title: Transcriptional repression of the anti-apoptotic survivin gene by wild type p53.
abstract: Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family. This apoptosis inhibitor also has an evolutionarily conserved role as a mitotic spindle checkpoint protein. Previous studies on p53-repressed genes have implicated several genes involved in the G(2)/M transition of the cell cycle as targets of negative regulation by p53. However, few targets of p53 repression that are anti-apoptotic have been identified. This study identifies the anti-apoptotic survivin gene as a p53-repressed gene. Notably, Survivin repression by p53 is shown to be distinct from p53-dependent growth arrest. Chromatin immunoprecipitations indicate that p53 binds the survivin promoter in vivo; immunobinding studies indicate that this site overlaps with a binding site for E2F transcription factors and is subtly distinct from a canonical p53-transactivating element. The survivin-binding site contains a 3-nucleotide spacer between the two decamer "half-sites" of the p53 consensus element; deletion of this spacer is sufficient to convert the survivin site into a transactivating element. Finally, we show that overexpression of Survivin in cells sensitive to p53-dependent cell death markedly inhibits apoptosis induced by ultraviolet light. The identification of survivin as a p53 repressed gene should aid in the elucidation of the contribution of transcriptional repression to p53-dependent apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19111, USA.
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: Siham
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biade
authors.forename: Jack T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Zilfou
authors.forename: Jiandong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001943:Breast Neoplasms; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000235:genetics; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics*; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D016213:Cyclins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D050684:E2F Transcription Factors; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008175:Lung Neoplasms; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D008941:Spindle Apparatus / Q000235:genetics; D000077022:Survivin; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; C493956:CDKN1A protein, human; C493957:Cdkn1a protein, mouse; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002843:Chromatin; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D016213:Cyclins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050684:E2F Transcription Factors; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000077022:Survivin; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases