Search

The article comments on a study which screened the entire transcriptome of mucinous ovarian tumors and compared them to other ovarian cancers in order to discover genes and metabolic pathways responsible for the clinical characteristics of the disease conducted by F. W. Wamunyokoli et al. It cites that ovarian cancer is considered as one of the neoplasms with the worst prognosis due to delayed diagnosis. It notes that tumors in ovaries can show up as borderline disease with metastatic potential.

Human T-cell Lymphotropic Viruses type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiological agent of Adult T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma. Although associated with lymphocytosis, HTLV-2 infection is not associated with any malignant hematological disease. Similarly, no infection-related symptom has been detected in HTLV-3-infected individuals studied so far. Differences in individual Tax transcriptional activity might account for these distinct physiopathological outcomes. Tax-1 and Tax-3 possess a PDZ binding motif in their sequence. Interestingly, this motif, which is critical for Tax-1 transforming activity, is absent from Tax-2. We used the DNA microarray technology to analyze and compare the global gene expression profiles of different T- and non T-cell types expressing Tax-1, Tax-2 or Tax-3 viral transactivators. In a T-cell line, this analysis allowed us to identify 48 genes whose expression is commonly affected by all Tax proteins and are hence characteristic of the HTLV infection, independently of the virus type. Importantly, we also identified a subset of genes (n = 70) which are specifically up-regulated by Tax-1 and Tax-3, while Tax-1 and Tax-2 shared only 1 gene and Tax-2 and Tax-3 shared 8 genes. These results demonstrate that Tax-3 and Tax-1 are closely related in terms of cellular gene deregulation. Analysis of the molecular interactions existing between those Tax-1/Tax-3 deregulated genes then allowed us to highlight biological networks of genes characteristic of HTLV-1 and HTLV-3 infection. The majority of those up-regulated genes are functionally linked in biological processes characteristic of HTLV-1-infected T-cells expressing Tax such as regulation of transcription and apoptosis, activation of the NF-κB cascade, T-cell mediated immunity and induction of cell proliferation and differentiation. In conclusion, our results demonstrate for the first time that, in T- and non T-cells types, Tax-3 is a functional analogue of Tax-1 in terms of transcriptional activation and suggest that HTLV-3 might share pathogenic features with HTLV-1 in vivo.

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is an aggressive and fatal disease. We have examined 32 patients with smoldering, chronic, lymphoma and acute leukemia using Affymetrix HG-U133A2.0 arrays. Using the BRB array program, we identified genes differentially expressed in leukemia cells compared with normal lymphocytes. Several unique genes were identified that were overexpressed in leukemic cells, including TNFSF11, RGS13, MAFb, CSPG2, C/EBP-alpha, and TCF4; 200 of the most highly overexpressed ATL genes were analyzed by the Pathway Studio, version 4.0 program. ATL leukemia cells were characterized by an increase in genes linked to "central" genes CDC2/cyclin B1, SYK/LYN, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and BIRC5. Because of its potential therapeutic importance, we focused our studies on the regulation and function of BIRC5, whose expression was increased in 13 of 14 leukemia samples. TCF4 reporter assays and transfection of DN-TCF4 demonstrated that TCF4 regulates BIRC5 gene expression. Functionally, transfection of ATL cells with BIRC5 shRNA decreased BIRC5 expression and cell viability 80%. Clinical treatment of ATL patients with Zenapax or bortezomib decreased BIRC5 expression and cell viability. These experiments represent the first direct experimental evidence that BIRC5 plays an important role in ATL cell viability and provides important insight into ATL genesis and potential targeted therapies.

Exenatide (Ex-4) is an antidiabetic drug that acts through the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor and has recently been approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Ex-4 also has been shown to affect beta cell gene expression and increase beta cell mass in rodent models of type 1 diabetes mellitus, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. We therefore analyzed the pathways affected by Ex-4 in human islets by using oligonucleotide microarrays and the PathwayStudio software (Ariadne Genomics, Rockville, MD). We identified the JAK1-STAT1 pathway as a novel target of Ex-4 and confirmed the Ex-4-mediated down-regulation of JAK1 and STAT1 by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in human islets and INS-1 cells. JAK1-STAT1 is the major signaling pathway mediating the interferon gamma effects on beta cell apoptosis in type 1 diabetes mellitus. Thus, these findings suggest that Ex-4 treatment may also be beneficial in type 1 diabetes mellitus, where it may help protect beta cells from cytokine-induced cell death by inhibiting JAK1-STAT1.

Purpose: To elucidate the molecular mechanisms contributing to the unique clinicopathologic characteristics of mucinous ovarian carcinoma, global gene expression profiling of mucinous ovarian tumors was carried out., Experimental Design: Gene expression profiling was completed for 25 microdissected mucinous tumors [6 cystadenomas, 10 low malignant potential (LMP) tumors, and 9 adenocarcinomas] using Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 oligonucleotide microarrays. Hierarchical clustering and binary tree prediction analysis were used to determine the relationships among mucinous specimens and a series of previously profiled microdissected serous tumors and normal ovarian surface epithelium. PathwayAssist software was used to identify putative signaling pathways involved in the development of mucinous LMP tumors and adenocarcinomas., Results: Comparison of the gene profiles between mucinous tumors and normal ovarian epithelial cells identified 1,599, 2,916, and 1,765 differentially expressed in genes in the cystadenomas, LMP tumors, and adenocarcinomas, respectively. Hierarchical clustering showed that mucinous and serous LMP tumors are distinct. In addition, there was a close association of mucinous LMP tumors and adenocarcinomas with serous adenocarcinomas. Binary tree prediction revealed increased heterogeneity among mucinous tumors compared with their serous counterparts. Furthermore, the cystadenomas coexpressed a subset of genes that were differentially regulated in LMP and adenocarcinoma specimens compared with normal ovarian surface epithelium. PathwayAssist highlighted pathways with expression of genes involved in drug resistance in both LMP and adenocarcinoma samples. In addition, genes involved in cytoskeletal regulation were specifically up-regulated in the mucinous adenocarcinomas., Conclusions: These data provide a useful basis for understanding the molecular events leading to the development and progression of mucinous ovarian cancer.

Papillary serous low malignant potential (LMP) tumors are characterized by malignant features and metastatic potential yet display a benign clinical course. The role of LMP tumors in the development of invasive epithelial cancer of the ovary is not clearly defined. The aim of this study is to determine the relationships among LMP tumors and invasive ovarian cancers and identify genes contributing to their phenotypes. Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 microarrays (Santa Clara, CA) were used to interrogate 80 microdissected serous LMP tumors and invasive ovarian malignancies along with 10 ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) brushings. Gene expression profiles for each tumor class were used to complete unsupervised hierarchical clustering analyses and identify differentially expressed genes contributing to these associations. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis revealed a distinct separation between clusters containing borderline and high-grade lesions. The majority of low-grade tumors clustered with LMP tumors. Comparing OSE with high-grade and LMP expression profiles revealed enhanced expression of genes linked to cell proliferation, chromosomal instability, and epigenetic silencing in high-grade cancers, whereas LMP tumors displayed activated p53 signaling. The expression profiles of LMP, low-grade, and high-grade papillary serous ovarian carcinomas suggest that LMP tumors are distinct from high-grade cancers; however, they are remarkably similar to low-grade cancers. Prominent expression of p53 pathway members may play an important role in the LMP tumor phenotype.

Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) is overexpressed in diabetes and has deleterious effects on pancreatic beta-cells and the cardiovascular system. TXNIP is a regulator of the cellular redox state, but has also been suggested to act as a transcriptional repressor. However, the genes and pathways regulated by TXNIP remain unknown. We therefore compared gene expression in INS-1 insulinoma beta-cells overexpressing TXNIP and control LacZ-overexpressing cells using the Affymetrix 230A rat chip. Analysis with the Bayes methodology revealed 98 differentially expressed genes, 90 of which were down-regulated, consistent with the predicted role of TXNIP as a repressor. Using the PathwayAssist software, we found that affected genes were involved in cell death/survival and insulin secretion, and confirmed these findings by real-time RT-PCR and by functional studies. Thus, aside from regulating the cellular redox, TXNIP does modulate overall gene transcription and thereby may further enhance beta-cell death and impair insulin secretion.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal type of gynecologic cancer in the Western world. The high case fatality rate is due in part because most ovarian cancer patients present with advanced stage disease which is essentially incurable. In order to obtain a whole genome assessment of aberrant gene expression in advanced ovarian cancer, we used oligonucleotide microarrays comprising over 40,000 features to profile 37 advanced stage papillary serous primary carcinomas. We identified 1191 genes that were significantly (P < 0.001) differentially regulated between the ovarian cancer specimens and normal ovarian surface epithelium. The microarray data were validated using real time RT-PCR on 14 randomly selected differentially regulated genes. The list of differentially expressed genes includes ones that are involved in cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, apoptosis and migration. In addition, numerous genes whose function remains to be elucidated were also identified. The microarray data were imported into PathwayAssist software to identify signaling pathways involved in ovarian cancer tumorigenesis. Based on our expression results, a signaling pathway associated with tumor cell migration, spread and invasion was identified as being activated in advanced ovarian cancer. The data generated in this study represent a comprehensive list of genes aberrantly expressed in serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinoma and may be useful for the identification of potentially new and novel markers and therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer.

Nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation plays a critical role in oncogenesis by human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type I (HTLV-I), the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), and is indispensable for maintenance of the malignant phenotype. In T lymphocytes, Tax-mediated p53 inhibition is dependent on Tax activation of the NF-kappaB pathway and is linked to p53 phosphorylation. We now report that blocking NF-kappaB transcriptional activation in HTLV-I-transformed cells restores p53 activity. Further, using mouse embryo fibroblast (MEF) null cells and antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit expression of NF-kappaB family members, we demonstrate that the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB is uniquely involved in p53 inhibition. Coimmunoprecipitation assays demonstrate an interaction between p65 and p53 in HTLV-I-transformed cells. In transient transfection assays, we demonstrate that Tax induces the p53-p65 interaction. Phosphorylation of p53 at serines 15 and 392 is critical for complex formation. Importantly, Tax-mediated p53 inhibition correlates with p65 and p53 interaction. By using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, we find that in HTLV-I-transformed cells p53 and p65 form a complex on the inactive, p53-responsive murine double minute 2 (MDM2) promoter. Consistent with reduced transcriptional activity, transcription factor IID (TFIID) binding is not observed. These studies identify a unique mechanism for p53 regulation by the p65/RelA subunit of NF-kappaB.

Human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-I), the aetiological agent of adult T-cell leukaemia (ATL) and tropical spastic paraparesis (TSP/HAM), transforms human T-cells in vivo and in vitro. The Tax protein of HTLV-I is essential for cellular transformation as well as viral and cellular gene transactivation. The interaction of Tax with cellular proteins is critical for these functions. We previously isolated and characterized a novel Tax-binding protein, TRX (TAX1BP2), by screening a Jurkat T-cell cDNA library. In the present study, we present evidence that the tumour suppressor p53 targets the TRX protein for proteasome degradation. Pulse-chase experiments revealed that p53 enhanced the degradation of TRX protein and reduced the half-life from 2.0 to 0.25 h. p53 mutants R248W and R273H enhance TRX degradation suggesting a transcriptionally independent mechanism. Both HTLV-I Tax and the proteasome-specific inhibitor MG132 inhibited p53-mediated TRX protein degradation. These results suggest that TRX degradation is mediated through activation of the proteasome protein degradation pathway independent of transcriptional function of p53. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that Tax inhibits transcription-dependent and independent functions of p53.

Human pancreatic islets are a major focus of diabetes research due to their key role in glucose homeostasis and their potential for transplantation in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Currently, no comprehensive analysis of baseline or glucose-stimulated islet gene expression is available. Using oligonucleotide microarrays we analyzed isolated intact human islets incubated at low and high glucose. We identified approximately 6000 islet genes, several with clinical implications, as well as a number of glucose-regulated genes. Interestingly, two transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) superfamily members were highly regulated by glucose. One of them, PDF, was found to have a very high expression level compared to other TGFbeta superfamily members. Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction confirmed these results and demonstrated that the highly expressed PDF was approximately 10-fold down- regulated by glucose while other TGFbeta superfamily members and target genes were up-regulated. These results suggest that a highly regulated TGFbeta signaling cascade exists in human islets, and that PDF may play a central role in islet biology. Since TGFbeta is involved in differentiation and immune modulation, this novel pathway may link glucose metabolism, immune response and development of human islets. We report here the first gene expression profile of intact human islets. These and similar analyses will provide better understanding of human islet biology and enhance the development of novel diabetes therapies.

