Degradation of the cyclin-dependent-kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 is instigated by Jab1

The proliferation of mammalian cells is under strict control, and the cyclin-dependent-kinase inhibitory protein p27Kip1 is an essential participant in this regulation both in vitro and in vivo. Although mutations in p27Kip1 are rarely found in human tumours, reduced expression of the protein correlates well with poor survival among patients with breast or colorectal carcinomas, suggesting that disruption of the p27Kip1 regulatory mechanisms contributes to neoplasia. The abundance of p27Kip1 in the cell is determined either at or after translation, for example as a result of phosphorylation by cyclinE/Cdk2 complexes, degradation by the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway, sequestration by unknown Myc-inducible proteins, binding to cyclinD/Cdk4 complexes, or inactivation by the viral E1A oncoprotein. We have found that a mouse 38K protein (p38) encoded by the Jab1 gene interacts specifically with p27Kip1 and show here that overexpression of p38 in mammalian cells causes the translocation of p27Kip1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, decreasing the amount of p27Kip1 in the cell by accelerating its degradation. Ectopic expression of p38 in mouse fibroblasts partially overcomes p27Kip1-mediated arrest in the G1 phase of the cell cycle and markedly reduces their dependence on serum. Our findings indicate that p38 functions as a negative regulator of p27Kip1 by promoting its degradation.     

KLF4沉默与阿霉素诱导的DNA损伤协同抑制肝癌HepG2细胞的生长

探究KLF4沉默与经不同作用浓度阿霉素处理诱导的DNA损伤对肝癌HepG2细胞增殖凋亡的影响及其作用机制.应用RNA干扰技术,采用siRNA转染HepG2细胞以沉默KLF4基因.采用MTT法检测KLF4沉默前后对HepG2细胞增殖的影响,使用流式细胞术检测KLF4沉默前后对HepG2细胞周期变化影响,应用Western blot法检测转染前后HepG2细胞中KLF4蛋白及细胞周期相关蛋白表达变化.Western blot检测到高浓度的阿霉素促进KLF4的表达,并且低浓度的阿霉素可使得细胞停滞在G2/M期,高浓度的阿霉素则使部分细胞凋亡(19.31%).将KLF4沉默后,发现细胞生长变缓,低浓度的阿霉素处理后,细胞随时间增加而出现更多的细胞凋亡;高浓度的阿霉素处理后,细胞数明显减少,更多的细胞发生凋亡(28.89%),且在KLF4沉默前后均发现低浓度阿霉素促进p53与p21表达,高浓度阿霉素抑制其表达.阿霉素诱导的DNA损伤可提高KLF4的表达,KLF4依赖于DNA损伤激活的p53促进p21的表达,进而引起G1/S期细胞周期阻滞.沉默KLF4与阿霉素诱导的DNA损伤可协同抑制肝癌细胞的增殖、促进凋亡,其在肝癌细胞 HepG2中扮演十分重要的角色.     

Dephosphorylation and activation of Xenopus p34cdc2 protein kinase during the cell cycle

Genetic studies in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe have established that a critical element required for the G2----M-phase transition in the cell cycle is encoded by the cdc2+ gene. The product of this gene is a serine/threonine protein kinase, designated p34cdc, that is highly conserved functionally from yeast to man2 and has a relative molecular mass of 34,000 (34 K). Purified maturation-promoting factor (MPF) is a complex of p34cdc2 and a 45K substrate that appears in late G2 phase and is sufficient to drive cells into mitosis. This factor has been identified in all eukaryotic cells, and in vitro histone H1 is the preferred substrate for phosphorylation. The increase in the activity of H1 kinase in M-phase is associated with a large increase in total cell protein phosphorylation which is believed to be a consequence of MPF activation. We show here that the H1 kinase activity of p34cdc2 oscillates during the cell cycle in Xenopus, and maximal activity correlates with the dephosphorylated state of p34cdc2. Direct inactivation of MPF in vitro is accompanied by phosphorylation of p34cdc2 and reduction of its protein kinase activity.     

