title: Plakoglobin interacts with the transcription factor p53 and regulates the expression of 14-3-3σ.
abstract: Plakoglobin (γ-catenin), a constituent of the adherens junction and desmosomes, has signaling capabilities typically associated with tumor/metastasis suppression through mechanisms that remain undefined. To determine the role of plakoglobin during tumorigenesis and metastasis, we expressed plakoglobin in human tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC9) cells and compared the mRNA profiles of parental SCC9 cells and their plakoglobin-expressing transfectants (SCC9-PG). We detected several p53-target genes whose levels were altered upon plakoglobin expression. In this study, we identified the p53 regulated tumor suppressor 14-3-3σ as a direct plakoglobin-p53 target gene. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments revealed that plakoglobin and p53 interact, and chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that plakoglobin and p53 associate with the 14-3-3σ promoter. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assays showed that p53 transcriptional activity is increased in the presence of plakoglobin. Finally, knockdown of plakoglobin in MCF-7 cells followed by luciferase assays confirmed that p53 transcriptional activity is enhanced in the presence of plakoglobin. Our data suggest that plakoglobin regulates gene expression in conjunction with p53 and that plakoglobin may regulate p53 transcriptional activity, which may account, in part, for the tumor/metastasis suppressor activity of plakoglobin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada.
authors.forename: Zackie
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Aktary
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kulak
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mackey
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jahroudi
authors.forename: Manijeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasdar
mesh_terms: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000235:genetics; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051185:gamma Catenin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D051185:gamma Catenin
keywords: 14-3-3σ; Gene expression; Plakoglobin; SCC9; Tumor suppressor; p53