title: Induction of Fas-mediated apoptosis in p53-transfected human colon carcinoma cells.
abstract: To investigate the biological function of p53 in colon carcinoma cells, a wild-type p53 expression plasmid under the control of the human cytomegalovirus promoter was stably transfected into the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line WiDr, which carries a mutation of the p53 gene at codon 273. Exogenous wild-type p53 transcripts were detected at various expression levels in 8 of 117 G418-resistant clones. The growth rates of the wild-type p53+ clones in culture did not change significantly. The efficiency of colony formation in soft agar, however, was completely suppressed in two wild-type p53+ clones. This is the first to demonstrate the feasibility of stable transfection of the wild-type p53 gene under the control of non-inducible promoter in human colon cancer cells. The major alteration found was that wild-type p53+ cells which were incubated with anti-Fas IgM showed marked cytolysis with preferential over-expression of wild-type p53 accompanied by overexpression of a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, WAF1, whereas the endogenous mutant p53 retained its expression level. The findings suggest that a Fas-initiated pathway is incidentally linked to a p53-dependent apoptotic pathway through the reconstituted wild-type p53 gene in WiDr cells. This model should help elucidating the additional role of the p53 tumor suppressor gene and the mechanism of apoptosis in colon carcinoma cells.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000906:Antibodies / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins / Q000378:metabolism; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D016158:Genes, p53; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; C493956:CDKN1A protein, human; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins; C505661:FASLG protein, human; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53