Rosa Bernardi

Structure, dynamics and functions of promyelocytic leukaemia nuclear bodies

The promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) tumour suppressor protein epitomizes the PML-nuclear body (PML-NB) and is crucially required for the proper assembly of this macromolecular nuclear structure. Unlike other, more specialized subnuclear structures such as Cajal and Polycomb group bodies, PML-NBs are functionally promiscuous and have been implicated in the regulation of diverse cellular functions. PML-NBs are dynamic structures that favour the sequestration and release of proteins, mediate their post-translational modifications and promote specific nuclear events in response to various cellular stresses. Recent data suggest that PML-NBs may be heterogeneous in composition, mobility and function.

Role of nucleophosmin in embryonic development and tumorigenesis

Nucleophosmin (also known as NPM, B23, NO38) is a nucleolar protein directly implicated in cancer pathogenesis, as the NPM1 gene is found mutated and rearranged in a number of haematological disorders. Furthermore, the region of chromosome 5 to which NPM1 maps is deleted in a proportion of de novo human myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and loss of chromosome 5 is extremely frequent in therapy-related MDS. NPM is a multifunctional protein, and its role in oncogenesis is controversial as NPM has been attributed with both oncogenic and tumour suppressive functions. To study the function of Npm in vivo, we generated a hypomorphic Npm1 mutant series (Npm1+/- < Npm1hy/hy < Npm1-/-) in mouse. Here we report that Npm is essential for embryonic development and the maintenance of genomic stability. Npm1-/- and Npm1hy/hy mutants have aberrant organogenesis and die between embryonic day E11.5 and E16.5 owing to severe anaemia resulting from defects in primitive haematopoiesis. We show that Npm1 inactivation leads to unrestricted centrosome duplication and genomic instability. We demonstrate that Npm is haploinsufficient in the control of genetic stability and that Npm1 heterozygosity accelerates oncogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, Npm1+/- mice develop a haematological syndrome with features of human MDS. Our findings uncover an essential developmental role for Npm and implicate its functional loss in tumorigenesis and MDS pathogenesis.

PML targeting eradicates quiescent leukaemia-initiating cells

The existence of a small population of ‘cancer-initiating cells’ responsible for tumour maintenance has been firmly demonstrated in leukaemia. This concept is currently being tested in solid tumours. Leukaemia-initiating cells, particularly those that are in a quiescent state, are thought to be resistant to chemotherapy and targeted therapies, resulting in disease relapse. Chronic myeloid leukaemia is a paradigmatic haematopoietic stem cell disease in which the leukaemia-initiating-cell pool is not eradicated by current therapy, leading to disease relapse on drug discontinuation. Here we define the critical role of the promyelocytic leukaemia protein (PML) tumour suppressor in haematopoietic stem cell maintenance, and present a new therapeutic approach for targeting quiescent leukaemia-initiating cells and possibly cancer-initiating cells by pharmacological inhibition of PML.

PML inhibits HIF-1α translation and neoangiogenesis through repression of mTOR

Loss of the promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) tumour suppressor has been observed in several human cancers. The tumour-suppressive function of PML has been attributed to its ability to induce growth arrest, cellular senescence and apoptosis. Here we identify PML as a critical inhibitor of neoangiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels) in vivo, in both ischaemic and neoplastic conditions, through the control of protein translation. We demonstrate that in hypoxic conditions PML acts as a negative regulator of the synthesis rate of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) by repressing mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). PML physically interacts with mTOR and negatively regulates its association with the small GTPase Rheb by favouring mTOR nuclear accumulation. Notably, Pml-/- cells and tumours display higher sensitivity both in vitro and in vivo to growth inhibition by rapamycin, and lack of PML inversely correlates with phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 and tumour angiogenesis in mouse and human tumours. Thus, our findings identify PML as a novel suppressor of mTOR and neoangiogenesis.

PML regulates p53 stability by sequestering Mdm2 to the nucleolus

The promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) tumour-suppressor protein potentiates p53 function by regulating post-translational modifications, such as CBP-dependent acetylation and Chk2-dependent phosphorylation, in the PML-Nuclear Body (NB). PML was recently shown to interact with the p53 ubiquitin-ligase Mdm2 (refs 4–6); however, the mechanism by which PML regulates Mdm2 remains unclear. Here, we show that PML enhances p53 stability by sequestering Mdm2 to the nucleolus. We found that after DNA damage, PML and Mdm2 accumulate in the nucleolus in an Arf-independent manner. In addition, we found that the nucleolar localization of PML is dependent on ATR activation and phosphorylation of PML by ATR. Notably, in Pml−/− cells, sequestration of Mdm2 to the nucleolus was impaired, as well as p53 stabilization and the induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that PML physically associates with the nucleolar protein L11, and that L11 knockdown impairs the ability of PML to localize to nucleoli after DNA damage. These findings demonstrate an unexpected role of PML in the nucleolar network for tumour suppression.

PML regulates apoptosis at endoplasmic reticulum by modulating calcium release.

