title: PERP, an apoptosis-associated target of p53, is a novel member of the PMP-22/gas3 family.
abstract: The p53 tumor suppressor activates either cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in response to cellular stress. Mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) provide a powerful primary cell system to study both p53-dependent pathways. Specifically, in response to DNA damage, MEFs undergo p53-dependent G(1) arrest, whereas MEFs expressing the adenovirus E1A oncoprotein undergo p53-dependent apoptosis. As the p53-dependent apoptosis pathway is not well understood, we sought to identify apoptosis-specific p53 target genes using a subtractive cloning strategy. Here, we describe the characterization of a gene identified in this screen, PERP, which is expressed in a p53-dependent manner and at high levels in apoptotic cells compared with G(1)-arrested cells. PERP induction is linked to p53-dependent apoptosis, including in response to E2F-1-driven hyperproliferation. Furthermore, analysis of the PERP promoter suggests that PERP is directly activated by p53. PERP shows sequence similarity to the PMP-22/gas3 tetraspan membrane protein implicated in hereditary human neuropathies such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth. Like PMP-22/gas3, PERP is a plasma membrane protein, and importantly, its expression causes cell death in fibroblasts. Taken together, these data suggest that PERP is a novel effector of p53-dependent apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 USA.
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Attardi
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Reczek
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cosmas
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Demicco
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: McCurrach
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jacks
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050684:E2F Transcription Factors; D050687:E2F1 Transcription Factor; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009185:Myelin Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D056465:Retinoblastoma-Binding Protein 1; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D050680:Transcription Factor DP1; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C533431:Arid4a protein, mouse; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050684:E2F Transcription Factors; D050687:E2F1 Transcription Factor; C493753:E2F1 protein, human; C493754:E2f1 protein, mouse; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009185:Myelin Proteins; C073687:PMP22 protein, human; C406964:Perp protein, mouse; C489545:Pmp22 protein, mouse; D056465:Retinoblastoma-Binding Protein 1; D050680:Transcription Factor DP1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53