Expression of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is regulated by the viral transcriptional activator Tax. Tax activates viral transcription through interaction with the cellular transcription factor CREB and the coactivators CBP/p300. One key property of the coactivators is the presence of histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity, which enables p300/CBP to modify nucleosome structure. The data presented in this manuscript demonstrate that full-length p300 and CBP facilitate transcription of a reconstituted chromatin template in the presence of Tax and CREB. The ability of p300 and CBP to activate transcription from the chromatin template is dependent upon the HAT activity. Moreover, the coactivator HAT activity must be tethered to the template by Tax and CREB, since a p300 mutant that fails to interact with Tax did not facilitate transcription or acetylate histones. p300 acetylates histones H3 and H4 within nucleosomes located in the promoter and 5' proximal regions of the template. Nucleosome acetylation is accompanied by an increase in the level of binding of RNA polymerase II transcription factor TFIID and RNA polymerase II to the promoter. Interestingly, we found distinct transcriptional activities between CBP and p300. CBP, but not p300, possesses an N-terminal activation domain which directly activates Tax-mediated HTLV-1 transcription from a naked DNA template. Finally, using the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we provide the first direct experimental evidence that p300 and CBP are associated with the HTLV-1 long terminal repeat in vivo.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) is the etiologic agent for adult T-cell leukemia and the neurological disorder tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I-associated myelopathy. CD4+ T lymphocytes, the primary hosts for HTLV-I, undergo a series of changes that lead to T-cell activation, immortalization, and transformation. To gain insight into the genetic differences between activated and HTLV-I-infected lymphocytes, we performed Affymetrix GeneChip analysis of activated and HTLV-I-infected cells. Using the Hu6800 GeneChip, we identified approximately 763 genes that had differentially regulated expression in at least three of five HTLV-I cell lines. Classification of these genes into functional groups including cellular receptors, kinases, phosphatases, cytokines, signal proteins, and transcription factors provides insight into genes and pathways that are differentially regulated during HTLV-I transformation.

Mammalian, plant, and Schizosaccharomyces pombe eukaryotic initiation factor-3 (eIF3) contains a protein homologous to the product of int-6 (eIF3e), a frequent integration site of mouse mammary tumor viruses. By contrast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae does not encode a protein closely related to eIF3e/Int-6. Here, we characterize a novel S. cerevisiae protein (Pci8p, Yil071cp) that contains a PCI (proteasome-COP9 signalosome-eIF3) domain conserved in eIF3e/Int-6. We show that both Pci8p and human eIF3e/Int-6 expressed in budding yeast interact with the yeast eIF3 complex in vivo and in vitro by binding to a discrete segment of its eIF3b subunit Prt1p and that human eIF3e/Int-6 interacts with the human eIF3b segment homologous to the Pci8p-binding site of yeast Prt1p. These results refine our understanding of subunit interactions in the eIF3 complex and suggest structural similarity between human eIF3e/Int-6 and yeast Pci8p. However, deletion of PCI8 had no discernible effect on cell growth or translation initiation as judged by polysome analysis, suggesting that Pci8p is not required for the essential function of eIF3 in translation initiation. Motivated by the involvement of Int-6 in transcriptional control, we investigated the effects of deleting PCI8 on the total mRNA expression profile by oligonucleotide microarray analysis and found reduced mRNA levels for a subset of heat shock proteins in the pci8Delta mutant. We discuss possible dual functions of Pci8p and Int-6 in transcriptional and translational control.

The ability of the anti-cancer drug, 9-Nitrocamptothecin (9NC), to inhibit replication of HIV-1 in clinically relevant primary lymphocytic cells was studied. Primary peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from a non-infected donor were freshly infected with HIV-1 and treated with 9NC by using three different treatment schedules. Cells were monitored for cytotoxicity by the XTT metabolic cell proliferation assay and a sensitive flow cytometric assay that was capable of measuring cell cycle changes and apoptosis. 9NC inhibited replication of HIV-1 in PBLs by greater than 95% in a dose-dependent manner as measured by the level of extracellular HIV-1 p24 release. Similar results were observed, whether 9NC was applied in a single, double, or triple dose regimen. Minimal cytotoxicity was observed for both non-infected and infected PBLs, as determined by the XTT assay. Moreover, 9NC induced apoptosis within 24 hours of drug treatment in freshly infected, but not non-infected, PBLs. The data showed that 9NC reduced replication of HIV-1 in primary human lymphocytes; thus, it indicates the potential clinical utility of this drug as an alternative or adjunct therapy for HIV-infection/AIDS., (Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Drug-induced hepatotoxicity causes significant morbidity and mortality and is a major concern in drug development. This is due, in large part, to insufficient knowledge of the mechanism(s) of drug-induced liver injury. In order to address this problem, we have evaluated the modulation of gene expression within the livers of mice treated with a hepatotoxic dose of acetaminophen (APAP) using high-density oligonucleotide microarrays capable of determining the expression profile of >11,000 genes and expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Significant alterations in gene expression, both positive and negative, were noted within the livers of APAP-treated mice. APAP-induced toxicity affected numerous aspects of liver physiology causing, for instance, >twofold increased expression of genes that encode for growth arrest and cell cycle regulatory proteins, stress-induced proteins, the transcription factor LRG-21, suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-2-protein, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). A number of these and other genes and ESTs were detectable within the liver only after APAP treatment suggesting their potential importance in propagating or preventing further toxicity. These data provide new directions for mechanistic studies that may lead to a better understanding of the molecular basis of drug-induced liver injury and, ultimately, to a more rational design of safer drugs., (Copyright 2001 Academic Press.)

p53 plays a pivotal role in transmitting signals from many forms of genotoxic stress to genes and factors that control the cell cycle and apoptosis. We have previously shown that the human T-lymphotropic virus type I Tax protein can inhibit p53 function. Recently we reported that Tax inhibits p53 function in Jurkat cells and mouse embryo fibroblasts through a mechanism involving the nuclear factor kappa B pathway and correlates with phosphorylation on serines 15 and 392 of p53. However, several groups have also observed a mechanism that correlates with p300 binding of Tax. To address this controversy and to determine the mechanism by which Tax inhibits p53 function, we examined the activation functions of Tax required for p53 inhibition. In HeLa and H1299 cells the cAMP-response element-binding protein/activating transcription factor activation function is essential, as demonstrated by the Tax mutants M47 and K88A. In addition, expression of exogenous p300 in H1299 cells allows full recovery of p53 transactivation in the presence of Tax. Consistent with p300 being a limiting factor in H1299, Saos-2, and HeLa cells, we found that the level of endogenous p300 is relatively low in these cells compared with Jurkat cells or the human T-lymphotropic virus type I-infected C81 and MT2 cells. Thus our data suggests that Tax utilizes distinct mechanisms to inhibit p53 function that are cell type-dependent.

Tat stimulates human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transcriptional elongation by recruitment of carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) kinases to the HIV-1 promoter. Using an immobilized DNA template assay, we have analyzed the effect of Tat on kinase activity during the initiation and elongation phases of HIV-1 transcription. Our results demonstrate that cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7) (TFIIH) and CDK9 (P-TEFb) both associate with the HIV-1 preinitiation complex. Hyperphosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) CTD in the HIV-1 preinitiation complex, in the absence of Tat, takes place at CTD serine 2 and serine 5. Analysis of preinitiation complexes formed in immunodepleted extracts suggests that CDK9 phosphorylates serine 2, while CDK7 phosphorylates serine 5. Remarkably, in the presence of Tat, the substrate specificity of CDK9 is altered, such that the kinase phosphorylates both serine 2 and serine 5. Tat-induced CTD phosphorylation by CDK9 is strongly inhibited by low concentrations of 5, 6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole, an inhibitor of transcription elongation by RNAP II. Analysis of stalled transcription elongation complexes demonstrates that CDK7 is released from the transcription complex between positions +14 and +36, prior to the synthesis of transactivation response (TAR) RNA. In contrast, CDK9 stays associated with the complex through +79. Analysis of CTD phosphorylation indicates a biphasic modification pattern, one in the preinitiation complex and the other between +36 and +79. The second phase of CTD phosphorylation is Tat-dependent and TAR-dependent. These studies suggest that the ability of Tat to increase transcriptional elongation may be due to its ability to modify the substrate specificity of the CDK9 complex.

