Search

The p53 tumor suppressor protein, known to be critically important in several processes including cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis, is highly regulated by multiple mechanisms, most certifiably the Murine Double Minute 2–Murine Double Minute X (MDM2–MDMX) heterodimer. The role of MDM2–MDMX in cell-cycle regulation through inhibition of p53 has been well established. Here we report that in cells either lacking p53 or expressing certain tumor-derived mutant forms of p53, loss of endogenous MDM2 or MDMX, or inhibition of E3 ligase activity of the heterocomplex, causes cell-cycle arrest. This arrest is correlated with a reduction in E2F1, E2F3, and p73 levels. Remarkably, direct ablation of endogenous p73 produces a similar effect on the cell cycle and the expression of certain E2F family members at both protein and messenger RNA levels. These data suggest that MDM2 and MDMX, working at least in part as a heterocomplex, may play a p53-independent role in maintaining cell-cycle progression by promoting the activity of E2F family members as well as p73, making them a potential target of interest in cancers lacking wild-type p53.

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, with its devastating medical and economic impacts, triggered an unprecedented race toward development of effective vaccines. The commercialized vaccines are parenterally administered, which poses logistic challenges, while adequate protection at the mucosal sites of virus entry is questionable. Furthermore, essentially all vaccine candidates target the viral spike (S) protein, a surface protein that undergoes significant antigenic drift. This work aimed to develop an oral multi-antigen SARS-CoV-2 vaccine comprised of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the viral S protein, two domains of the viral nucleocapsid protein (N), and heat-labile enterotoxin B (LTB), a potent mucosal adjuvant. The humoral, mucosal and cell-mediated immune responses of both a three-dose vaccination schedule and a heterologous subcutaneous prime and oral booster regimen were assessed in mice and rats, respectively. Mice receiving the oral vaccine compared to control mice showed significantly enhanced post-dose-3 virus-neutralizing antibody, anti-S IgG and IgA production and N-protein-stimulated IFN-γ and IL-2 secretion by T cells. When administered as a booster to rats following parenteral priming with the viral S1 protein, the oral vaccine elicited markedly higher neutralizing antibody titres than did oral placebo booster. A single oral booster following two subcutaneous priming doses elicited serum IgG and mucosal IgA levels similar to those raised by three subcutaneous doses. In conclusion, the oral LTB-adjuvanted multi-epitope SARS-CoV-2 vaccine triggered versatile humoral, cellular and mucosal immune responses, which are likely to provide protection, while also minimizing technical hurdles presently limiting global vaccination, whether by priming or booster programs.

The tumor suppressor p53, a master regulator of the cellular response to stress, is tightly regulated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2 via an autoregulatory feedback loop. In addition to its well-established role in tumorigenesis, p53 has also been associated with aging in mice. Several mouse models with aberrantly increased p53 activity display signs of premature aging. However, the relationship between dysfunction of the MDM2/p53 axis and human aging remains elusive. Here, we have identified an antiterminating homozygous germline mutation in MDM2 in a patient affected by a segmental progeroid syndrome. We show that this mutation abrogates MDM2 activity, thereby resulting in enhanced levels and stability of p53. Analysis of the patient's primary cells, genome-edited cells, and in vitro and in vivo analyses confirmed the MDM2 mutation's aberrant regulation of p53 activity. Functional data from a zebrafish model further demonstrated that mutant Mdm2 was unable to rescue a p53-induced apoptotic phenotype. Altogether, our findings indicate that mutant MDM2 is a likely driver of the observed segmental form of progeria.

Acute leukemia is a rapidly progressing blood cancer with low survival rates. Unfavorable prognosis is attributed to insufficiently characterized subpopulations of leukemia stem cells (LSC) that drive chemoresistance and leukemia relapse. Here we utilized a genetic reporter that assesses stemness to enrich and functionally characterize LSCs. We observed heterogeneous activity of the

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.

Life requires orchestrated control of cell proliferation, cell maintenance, and cell death. Involved in these decisions are protein complexes that assimilate a variety of inputs that report on the status of the cell and lead to an output response. Among the proteins involved in this response are nutrient-deprivation autophagy factor-1 (NAF-1)- and Bcl-2. NAF-1 is a homodimeric member of the novel Fe-S protein NEET family, which binds two 2Fe-2S clusters. NAF-1 is an important partner for Bcl-2 at the endoplasmic reticulum to functionally antagonize Beclin 1-dependent autophagy [Chang NC, Nguyen M, Germain M, Shore GC (2010) EMBO J 29(3):606-618]. We used an integrated approach involving peptide array, deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (DXMS), and functional studies aided by the power of sufficient constraints from direct coupling analysis (DCA) to determine the dominant docked conformation of the NAF-1-Bcl-2 complex. NAF-1 binds to both the pro- and antiapoptotic regions (BH3 and BH4) of Bcl-2, as demonstrated by a nested protein fragment analysis in a peptide array and DXMS analysis. A combination of the solution studies together with a new application of DCA to the eukaryotic proteins NAF-1 and Bcl-2 provided sufficient constraints at amino acid resolution to predict the interaction surfaces and orientation of the protein-protein interactions involved in the docked structure. The specific integrated approach described in this paper provides the first structural information, to our knowledge, for future targeting of the NAF-1-Bcl-2 complex in the regulation of apoptosis/autophagy in cancer biology.

The p53 tumor suppressor interacts with its negative regulator Mdm2 via the former’s N-terminal region and core domain. Yet the extreme p53 C-terminal region contains lysine residues ubiquitinated by Mdm2 and can bear post-translational modifications that inhibit Mdm2–p53 association. We show that, the Mdm2–p53 interaction is decreased upon deletion, mutation or acetylation of the p53 C-terminus. Mdm2 decreases the association of full-length but not C-terminally deleted p53 with a DNA target sequence in vitro and in cells. Further, using multiple approaches we demonstrate that a peptide from p53 C-terminus directly binds Mdm2 N-terminus in vitro. We also show that p300-acetylated p53 binds inefficiently to Mdm2 in vitro, and Nutlin-3 treatment induces C-terminal modification(s) of p53 in cells, explaining the low efficiency of Nutlin-3 in dissociating p53-MDM2 in vitro.

We have characterized the molecular basis of the interaction between ASPP2 and Bcl-2, which are key proteins in the apoptotic pathway. The C-terminal ankyrin repeats and SH3 domain of ASPP2 (ASPP2 Ank-SH3 ) mediate its interactions with the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. We used biophysical and computational methods to identify the interaction sites of Bcl-2 and its homologues with ASPP2. Using peptide array screening, we found that ASPP2 Ank-SH3 binds two homologous sites in all three Bcl proteins tested: ( i ) the conserved BH4 motif, and ( ii ) a binding site for proapoptotic regulators. Quantitative binding studies revealed that binding of ASPP2 Ank-SH3 to the Bcl-2 family members is selective at two levels: ( i ) interaction with Bcl-2-derived peptides is the tightest compared to peptides from the other family members, and ( ii ) within Bcl-2, binding of ASPP2 Ank-SH3 to the BH4 domain is tightest. Sequence alignment of the ASPP2-binding peptides combined with binding studies of mutated peptides revealed that two nonconserved positions where only Bcl-2 contains positively charged residues account for its tighter binding. The experimental binding results served as a basis for docking analysis, by which we modeled the complexes of ASPP2 Ank-SH3 with the full-length Bcl proteins. Using peptide arrays and quantitative binding studies, we found that Bcl-2 binds three loops in ASPP2 Ank-SH3 with similar affinity, in agreement with our predicted model. Based on our results, we propose a mechanism in which ASPP2 induces apoptosis by inhibiting functional sites of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins.

ASPP (apoptosis-stimulating protein of p53) 2 is a pro-apoptotic protein that stimulates the p53-mediated apoptotic response. Here, we provide an overview of the structure and protein–protein interactions of ASPP2. The C-terminus of ASPP2 contains Ank (ankyrin) repeats and an SH3 domain (Src homology 3 domain). The Ank–SH3 domains mediate interactions between ASPP2 and numerous proteins involved in apoptosis such as p53 and Bcl-2. The proline-rich domain of ASPP2 is unfolded in its native state, but was not shown to mediate intermolecular interactions. Instead, it makes an intramolecular domain–domain interaction with the Ank–SH3 C-terminal domains of ASPP2. This intramolecular interaction between the unstructured proline-rich domain and the structured Ank–SH3 domains in ASPP2, which is possible due to the unfolded nature of the proline-rich domain, is proposed to have an important role in regulating the intermolecular interactions of ASPP2 with its partner proteins.

