title: Caveolin-1 controls cell proliferation and cell death by suppressing expression of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein survivin.
abstract: Caveolin-1 is suggested to act as a tumor suppressor. We tested the hypothesis that caveolin-1 does so by repression of survivin, an Inhibitor of apoptosis protein that regulates cell-cycle progression as well as apoptosis and is commonly overexpressed in human cancers. Ectopic expression of caveolin-1 in HEK293T and ZR75 cells or siRNA-mediated silencing of caveolin-1 in NIH3T3 cells caused downregulation or upregulation of survivin mRNA and protein, respectively. Survivin downregulation in HEK293T cells was paralleled by reduced cell proliferation, increases in G0-G1 and decreases in G2-M phase of the cell cycle. In addition, apoptosis was evident, as judged by several criteria. Importantly, expression of green fluorescent protein-survivin in caveolin-1-transfected HEK293T cells restored cell proliferation and viability. In addition, expression of caveolin-1 inhibited transcriptional activity of a survivin promoter construct in a beta-catenin-Tcf/Lef-dependent manner. Furthermore, in HEK293T cells caveolin-1 associated with beta-catenin and inhibited Tcf/Lef-dependent transcription. Similar results were obtained upon caveolin-1 expression in DLD1 cells, where APC mutation leads to constitutive activation of beta-catenin-Tcf/Lef-mediated transcription of survivin. Taken together, these results suggest that anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic properties of caveolin-1 may be attributed to reduced survivin expression via a mechanism involving diminished beta-catenin-Tcf/Lef-dependent transcription.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular Communications, FONDAP Center for Molecular Studies of the Cell (CEMC), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Av. Independencia 1027, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Vicente A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Julio C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tapia
authors.forename: Diego A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Párraga
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lisboa
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montoya
authors.forename: Lisette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leyton
authors.forename: Andrew F G
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Quest
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051242:Caveolin 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D000077022:Survivin; D051820:TCF Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D051242:Caveolin 1; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000077022:Survivin; D051820:TCF Transcription Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins