Loss of robustness and addiction to IGF1 during early keratinocyte transformation by human Papilloma virus 16.
Infection of keratinocytes with high risk human Papilloma virus causes immortalization, and when followed by further mutations, leads to cervical cancer and other anogenital tumors. Here we monitor the progressive loss of robustness in an in vitro model of the early stages of transformation that comprises normal keratinocytes and progressive passages of HPV16 immortalized cells. As transformation progresses, the cells acquire higher proliferation rates and gain the ability to grow in soft agar. Concurrently, the cells lose robustness, becoming more sensitive to serum starvation and DNA damage by Cisplatin. Loss of robustness in the course of transformation correlates with significant reductions in the activities of the anti-apoptotic proteins PKB/Akt, Erk, Jnk and p38 both under normal growth conditions and upon stress. In parallel, loss of robustness is manifested by the shrinkage of the number of growth factors that can rescue starving cells from apoptosis, with the emergence of dependence solely on IGF1. Treatment with IGF1 activates PKB/Akt and Jnk and through them inhibits p53, rescuing the cells from starvation. We conclude that transformation in this model induces higher susceptibility of cells to stress due to reduced anti-apoptotic signaling and hyper-activation of p53 upon stress.
Geiger
Tamar
T
Unit of Cellular Signaling, Department of Biological Chemistry, Alexander Silverman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Levitzki
Alexander
A
D017209:Apoptosis; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002455:Cell Division; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D016679:Genome, Viral; D052162:Human papillomavirus 16 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*; D007700:Kinetics; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4 / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4