cp-31398 and Li-Fraumeni-Syndrome

The p53 tumor suppressor gene encodes a homotetrameric transcription factor which is activated in response to a variety of cellular stressors, including DNA damage and oncogene activation. p53 mutations occur in >50% of human cancers. Although p53 has been shown to regulate Wnt signaling, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here we show that silencing p53 in colon cancer cells led to increased expression of Aha1, a co-chaperone of Hsp90. Heat shock factor-1 was important for mediating the changes in Aha1 levels. Increased Aha1 levels were associated with enhanced interactions with Hsp90, resulting in increased Hsp90 ATPase activity. Moreover, increased Hsp90 ATPase activity resulted in increased phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β), leading to enhanced expression of Wnt target genes. Significantly, levels of Aha1, Hsp90 ATPase activity, Akt, and GSK3β phosphorylation and expression of Wnt target genes were increased in the colons of p53-null as compared with p53 wild type mice. Using p53 heterozygous mutant epithelial cells from Li-Fraumeni syndrome patients, we show that a monoallelic mutation of p53 was sufficient to activate the Aha1/Hsp90 ATPase axis leading to stimulation of Wnt signaling and increased expression of Wnt target genes. Pharmacologic intervention with CP-31398, a p53 rescue agent, inhibited recruitment of Aha1 to Hsp90 and suppressed Wnt-mediated gene expression in colon cancer cells. Taken together, this study provides new insights into the mechanism by which p53 regulates Wnt signaling and raises the intriguing possibility that p53 status may affect the efficacy of anticancer therapies targeting Hsp90 ATPase.

Topics: Adenosine Triphosphatases; Animals; Colonic Neoplasms; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; Humans; Li-Fraumeni Syndrome; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Molecular Chaperones; Pyrimidines; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; Wnt Signaling Pathway

Specific changes in gene expression during cancer initiation should enable discovery of biomarkers for risk assessment, early detection and targets for chemoprevention. It has been previously demonstrated that altered mRNA and proteome signatures of morphologically normal cells bearing a single inherited "hit" in a tumor suppressor gene parallel many changes observed in the corresponding sporadic cancer. Here, we report on the global gene expression profile of morphologically normal, cultured primary breast epithelial and stromal cells from Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) TP53 mutation carriers. Our analyses identified multiple changes in gene expression in both morphologically normal breast epithelial and stromal cells associated with TP53 haploinsufficiency, as well as interlocking pathways. Notably, a dysregulated p53 signaling pathway was readily detectable. Pharmacological intervention with the p53 rescue compounds CP-31398 and PRIMA-1 provided further evidence in support of the central role of p53 in affecting these changes in LFS cells and treatment for this cancer. Because loss of signaling mediated by TP53 is associated with the development and survival of many human tumors, identification of gene expression profiles in morphologically normal cells that carry "one-hit" p53 mutations may reveal novel biomarkers, enabling the discovery of potential targets for chemoprevention of sporadic tumors as well.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aza Compounds; Biomarkers, Tumor; Breast Neoplasms; Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast; Cells, Cultured; Epithelial Cells; Female; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Germ-Line Mutation; Haploinsufficiency; Humans; Li-Fraumeni Syndrome; Neoplasm Proteins; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Pyrimidines; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Stromal Cells; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53

Cell immortalization is a critical and rate-limiting step in cancer progression. Agents that inhibit cell immortalization may have utility for novel molecular chemopreventive strategies. Preimmortal breast epithelial cells derived from a patient with the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) can spontaneously immortalize in vitro at a measurable and reproducible frequency. In the present study, these cells were treated in vitro with low (nM) concentrations of potential and otherwise clinically validated chemopreventive agents, including several nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, rosiglitazone maleate, and the p53 rescue drug CP-31398. Rosiglitazone maleate (P < 0.05) and CP-31398 (P < 0.05) significantly inhibited the frequency of spontaneous immortalization of LFS breast epithelial cells compared with untreated controls. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including specific cyclooxengenase-2 inhibitors, only moderately inhibited the spontaneous immortalization of preimmortal LFS breast epithelial cells. The significant effects of the p53 rescue drug CP-31398 correlated with the increase in cellular death induced by telomere shortening-induced DNA damage signals, including increases in p53 and p21 protein levels. Because immortalization is one step in cancer progression, these studies show the potential usefulness of a cell-based model system to screen the effects of known and potentially novel chemopreventive agents, using cell immortalization as an end point.

Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Anticarcinogenic Agents; Breast; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; DNA Damage; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Epithelial Cells; Humans; Li-Fraumeni Syndrome; Pyrimidines; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Rosiglitazone; Telomere; Thiazoles; Thiazolidinediones; Transcription Factors