ASPP2 is a key protein in regulating apoptosis both in p53-dependent and-independent pathways. The C-terminal part of ASPP2 contains four ankyrin repeats and an SH3 domain (Ank-SH3) that mediate the interactions of ASPP2 with apoptosis related proteins such as p53, Bcl-2 and the p65 subunit of NFκB. p53 core domain (p53CD) binds the n-src loop and the RT loop of ASPP2 SH3. ASPP2 contains a disordered proline rich domain (ASPP2 Pro) that forms an intramolecular autoinhibitory interaction with the Ank-SH3 domains. Here we show how this intramolecular interaction affects the intermolecular interactions of ASPP2 with p53, Bcl-2 and NFkB. We used biophysical methods to obtain better understanding of the relationship between ASPP2 and its partners for getting a comprehensive view on ASPP2 pathways. Fluorescence anisotropy competition experiments revealed that both ASPP2 Pro and p53CD competed for binding the n-src loop of the ASPP2 SH3, indicating regulation of p53CD binding to this loop by ASPP2 Pro. Peptides derived from the ASPP2-binding interface of Bcl-2 did not compete with p53CD or NFkB peptides for binding the ASPP2 n-src loop. However, p53CD displaced the NFκB peptide (residues 303-332) from its complex with ASPP2 Ank-SH3, indicating that NFκB 303-332 and p53CD bind a partly overlapping site in ASPP2 SH3, mostly in the RT loop. These results are in agreement with previous docking studies, which showed that ASPP2 Ank-SH3 binds Bcl-2 and NFκB mostly via distinct sites from p53. However they show some overlap between the binding sites of p53CD and NFkB in ASPP2 Ank-SH3. Our results provide experimental evidence that the intramolecular interaction in ASPP2 regulates its binding to p53CD and that ASPP2 Ank-SH3 binds Bcl-2 and NFκB via distinct sites.

Impairment of ribosomal biogenesis can activate the p53 protein independently of DNA damage. The ability of ribosomal proteins L5, L11, L23, L26, or S7 to bind Mdm2 and inhibit its ubiquitin ligase activity has been suggested as a critical step in p53 activation under these conditions. Here, we report that L5 and L11 are particularly important for this response. Whereas several other newly synthesized ribosomal proteins are degraded by proteasomes upon inhibition of Pol I activity by actinomycin D, L5 and L11 accumulate in the ribosome-free fraction where they bind to Mdm2. This selective accumulation of free L5 and L11 is due to their mutual protection from proteasomal degradation. Furthermore, the endogenous, newly synthesized L5 and L11 continue to be imported into nucleoli even after nucleolar disruption and colocalize with Mdm2, p53, and promyelocytic leukemia protein. This suggests that the disrupted nucleoli may provide a platform for L5- and L11-dependent p53 activation, implying a role for the nucleolus in p53 activation by ribosomal biogenesis stress. These findings may have important implications with respect to understanding the pathogenesis of diseases caused by impaired ribosome biogenesis.

Advanced Glycated End Products (AGEs) are formed by non-enzymatic protein glycation and are implicated in several physiological aspects including cell aging and diseases. Recent data indicate that bacteria – although short lived – produce, metabolize and accumulate AGEs. Here we show that Escherichia coli cells secret AGEs by the energy-dependent efflux pump systems. Moreover, we show that in the presence of these AGEs there is an upshift of pro-inflammatory cytokins by mammalian cells. Thus, we propose that secretion of AGEs by bacteria is a novel avenue of bacterial-induced inflammation which is potentially important in the pathophysiology of bacterial infections. Moreover, the sensing of AGEs by the host cells may constitute a warning system for the presence of bacteria.

Amadori-modified proteins (AMPs) are the products of nonenzymatic glycation formed by reaction of reducing sugars with primary amine-containing amino acids and can develop into advanced glycated end products (AGEs), highly stable toxic compounds. AGEs are known to participate in many age-related human diseases, including cardiovascular, neurological, and liver diseases. The metabolism of these glycated proteins is not yet understood, and the mechanisms that reduce their accumulation are not known so far. Here, we show for Escherichia coli that a conserved glycopeptidase (Gcp, also called Kae1), which is encoded by nearly every sequenced genome in the three domains of life, prevents the accumulation of Amadori products and AGEs. Using mutants, we show that Gcp depletion results in accumulation of AMPs and eventually leads to the accumulation of AGEs. We demonstrate that Gcp binds to glycated proteins, including pyruvate dehydrogenase, previously shown to be a glycation-prone enzyme. Our experiments also show that the severe phenotype of Gcp depletion can be relieved under conditions of low intracellular glycation. As glycated proteins are ubiquitous, the involvement of Gcp in the metabolism of AMPs and AGEs is likely to have been conserved in evolution, suggesting a universal involvement of Gcp in cellular aging and explaining the essentiality of Gcp in many organisms., IMPORTANCE Glycated proteins (Amadori-modified proteins [AMPs] and advanced glycated end products [AGEs]) are known to participate in many age-related diseases. Their existence in fast-growing organisms was considered unlikely, as their formation was assumed to be slow. Yet, recent evidence demonstrated their existence in bacteria, and our data suggest a bacterial mechanism that reduced their accumulation. We identify in Escherichia coli a protein, Gcp, which carries out this function. Gcp is conserved in all domains of life and is essential in many organisms. Although it was annotated as a chaperon protease, there were no experimental data to support this function. Our findings are compatible with the annotation and will open up studies of the bacterial metabolism of glycated proteins. Furthermore, the data from the bacterial systems may also be instrumental in understanding the metabolism of glycated proteins, including their toxicity in human health and disease.

We used computational methods to study the interaction between two key proteins in apoptosis regulation: the transcription factor NF-kappa-B (NFkappaB) and the proapoptotic protein ASPP2. The C-terminus of ASPP2 contains ankyrin repeats and SH3 domains (ASPP2(ANK-SH3)) that mediate interactions with numerous apoptosis-related proteins, including the p65 subunit of NFkappaB (NFkappaB(p65)). Using peptide-based methods, we have recently identified the interaction sites between NFkappaB(p65) and ASPP2(ANK-SH3) (Rotem et al., J Biol Chem 283, 18990-18999). Here we conducted a computational study of protein docking and molecular dynamics to obtain a structural model of the complex between the full length proteins and propose a mechanism for the interaction. We found that ASPP2(ANK-SH3) binds two sites in NFkappaB(p65), at residues 236-253 and 293-313 that contain the nuclear localization signal (NLS). These sites also mediate the binding of NFkappaB to its natural inhibitor IkappaB, which also contains ankyrin repeats. Alignment of the ankyrin repeats of ASPP2(ANK-SH3) and IkappaB revealed that both proteins share highly similar interfaces at their binding sites to NFkappaB. Protein docking of ASPP2(ANK-SH3) and NFkappaB(p65), as well as molecular dynamics simulations of the proteins, provided structural models of the complex that are energetically similar to the NFkappaB-IkappaB determined structure. Our results show that ASPP2(ANK-SH3) binds NFkappaB(p65) in a similar manner to its natural inhibitor IkappaB, suggesting a possible novel role for ASPP2 as an NFkappaB inhibitor.

ASPP2 is a pro-apoptotic protein that stimulates the p53-mediated apoptotic response. The C terminus of ASPP2 contains ankyrin (Ank) repeats and a SH3 domain, which mediate its interactions with numerous partner proteins such as p53, NFkappaB, and Bcl-2. It also contains a proline-rich domain (ASPP2 Pro), whose structure and function are unclear. Here we used biophysical and biochemical methods to study the structure and the interactions of ASPP2 Pro, to gain insight into its biological role. We show, using biophysical and computational methods, that the ASPP2 Pro domain is natively unfolded. We found that the ASPP2 Pro domain interacts with the ASPP2 Ank-SH3 domains, and mapped the interaction sites in both domains. Using a combination of peptide array screening, biophysical and biochemical techniques, we found that ASPP2 Ank-SH3, but not ASPP2 Pro, mediates interactions of ASPP2 with peptides derived from its partner proteins. ASPP2 Pro-Ank-SH3 bound a peptide derived from its partner protein NFkappaB weaker than ASPP2 Ank-SH3 bound this peptide. This suggested that the presence of the proline-rich domain inhibited the interactions mediated by the Ank-SH3 domains. Furthermore, a peptide from ASPP2 Pro competed with a peptide derived from NFkappaB on binding to ASPP2 Ank-SH3. Based on our results, we propose a model in which the interaction between the ASPP2 domains regulates the intermolecular interactions of ASPP2 with its partner proteins.