G1 cell-cycle control and cancer

Before replicating DNA during their reproductive cycle, our cells enter a phase called G1 during which they interpret a flood of signals that influence cell division and cell fate. Mistakes in this process lead to cancer. An increasingly complex and coherent view of G1 signalling networks, which coordinate cell growth, proliferation, stress management and survival, is helping to define the roots of malignancies and shows promise for the development of better cancer therapies.     

Rapamycin selectively inhibits interleukin-2 activation of p70 S6 kinase.

The macrolide rapamycin induces cell cycle G1 arrest in yeast and in mammalian cells, which suggests that an evolutionarily conserved, rapamycin-sensitive pathway may regulate entry into S phase. In mammals, rapamycin inhibits interleukin-2 receptor-induced S phase entry and subsequent T-cell proliferation, resulting in immunosuppression. Here we show that interleukin-2 selectively stimulates the phosphorylation and activation of p70 S6 kinase but not the erk-encoded MAP kinases and rsk-encoded S6 kinases. Rapamycin completely and rapidly inhibits interleukin-2-induced phosphorylation and activation of p70 S6 kinase at concentrations comparable to those blocking S phase entry of T cells (0.05-0.2 nM). The structurally related macrolide FK506 competitively antagonizes the actions of rapamycin, indicating that these effects are mediated by FKBP, which binds the transition-state mimic structure common to both rapamycin and FK506 (refs 4, 6, 9-11). The selective blockade of the p70 S6 kinase activation cascade by the rapamycin-FKBP complex implicates this signalling pathway in the regulation of T cell entry into S phase.     

Histone H2AX-dependent GABA(A) receptor regulation of stem cell proliferation

Stem cell self-renewal implies proliferation under continued maintenance of multipotency. Small changes in numbers of stem cells may lead to large differences in differentiated cell numbers, resulting in significant physiological consequences. Proliferation is typically regulated in the G1 phase, which is associated with differentiation and cell cycle arrest. However, embryonic stem (ES) cells may lack a G1 checkpoint. Regulation of proliferation in the 'DNA damage' S/G2 cell cycle checkpoint pathway is known for its role in the maintenance of chromatin structural integrity. Here we show that autocrine/paracrine gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signalling by means of GABA(A) receptors negatively controls ES cell and peripheral neural crest stem (NCS) cell proliferation, preimplantation embryonic growth and proliferation in the boundary-cap stem cell niche, resulting in an attenuation of neuronal progenies from this stem cell niche. Activation of GABA(A) receptors leads to hyperpolarization, increased cell volume and accumulation of stem cells in S phase, thereby causing a rapid decrease in cell proliferation. GABA(A) receptors signal through S-phase checkpoint kinases of the phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase-related kinase family and the histone variant H2AX. This signalling pathway critically regulates proliferation independently of differentiation, apoptosis and overt damage to DNA. These results indicate the presence of a fundamentally different mechanism of proliferation control in these stem cells, in comparison with most somatic cells, involving proteins in the DNA damage checkpoint pathway.     

Different forms of p53 detected by monoclonal antibodies in non-dividing and dividing lymphocytes

The commitment of non-dividing cells (in G0) to enter division can be studied using primary cultures of lymphocytes. The cells are stable in G0 unless stimulated by mitogen such as concanavalin A (Con A). Commitment to enter the division cycle depends on the expression of gene(s) induced by Con A and the synthesis of p53 protein correlates with this commitment step. I show here that in unstimulated cells, a second form of p53 is synthesized and is restricted to G0.     

Caveolin-1 Re-Expression Reverses G_0/G_1 Arrest in Caveolin-1 Knockout Mesangial Cells

Flow cytometry,BrdU incorporation,and western blotting were used to investigate whether caveolin-1(Cav-1) is involved in cell cycle progression of renal glomerular mesangial cells.Wide type mesangial cells re-entered the cell cycle after 22 h incubation with 20% fetal bovine serum(FBS) and Cav-1 knockout cells remained in G0/G1 phase after 48 h,which indicated that Cav-1 knockout mesangial cells were G0/G1 arrest.The protein level of cyclin D1 significantly increased after incubation with 20% FBS for 6 h in wide type mesangial cells,and 12 h in Cav-1 knockout cells.It suggested that cyclin D1 upregulation was delayed in knockout mesangial cells.Cav-1 re-expression in Cav-1 knockout mesangial cells increased the ratio of S phase from 4.8% to 15.26%,and decreased the ratio of G0/G1 phase from 90.96% to 77.84%,which implied that Cav-1 re-expression can reverse cell cycle arrest.It concludes that Cav-1 may promote the proliferation of mesangial cells.     

