title: p53 functional impairment and high p21waf1/cip1 expression in human T-cell lymphotropic/leukemia virus type I-transformed T cells.
abstract: Human T-cell lymphotropic/leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) is associated with T-cell transformation both in vivo and in vitro. Although some of the mechanisms responsible for transformation remain unknown, increasing evidence supports a direct role of viral as well as dysregulated cellular proteins in transformation. We investigated the potential role of the tumor suppressor gene p53 and of the p53-regulated gene, p21waf1/cip1 (wild-type p53 activated fragment 1/cycling dependent kinases [cdks] interacting protein 1), in HTLV-I-infected T cells. We have found that the majority of HTLV-I-infected T cells have the wild-type p53 gene. However, its function in HTLV-I-transformed cells appears to be impaired, as shown by the lack of appropriate p53-mediated responses to ionizing radiation (IR). Interestingly, the expression of the p53 inducible gene, p21waf1/cip1, is elevated at the messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels in all HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines examined as well as in Taxl-1, a human T-cell line stably expressing Tax. Additionally, Tax induces upregulation of a p21waf1/cip1 promoter-driven luciferase gene in p53 null cells, and increases p21waf1/cip1 expression in Jurkat T cells. These findings suggest that the Tax protein is at least partially responsible for the p53-independent expression of p21waf1/cip1 in HTLV-I-infected cells. Dysregulation of p53 and p21waf1/cip1 proteins regulating cell-cycle progression, may represent an important step in HTLV-I-induced T-cell transformation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-4255, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cereseto
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Diella
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Mulloy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cara
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Michieli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grassmann
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Franchini
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Klotman
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral / Q000528:radiation effects; D016356:Gene Products, tax / Q000502:physiology; D016158:Genes, p53; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000821:virology; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000502:physiology*; D000097642:GADD45 Proteins
chemical_list: D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins; D016356:Gene Products, tax; D007376:Interleukin-2; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D000097642:GADD45 Proteins; C493956:CDKN1A protein, human