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Failure in cytokinesis, the final step in cell division, by generating tetra- and polyploidization promotes chromosomal instability, a hallmark of cancer. Here we show that HIPK2, a kinase involved in cell fate decisions in development and response to stress, controls cytokinesis and prevents tetraploidization through its effects on histone H2B. HIPK2 binds and phosphorylates histone H2B at S14 (H2B-S14(P)), and the two proteins colocalize at the midbody. HIPK2 depletion by targeted gene disruption or RNA interference results in loss of H2B-S14(P) at the midbody, prevention of cell cleavage, and tetra- and polyploidization. In HIPK2 null cells, restoration of wild-type HIPK2 activity or expression of a phosphomimetic H2B-S14D derivative abolishes cytokinesis defects and rescues cell proliferation, showing that H2B-S14(P) is required for a faithful cytokinesis. Overall, our data uncover mechanisms of a critical HIPK2 function in cytokinesis and in the prevention of tetraploidization., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

MYCN amplification occurs in approximately 20% of human neuroblastomas and is associated with early tumor progression and poor outcome, despite intensive multimodal treatment. However, MYCN overexpression also sensitizes neuroblastoma cells to apoptosis. Thus, uncovering the molecular mechanisms linking MYCN to apoptosis might contribute to designing more efficient therapies for MYCN-amplified tumors. Here we show that MYCN-dependent sensitization to apoptosis requires activation of p53 and its phosphorylation at serine 46. The p53(S46) kinase HIPK2 accumulates on MYCN expression, and its depletion by RNA interference impairs p53(S46) phosphorylation and apoptosis. Remarkably, MYCN induces a DNA damage response that accounts for the inhibition of HIPK2 degradation through an ATM- and NBS1-dependent pathway. Prompted by the rare occurrence of p53 mutations and by the broad expression of HIPK2 in our human neuroblastoma series, we evaluated the effects of the p53-reactivating compound Nutlin-3 on this pathway. At variance from other tumor histotypes, in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma, Nutlin-3 further induced HIPK2 accumulation, p53(S46) phosphorylation, and apoptosis, and in combination with clastogenic agents purged virtually the entire cell population. Altogether, our data uncover a novel mechanism linking MYCN to apoptosis that can be triggered by the p53-reactivating compound Nutlin-3, supporting its use in the most difficult-to-treat subset of neuroblastoma., (©2010 AACR.)

In the past few years, much effort has been devoted to show the single-target specificity of nongenotoxic, p53 reactivating compounds. However, the divergent biological responses induced by the different compounds, even in the same tumor cells, demand additional mechanistic insights, whose knowledge may lead to improved drug design or selection of the most potent drug combinations. To address the molecular mechanism underlying induction of mitotic arrest versus clinically more desirable apoptosis, we took advantage of two MDM2 antagonists, Nutlin-3 and RITA, which respectively produce these two outcomes. We show that, along with p53 reactivation, the proapoptotic p53-activator HIPK2 is degraded by MDM2 in Nutlin-3-treated cells, but activated by transiently reduced MDM2 levels in RITA-treated ones. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments revealed the functional significance of MDM2-mediated HIPK2 regulation in cell decision between mitotic arrest and apoptosis in both types of p53 reactivation. These data indicate that strategies of p53 reactivation by MDM2 inhibition should also take into consideration MDM2 targets other than p53, such as the apoptosis activator HIPK2.

Protein phosphorylation is a widely diffuse and versatile post-translational modification that controls many cellular processes, from signal transduction to gene transcription. The homeodomain-interacting protein kinases (HIPKs) belong to a new family of serine-threonine kinases first identified as corepressors for homeodomain transcription factors. Different screenings for the identification of new partners of transcription factors have indicated that HIPK2, the best characterized member of the HIPK family, is a multitalented coregulator of an increasing number of transcription factors and cofactors. The aim of this review is to describe the different mechanisms through which HIPK2 regulates gene transcription.

In response to DNA damage, p53 induces either cell-cycle arrest or apoptosis by differential transcription of several target genes and through transcription-independent apoptotic functions. p53 phosphorylation at Ser46 by HIPK2 is one determinant of the outcome because it takes place only upon severe, nonrepairable DNA damage that irreversibly drives cells to apoptosis. Here, we show that p53 represses its proapoptotic activator HIPK2 via MDM2-mediated degradation, whereas a degradation-resistant HIPK2 mutant has increased apoptotic activity. Upon cytostatic, nonsevere DNA damage, inhibition of HIPK2 degradation is sufficient to induce p53Ser46 phosphorylation and apoptosis, converting growth-arresting stimuli to apoptotic ones. These findings establish HIPK2 as an MDM2 target and support a model in which, upon nonsevere DNA damage, p53 represses its own phosphorylation at Ser46 due to HIPK2 degradation, supporting the notion that the cell-cycle-arresting functions of p53 include active inhibition of the apoptotic ones.