Histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A, activates p21WAF1/CIP1 expression through downregulation of c-myc and release of the repression of c-myc from the promoter in human cervical cancer cells.
Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have shown promise in clinical cancer therapy and to consistently induce p21WAF1/CIP1 expression in a p53-independent manner and via increased acetylation of the chromatin at the Sp1 sites in the p21WAF1/CIP1 promoter region. However, the exact mechanism by which HDAC inhibitors induce p21WAF1/CIP1 remains unclear. In this study, we observed that Trichostatin A (TSA), a HDAC inhibitor, induced strikingly p21WAF1/CIP1 expression in human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells, and this induction correlated with downregulation of c-myc expression. Coincident with this observation, knock down of c-myc with a c-myc specific small interfering RNA dramatically induced expression of p21WAF1/CIP1 in these cancer cells. These data suggest that c-myc may play a critical role in repression of p21WAF1/CIP1 expression in HeLa cells. More importantly, using chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we observed for the first time that c-myc bound to the endogenous p21WAF1/CIP1 promoter in untreated HeLa cells, but not in TSA-treated cells. Taken together, TSA induced c-myc downregulation and release from the endogenous p21WAF1/CIP1 promoter contributes, at least partially, to transcriptional activation of the p21WAF1/CIP1 in HeLa cells.
Institute of Medical Virology, Wuhan University School of Medicine, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, PR China. huilee6@yahoo.com
Hui
H
Li
Xinxing
X
Wu
D015153:Blotting, Western; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006367:HeLa Cells; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000378:metabolism*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor / Q000737:chemistry; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014162:Transfection; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*
C493956:CDKN1A protein, human; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D050759:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; C012589:trichostatin A