Randy Yat Choi Poon

Cyclin A in cell cycle control and cancer

Abstract. Cyclin A is particularly interesting among the cyclin family because it can activate two different cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and functions in both S phase and mitosis. An embryonic form of cyclin A that is only essential for spermatogenesis is also present in some organisms. In S phase, phosphorylation of components of the DNA replication machinery such as CDC6 by cyclin A-CDK is believed to be important for initiation of DNA replication and to restrict the initiation to only once per cell cycle. In mitosis, the precise role of cyclin A is still obscure, but it may contribute to the control of cyclin B stability. Cyclin A starts to accumulate during S phase and is abruptly destroyed before metaphase. The synthesis of cyclin A is mainly controlled at the transcription level, involving E2F and other transcription factors. Removal of cyclin A is carried out by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, but whether the same anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome targeting subunits are used as for cyclin B is debatable. Consistent with its role as a key cell cycle regulator, expression of cyclin A is found to be elevated in a variety of tumors.

The cdc2-related protein p40MO15 is the catalytic subunit of a protein kinase that can activate p33cdk2 and p34cdc2.

Activation of the cyclin‐dependent protein kinases p34cdc2 and p33cdk2 requires binding with a cyclin partner and phosphorylation on the first threonine residue in the sequence THEVVTLWYRAPE. We present evidence that this threonine residue, number 160 in p33cdk2, can be specifically phosphorylated by a cdc2‐related protein kinase from Xenopus oocytes called p40MO15. Binding to cyclin A and phosphorylation of this threonine are both required to activate fully the histone H1 kinase activity of p33cdk2. In cell extracts, a portion of p40MO15 is found in a high molecular weight complex that is considerably more active than a lower molecular weight form. Wild‐type MO15 protein expressed in bacteria does not possess kinase activity, but acquires p33cdk2‐T160 kinase activity after incubation with cell extract and ATP. We conclude that p40MO15 corresponds to CAK (cdc2/cdk2 activating kinase) and speculate that, like p33cdk2 and p34cdc2, p40MO15 requires activation by phosphorylation and association with a companion subunit.

Cyclin-dependent kinases and S phase control in mammalian cells.

Mammalian DNA replication is an elegantly choreographed process in which multiple components are assembled at the origins to form the prereplication complex. Formation and activation of the prereplication complex requires coordinate actions of G1 and S phase cyclin-dependent kinases. Cyclin E-CDK2 and cyclin A-CDK2, together with DBF4-CDC7, phosphorylate several components of the prereplication complex and replication machinery. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the mechanism of initiation of DNA replication in mammalian cells. The roles of cyclin A/E-CDK2 complexes in driving replication, their relationship with other regulators of S phase, and their role in keeping replication to only once per cell cycle will be discussed. In addition, an important issue is the checks and balances that prevent inappropriate DNA replication, and how a breakdown in these checkpoints can lead to genomic instability and cancer. A critical mediator of these checkpoints, ATM, signals through a comprehensive network of proteins leading to CDK2 inhibition thus preventing DNA synthesis. This will be reviewed in addition to other mechanisms involved in the intra-S phase DNA damage checkpoint.

Involvement of p21 and p27 in the regulation of CDK activity and cell cycle progression in the regenerating liver

In tissue culture systems, p21 and p27 inhibit cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity and cell cycle progression in response to numerous stimuli, but little is known about their involvement in cell growth in vivo. We examined the modulation of CDK activity by these proteins after 70% partial hepatectomy (PH), an in vivo model of synchronous hepatocyte cell cycle progression. After PH in BALB/c mice, p21 was induced during the prereplicative (G1) phase and was maximally expressed after peak hepatocyte DNA synthesis. p27 was present in quiescent liver and was minimally induced after PH. p21 and p27 immunoprecipitated with CDK2, CDK4, and cyclin D1 in the regenerating liver. The activity of CDK2-, CDK4- and cyclin D1-associated kinases was upregulated after PH, and maximal activity of these enzyme complexes corresponded to peak DNA synthesis. Immunodepletion experiments suggested that p27 plays a role in downregulating CDK2 activity before and after peak DNA synthesis. Compared to cogenic wild-type mice, p21−/− mice demonstrated evidence of markedly accelerated hepatocyte progression through G1 phase after PH: DNA synthesis, upregulation of cyclin A and PCNA, induction of cyclin D1- and CDK2-associated kinase activity, and appearance of a phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (Rb) species occurred earlier in the p21−/− mice. These results suggest that p21 and p27 modulate CDK activity in the regenerating liver, and that p21 regulates the rate of progression through G1 phase of the cell cycle in vivo.

Dephosphorylation of Cdk2 Thr160 by the Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-Interacting Phosphatase KAP in the Absence of Cyclin

The activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) requires the phosphorylation of a conserved threonine (Thr160 in Cdk2) by CDK-activating kinase (CAK). Human KAP (also called Cdi1), a CDK-associated phosphatase, was shown to dephosphorylate Thr160 in human Cdk2. KAP was unable to dephosphorylate Tyr15 and only dephosphorylated Thr160 in native monomeric Cdk2. The binding of cyclin A to Cdk2 inhibited the dephosphorylation of Thr160 by KAP but did not preclude the binding of KAP to the cyclin A-Cdk2 complex. Moreover, the dephosphorylation of Thr160 by KAP prevented Cdk2 kinase activity upon subsequent association with cyclin A. These results suggest that KAP binds to Cdk2 and dephosphorylates Thr160 when the associated cyclin subunit is degraded or dissociates.

MDM2 and MDMX bind and stabilize the p53-related protein p73

The p53 gene encodes one of the most important tumor suppressors in human cells and undergoes frequent mutational inactivation in cancers. MDM2, a transcriptional target of p53, binds p53 and can both inhibit p53-mediated transcription [1] [2] and target p53 for proteasome-mediated proteolysis [3] [4]. A close relative of p53, p73, has recently been identified [5] [6]. Here, we report that, like p53, p73alpha and the alternative transcription product p73beta also bind MDM2. Interaction between MDM2 and p53 represents a key step in the regulation of p53, as MDM2 promotes the degradation of p53. In striking contrast to p53, the half-life of p73 was found to be increased by binding to MDM2. Like MDM2, the MDM2-related protein MDMX also bound p73 and stabilized the level of p73. Moreover, the growth suppression functions of p73 and the induction of endogenous p21, a major mediator of the p53-dependent growth arrest pathway, were enhanced in the presence of MDM2. These differences between the regulation of p53 and p73 by MDM2/MDMX may highlight a physiological difference in their action.

How many mutant p53 molecules are needed to inactivate a tetramer

ABSTRACT The tumor suppressor p53 is transcription factor composed of four identical subunits. The majority of the mutations in p53 are missense mutations that impair DNA binding. On the other hand, the p53-related p63 and p73 genes are rarely mutated, but many cell types express natural variants lacking the N-terminal transactivation domain (NΔ). Compelling evidence indicates that both the DNA binding-defective and NΔ mutants can impair the function of wild-type p53 in a dominant-negative manner. Interestingly, it is uncertain how many mutant subunit(s) a p53 tetramer can tolerate. In this study, we first made theoretical predictions based on the number of mutant p53 monomers needed to inactivate a tetramer and then tested how well the experimental data fit the predicted values. Surprisingly, these experiments reveal that DNA binding-defective p53 mutants (R249S and R273H) are very ineffective in impairing the transcriptional activity of p53: at least three mutants are required to inactivate a tetramer. In marked contrast, p53NΔ is a very potent inhibitor of p53: one NΔ subunit per tetramer is sufficient to abolish the transcriptional activity. DNA binding is not necessary for the NΔ proteins to inactivate p53. Similarly, NΔ variants of p63 and p73 are also powerful inhibitors of members of the p53 family. These results have important implications for our thinking about the mechanism of tumorigenesis involving missense p53 mutants or the N-terminally truncated isoforms.

Identification of Functional Domains in the Neuronal Cdk5 Activator Protein

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is activated by the neuronal-specific activator protein, p35. In contrast to the activation of typical CDKs by cyclin subunits, p35·;Cdk5 was not further activated by the CDK-activating kinase (CAK) and was neither phosphorylated nor inhibited by the Tyr-15-specific Wee1 kinase. The previously identified proteolytic active fragment of p35, p25 (residues 91-307) as well as the slightly smaller fragment containing residues 109-291, was found to be sufficient to bind and activate Cdk5. Other CDKs, including Cdk2, associated weakly with p25. However, their kinase activity was only activated to the low level observed for cyclin A·;Cdk2 without Thr-160 phosphorylation, and phosphorylation of Thr-160 in Cdk2 did not activate the p25·;Cdk2 complex further. We have identified distinct regions in p35 required for binding to Cdk5 or activation of Cdk5. Residues ∼150-200 of p35 were sufficient for binding to Cdk5, but residues ∼279-291 were needed in addition for activation of Cdk5 in vitro.

Cdc37: a protein kinase chaperone?

The activity of most protein kinases is highly regulated, typically via phosphorylation and/or subunit association. However, the folding of protein kinases into an active state or a form capable of activation is now emerging as another important step through which they can be regulated. The 50-kDa protein Cdc37 and the associated heat-shock protein Hsp90 have been found to bind to, and be required for the activity of, diverse protein kinases, including Cdk4, v-Src, Raf and SEVENLESS. Together, Cdc37 and Hsp90 may act as a general chaperone for protein kinases, in particular those involved in signal-transduction pathways and cell-cycle control.

Differential contribution of inhibitory phosphorylation of CDC2 and CDK2 for unperturbed cell cycle control and DNA integrity checkpoints

Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) by Thr14/Tyr15 phosphorylation is critical for normal cell cycle progression and is a converging event for several cell cycle checkpoints. In this study, we compared the relative contribution of inhibitory phosphorylation for cyclin A/B1-CDC2 and cyclin A/E-CDK2 complexes. We found that inhibitory phosphorylation plays a major role in the regulation of CDC2 but only a minor role for CDK2 during the unperturbed cell cycle of HeLa cells. The relative importance of inhibitory phosphorylation of CDC2 and CDK2 may reflect their distinct cellular functions. Despite this, expression of nonphosphorylation mutants of both CDC2 and CDK2 triggered unscheduled histone H3 phosphorylation early in the cell cycle and was cytotoxic. DNA damage by a radiomimetic drug or replication block by hydroxyurea stimulated a buildup of cyclin B1 but was accompanied by an increase of inhibitory phosphorylation of CDC2. After DNA damage and replication block, all cyclin-CDK pairs that control S phase and mitosis were to different degrees inhibited by phosphorylation. Ectopic expression of nonphosphorylated CDC2 stimulated DNA replication, histone H3 phosphorylation, and cell division even after DNA damage. Similarly, a nonphosphorylation mutant of CDK2, but not CDK4, disrupted the G2 DNA damage checkpoint. Finally, CDC25A, CDC25B, a dominantnegative CHK1, but not CDC25C or a dominant-negative WEE1, stimulated histone H3 phosphorylation after DNA damage. These data suggest differential contributions for the various regulators of Thr14/Tyr15 phosphorylation in normal cell cycle and during the DNA damage checkpoint.