. In both contexts, attrition was substantially mitigated by p53 deficiency, whereas the tumor latency of p53(-/-) and p53(+/-) animals was reduced by Rad50(S/S). Indices of genotoxic stress and chromosomal rearrangements were evident in Rad50(S/S) cultured cells, as well as in Rad50(S/S) and p53(-/-) Rad50(S/S) lymphomas, suggesting that the Rad50(S/S) phenotype was attributable to chromosomal instability. These outcomes were not associated with overt defects in the Mre11 complex's previously established double strand break repair and cell cycle checkpoint regulation functions. The data indicate that even subtle perturbation of Mre11 complex functions results in severe genotoxic stress, and that the complex is critically important for homeostasis of proliferative tissues.
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PMID:Cancer predisposition and hematopoietic failure in Rad50(S/S) mice. 1220 47

The replication of damaged DNA involves cascading mechanisms of increasing complexity but decreasing accuracy. The most accurate mechanism uses low-fidelity DNA polymerases, Pol H and Pol I, which have active sites sufficiently large to accommodate a pyrimidine dimer. Replicative bypass of DNA damage by these polymerases produces an accurately replicated, newly synthesized strand. Pol H negative cells (XP-V cell lines) either adopt a proposed secondary bypass mechanism or a recombinational mode. The mechanism of the secondary bypass is unclear, but a number of experiments suggests roles for excision repair to remove damage ahead of replication forks, hRad6/18 proteolysis to clear the blocked forks, and the Rad17-RFC and 9-1-1 complexes to establish a new replication apparatus. This alternative pathway requires functional p53. In Pol H negative cells in which p53 is also inactive, the arrested fork fragments into DNA double strand breaks. Foci containing PCNA, Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1, and gamma-H2Ax can then be detected, along with chromosomal rearrangement and high frequencies of sister chromatid exchanges. The recruitment of recombination components to the arrested forks represents the ultimate failure of replication machinery to relieve the arrested state and bypass the damage. The resulting chromosomal instability in surviving cells will contribute to malignant transformation.
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PMID:Mechanisms by which human cells bypass damaged bases during DNA replication after ultraviolet irradiation. 1280 12

Although the mechanisms underlying benzene-induced toxicity and leukemogenicity are not yet fully understood, they are likely to be complicated by various pathways, including those of metabolism, growth factor regulation, oxidative stress, DNA damage, cell cycle regulation, and programmed cell death. With this as a background, we performed cDNA microarray analyses on mouse bone marrow tissue during and after a 2-week benzene exposure by inhalation. Our goal was to clarify the mechanisms underlying the hematotoxicity and leukemogenicity induced by benzene at the level of altered multigene expression. Because a few researchers have postulated that the cell cycle regulation mediated by p53 is a critical event for benzene-induced hematotoxicity, the present study was carried out using p53-knockout (KO) mice and C57BL/6 mice. On the basis of the results of large-scale gene expression studies, we conclude the following: (a) Benzene induces DNA damage in cells at any phase of the cell cycle through myeloperoxidase and in the redox cycle, resulting in p53 expression through Raf-1 and cyclin D-interacting myb-like protein 1. (b) For G1/S cell cycle arrest, the p53-mediated pathway through p21 is involved, as well as the pRb gene-mediated pathway. (c) Alteration of cyclin G1 and Wee-1 kinase genes may be related to the G2/M arrest induced by benzene exposure. (d) DNA repair genes such as Rad50 and Rad51 are markedly downregulated in p53-KO mice. (e) p53-mediated caspase 11 activation, aside from p53-mediated Bax gene induction, may be an important pathway for cellular apoptosis after benzene exposure. Our results strongly suggest that the dysfunction of the p53 gene, possibly caused by strong and repeated genetic and epigenetic effects of benzene on candidate leukemia cells, may induce fatal problems such as those of cell cycle checkpoint, apoptosis, and the DNA repair system, finally resulting in hemopoietic malignancies. Our cDNA microarray data provide valuable information for future investigations of the mechanisms underlying the toxicity and leukemogenicity of benzene.
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PMID:Mechanisms of benzene-induced hematotoxicity and leukemogenicity: cDNA microarray analyses using mouse bone marrow tissue. 1294 Feb 87

The complex containing the Mre11, Rad50, and Nbs1 proteins (MRN) is essential for the cellular response to DNA double-strand breaks, integrating DNA repair with the activation of checkpoint signaling through the protein kinase ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated). We demonstrate that MRN stimulates the kinase activity of ATM in vitro toward its substrates p53, Chk2, and histone H2AX. MRN makes multiple contacts with ATM and appears to stimulate ATM activity by facilitating the stable binding of substrates. Phosphorylation of Nbs1 is critical for MRN stimulation of ATM activity toward Chk2, but not p53. Kinase-deficient ATM inhibits wild-type ATM phosphorylation of Chk2, consistent with the dominant-negative effect of kinase-deficient ATM in vivo.
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PMID:Direct activation of the ATM protein kinase by the Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 complex. 1506 16


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