title: Induction of p16/INK4a gene expression and cellular senescence by toyocamycin.
abstract: We constructed an assay system of a luciferase reporter with p16/lNK4a gene transcriptional regulatory domain to identify p16-inducing substances, and found toyocamycin to induce gene expression from the screening of culture fluids of Streptomyces. Toyocamycin is a nucleoside analog, and it increased the p16 mRNA level in human normal fibroblasts or synovial cells as assessed by Northern blot hybridization or real time RT-PCR. It also induced cellular senescence in normal human fibroblasts. The transcriptional regulatory regions of human p16 gene that were responsible for the induction were analyzed using deletion mutants of the transcriptional regulatory region of p16 linked to the luciferase gene. The DNA fragment -111 to +1 bp from the cap site was sufficient to drive toyocamycin-activated transcription of p16/luciferase reporter. Nucleotide sequences within this domain contained the Sp1- and Ets-binding sequences. Mutations were introduced into these sequences, and the Sp1 sequence was found to be critical for the induction, and this notion was confirmed from gel-mobility shift assay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Showa University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Egawa
authors.forename: Setsuko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kunimoto
authors.forename: Tomio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nose
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D019942:Genes, p16 / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014127:Toyocamycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014127:Toyocamycin