Stem cell division is regulated by the microRNA pathway

One of the key characteristics of stem cells is their capacity to divide for long periods of time in an environment where most of the cells are quiescent. Therefore, a critical question in stem cell biology is how stem cells escape cell division stop signals. Here, we report the necessity of the microRNA (miRNA) pathway for proper control of germline stem cell (GSC) division in Drosophila melanogaster. Analysis of GSCs mutant for dicer-1 (dcr-1), the double-stranded RNaseIII essential for miRNA biogenesis, revealed a marked reduction in the rate of germline cyst production. These dcr-1 mutant GSCs exhibit normal identity but are defective in cell cycle control. On the basis of cell cycle markers and genetic interactions, we conclude that dcr-1 mutant GSCs are delayed in the G1 to S transition, which is dependent on the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Dacapo, suggesting that miRNAs are required for stem cells to bypass the normal G1/S checkpoint. Hence, the miRNA pathway might be part of a mechanism that makes stem cells insensitive to environmental signals that normally stop the cell cycle at the G1/S transition.     

大鼠肝癌细胞株细胞的同步化及其检测

细胞增殖分裂是细胞最基本的生理活动。影响细胞增殖分裂归根到底是影响细胞周欺遥运行,细胞周期失控的超常快速运行将导细胞癌变;停滞不前则常是细胞衰老,凋亡的前奏,以大鼠肝癌细胞株（ＨＴＣ）的细胞为研究对象,探讨了ＨＴＣ细胞的同步化方法,并经流式细胞仪测定同步率,结果表明：在ＨＴＣ细胞对数生长期,以胸腺嘧啶核苷和秋水仙碱顺序阻断法及胸腺嘧啶核苷双阻断法可分别获得同步率为７２．１０％的Ｇ１期和９８．９４％     

Cell cycle oscillation of phosphatase inhibitor-2 in rat fibroblasts coincident with p34cdc2 restriction

Attention has focused on the regulation of the eucaryotic cell division cycle since the protein kinase p34cdc2 was identified as a key enzyme in mitotic induction. The level of this kinase remains constant throughout the cell cycle but its activity alters, particularly before M phase. Although the factors regulating cdc2 activity are still unknown, there is increasing evidence that it is influenced by p34cdc2 dephosphorylation. Protein phosphatase inhibitor-2 (I2) is a specific inhibitor of phosphatase type-1, which with type-2A is one of the two principal Ser(P) and Thr(P) phosphatases. Here we show that the level of I2, assayed by immunofluorescence staining, activity measurements, western immunoblotting and metabolic labelling, oscillates during the cell cycle in rat fibroblasts, peaking at S phase and mitosis. Moreover, when we inhibited I2 in vivo by microinjection of anti-I2 antibodies in S-phase cells, the pseudo-mitotic cellular response to injected p34cdc2 was restored, indicating that I2 might have a role in the modulation of p34cdc2 activity.     

HMBA对人成骨肉瘤MG-63细胞增殖和相关基因表达的影响

研究了环六亚甲基双乙酰胺对人成骨肉瘤MG-63细胞的增殖和相关基因表达的影响.实验结果表明HMBA可明显抑制MG-63细胞的增殖,细胞生长抑制率达50.69%,分裂指数抑制率达58.8%,增殖细胞核抗原的表达降低,细胞周期被阻滞在G0/G1期.免疫细胞化学染色结果显示,经HMBA处理之后,与增殖分化调控有关的癌基因c-myc、c-fos、c-erbB-2、mtp53的表达降低、抑癌基因p21WAF1/CIP1、p16、rb的表达升高.研究结果表明,HMBA能够有效抑制人成骨肉瘤MG-63细胞的增殖活动,其对细胞增殖的抑制作用与HMBA下调c-myc、c-fos、c-erbB-2、mtp53等癌基因以及上调p21WAF1/CIP1、p16、rb等抑癌基因的表达,从而调控细胞周期有重要关系.     

ATR-Chkl-Cdc25信号通路参与盘基网柄菌G2/M转变期的调控简

显微镜观察盘基网柄菌野生型KAx-3细胞和突变型RNAi-allC细胞,计数结果表明后者的单细胞繁殖速度约为前者的8倍. 为探究该突变型盘基网柄菌细胞周期缩短的原因,用荧光定量PCR和western blot研究了ATR-Chk1-Cdc25信号通路在其中的可能作用. 实验结果表明：RNAi-allC细胞中cdc25基因相对表达量约为KAx-3细胞的8倍,而其Chk1与ATR基因的相对表达量却明显低于KAx-3细胞. 突变细胞中Cdc25蛋白含量高于KAx-3细胞,但其Chk1蛋白含量却显著低于KAx-3细胞. 这些数据表明,两种类型细胞之间的ATR、Chk1、Cdc25在mRNA水平和蛋白表达上均存在差异,特别是ATR基因表达量的不同明显影响ChK1和Cdc25的表达量,提示ATR-Chk1-Cdc25信号通路应该在一定程度上参与了盘基网柄菌细胞周期G2/M期的调控.     

Identification of a G1-type cyclin puc1+ in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

In rapidly growing cells of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the cell cycle is regulated chiefly at Start, just before the G1-S boundary, whereas in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the cycle is predominantly regulated at G2-M. Both control points are present in both yeasts, and both require the p34cdc2 protein kinase. At G2-M, p34cdc2 kinase activity in S. pombe requires a B-type cyclin in a complex with p34cdc2; this complex is the same as MPF (maturation promoting factor). The p34cdc2 activity at the G1-S transition in S. cerevisiae may be regulated by a similar cyclin complex, using one of the products of a new class of cyclin genes (CLN1, CLN2 and WHI1 (DAF1/CLN3)). At least one is required for progression through the G1-S phase, and deletion of all three leads to G1 arrest. WHI1 was isolated as a dominant allele causing budding yeast cells to divide at a reduced size and was later independently identified as DAF1, a dominant allele of which rendered the cells refractory to the G1-arrest induced by the mating pheromone alpha-factor. The dominant alleles are truncations thought to yield proteins of increased stability, and the cells are accelerated through G1. Without WHI1 function, the cells are hypersensitive to alpha-factor, enlarged and delayed in G1. Heretofore, this G1-class of cyclins has not been identified in other organisms. We have isolated a G1-type cyclin gene called puc1+ from S. pombe, using a functional assay in S. cerevisiae. Expression of puc1+ in S. pombe indicates that it has a cyclin-like role in the fission yeast distinct from the role of the B-type mitotic cyclin.     

Effects of enhancing p21 waf1 on proliferation and expression of G1cyclins andCDKs in human breast cancer cells

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21( waf1/cip1/sdil) is an important negative regulator in control of cell cycle. Its functions of inhibiting cancer cell growth and its effects on expression of G1 phase cyclins and related CDKs are a worthy topic for study. The plasmid expressing p2l with high level was transformed to human breast cancer cells, and the expression of p2l in cells was enhanced, then the cell growth rate, anchorage-independent growth and tu-morigenecity were tested, at the same time the expression levels of cyclinD1, CDK4, cyclinE and CDK2 were analyzed by Northern blot. The results showed that since the expression of p21 was enhanced in the cell, the rate of cell growth and anchorage-independent growth was inhibited, tumorigenecity was suppressed, the level of expression of cyclinE and CDK2 decreased while that of cyclinDl and CDK4 was not affected. It is suggested that the enhanced expression of p21 markedly inhibits the proliferation and lessens the tumorigenecity of breast cancer cells, and that p2l expression is not related to that of cyclinDl and CDK4, but affects the expression of cyclinE and CDK2 .