p53 plays a key role in guarding cells against DNA damage and transformation. We previously demonstrated that the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax can inactivate p53 transactivation function in lymphocytes. The present study demonstrates that in T cells, Tax-induced p53 inactivation is dependent upon NF-kappaB activation. Analysis of Tax mutants demonstrated that Tax inactivation of p53 function correlates with the ability of Tax to induce NF-kappaB but not p300 binding or CREB transactivation. The Tax-induced p53 inactivation can be overcome by overexpression of a dominant IkappaB mutant. Tax-NF-kappaB-induced p53 inactivation is not due to p300 squelching, since overexpression of p300 does not recover p53 activity in the presence of Tax. Further, using wild-type and p65 knockout mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs), we demonstrate that the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB is critical for Tax-induced p53 inactivation. While Tax can inactivate endogenous p53 function in wild-type MEFs, it fails to inactivate p53 function in p65 knockout MEFs. Importantly, Tax-induced p53 inactivation can be restored by expression of p65 in the knockout MEFs. Finally, we present evidence that phosphorylation of serines 15 and 392 correlates with inactivation of p53 by Tax in T cells. This study provides evidence that the divergent NF-kappaB proliferative and p53 cell cycle arrest pathways may be cross-regulated at several levels, including posttranslational modification of p53.

Inhibition of p53 function, through either mutation or interaction with viral or cellular transforming proteins, correlates strongly with the oncogenic potential. Only a small percentage of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-transformed cells carry p53 mutations, and mutated p53 genes have been found in only one-fourth of adult T-cell leukemia cases. In previous studies, we demonstrated that wild-type p53 is stabilized and transcriptionally inactive in HTLV-1-transformed cells. Further, the viral transcriptional activator Tax plays a role in both the stabilization and inactivation of p53 through a mechanism involving the first 52 amino acids of p53. Here we show for the first time that phosphorylation of p53 inactivates p53 by blocking its interaction with basal transcription factors. Using two-dimensional peptide mapping, we demonstrate that peptides corresponding to amino acids 1 to 19 and 387 to 393 are hyperphosphorylated in HTLV-1-transformed cells. Moreover, using antibodies specific for phosphorylated Ser15 and Ser392, we demonstrate increased phosphorylation of these amino acids. Since HTLV-1 p53 binds DNA in a sequence-specific manner but fails to interact with TFIID, we tested whether phosphorylation of the N terminus of p53 affected p53-TFIID interaction. Using biotinylated peptides, we show that phosphorylation of Ser15 alone inhibits p53-TFIID interaction. In contrast, phosphorylation at Ser15 and -37 restores TFIID binding and blocks MDM2 binding. Our studies provide evidence that HTLV-1 utilizes the posttranslational modification of p53 in vivo to inactivate function of the tumor suppressor protein.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiologic agent for adult T-cell leukemia. HTLV-1 transforms lymphocytes, and there is increasing evidence that the virus-encoded protein, Tax, plays a primary role in viral transformation. We have shown that wild-type p53 in HTLV-1-transformed cells is stabilized. This study was initiated to directly analyze whether the p53 in HTLV-1-transformed cell lines was transcriptionally active and to identify the viral gene product responsible for stabilization and inactivation. Transfection experiments using a p53-responsive reporter plasmid and gamma-irradiation studies demonstrate that the wild-type p53 in HTLV-1-transformed cell lines is not fully active. Further, we demonstrate that the HTLV-1-transforming protein, Tax, stabilizes and inactivates p53 function. Cotransfection of Tax with p53 results in a greater than 10-fold reduction in p53 transcription activity. Using Ga14-p53 fusion proteins, we demonstrate that Tax inhibition of p53 transactivation function is independent of sequence-specific DNA binding. Moreover, Tax inhibits p53 function by interfering with the activity of the N-terminal activation domain (amino acids 1 to 52). We conclude that Tax is involved in the inactivation of p53 function and stabilization of p53 in HTLV-1-infected cells. The functional interference of p53 function by Tax may be important for transformation and leukemogenesis.