Promoting Apoptosis During acute disease, the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein becomes fused to another protein as a result of a chromosomal translocation. This protein appears to have multiple and varied functions, including the ability to form distinctive complexes in the nucleus that suppress tumorigenesis and promote apoptotic cell death. Giorgi et al. (p. 1247, published online 28 October; see the Perspective by Culjkovic-Kraljacic and Borden) have proposed a mechanism by which PML influences the cellular signals that promote apoptosis. The protein was localized at sites of contact between the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, where it associated with a calcium channel, a protein kinase, and a protein phosphatase, to regulate calcium mobilization into the mitochondrion, which then triggers the cell death program. The promyelocytic leukemia protein likely influences apoptosis by influencing a calcium channel in the endoplasmic reticulum. The promyelocytic leukemia (PML) tumor suppressor is a pleiotropic modulator of apoptosis. However, the molecular basis for such a diverse proapoptotic role is currently unknown. We show that extranuclear Pml was specifically enriched at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and at the mitochondria-associated membranes, signaling domains involved in ER-to-mitochondria calcium ion (Ca2+) transport and in induction of apoptosis. We found Pml in complexes of large molecular size with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R), protein kinase Akt, and protein phosphatase 2a (PP2a). Pml was essential for Akt- and PP2a-dependent modulation of IP3R phosphorylation and in turn for IP3R-mediated Ca2+ release from ER. Our findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the pleiotropic role of Pml in apoptosis and identify a pharmacological target for the modulation of Ca2+ signals.

Absence of nucleolar disruption after impairment of 40S ribosome biogenesis reveals an rpL11-translation-dependent mechanism of p53 induction

Impaired ribosome biogenesis is attributed to nucleolar disruption and diffusion of a subset of 60S ribosomal proteins, particularly ribosomal protein (rp)L11, into the nucleoplasm, where they inhibit MDM2, leading to p53 induction and cell-cycle arrest. Previously, we demonstrated that deletion of the 40S rpS6 gene in mouse liver prevents hepatocytes from re-entering the cell cycle after partial hepatectomy. Here, we show that this response leads to an increase in p53, which is recapitulated in culture by rpS6-siRNA treatment and rescued by the simultaneous depletion of p53. However, disruption of biogenesis of 40S ribosomes had no effect on nucleolar integrity, although p53 induction was mediated by rpL11, leading to the finding that the cell selectively upregulates the translation of mRNAs with a polypyrimidine tract at their 5′-transcriptional start site (5′-TOP mRNAs), including that encoding rpL11, on impairment of 40S ribosome biogenesis. Increased 5′-TOP mRNA translation takes place despite continued 60S ribosome biogenesis and a decrease in global translation. Thus, in proliferative human disorders involving hypomorphic mutations in 40S ribosomal proteins, specific targeting of rpL11 upregulation would spare other stress pathways that mediate the potential benefits of p53 induction.

Role of PML and the PML-nuclear body in the control of programmed cell death.

PML is a tumor suppressor implicated in leukemia and cancer pathogenesis. PML epitomizes a multiprotein nuclear structure, the PML-nuclear body (PML-NB), whose proper formation and function depends on PML. Studies in knockout (KO) mice and cells unraveled an essential pleiotropic role for PML in multiple p53-dependent and -independent apoptotic pathways. As a result, Pml−/− mice and cells are protected from apoptosis triggered by a number of stimuli such as ionizing radiation, interferon, ceramide, Fas and TNF. It is becoming apparent that PML and the PML-NB act as molecular hubs for the induction and/or reinforcement of programmed cell death through a selective and dynamic regulation of proapoptotic transcriptional events. In addition, recent observations propose a role for PML in checkpoint responses upon DNA damage. Moreover, PML and the PML-NB have also been implicated in the control of genomic stability and DNA repair. Here, we will discuss the molecular mechanisms by which PML regulates these processes and the implication of these findings for cancer pathogenesis and therapy.

Regulation of apoptosis by PML and the PML-NBs.

The promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) is a tumor suppressor identified in acute PML and implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of tumors. PML is essential for the proper assembly of a nuclear macromolecular structure called the PML nuclear body (PML-NB). PML and PML-NBs are functionally promiscuous and have been associated with the regulation of several cellular functions. Above all these is the control of apoptosis, a function of PML whose physiological relevance is emphasized by in vivo studies that demonstrate that mice and cells lacking Pml are resistant to a vast variety of apoptotic stimuli. The function of PML in regulating apoptosis is not confined to a linear pathway; rather, PML works within a regulatory network that finely tunes various apoptotic pathways, depending on the cellular context and the apoptotic stimulus. Here, we will summarize earlier and recent advances on the molecular mechanisms by which PML regulates apoptosis and the implication of these findings for cancer pathogenesis.

Identification of S664 TSC2 phosphorylation as a marker for extracellular signal-regulated kinase mediated mTOR activation in tuberous sclerosis and human cancer.

Constitutive activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (Erk1/2) is frequently implicated in human cancers. Recently, aberrantly activated Erk was also found in brain lesions associated with tuberous sclerosis (TSC). We reported previously that Erk might contribute to tumorigenesis by phosphorylating TSC2 at specific residues, particularly S664. In our present study, 25 TSC-related cortical tubers or subependymal giant cell astrocytomas, as well as tissue microarrays of six types of human cancers, were analyzed for the expression of phospho-Erk (pErk) 1/2, S664-phospho-TSC2 (pTSC2), and phospho-S6 (pS6) by immunohistochemistry. We found that Erk-mediated TSC2 phosphorylation occurred at a high incidence and positively correlated with mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation in TSC-associated brain lesions as well as in various cancers. Interestingly, in certain types of cancers (e.g., breast carcinoma and colon carcinoma), S664-pTSC2 seemed to be a more sensitive marker than pErk. Furthermore, most of the pTSC2-positive samples ( approximately 75%) were positive for pS6, but only 40% to 55% of the pS6-positive tumors exhibited TSC2 phosphorylation. Our results show that S664 TSC2 phosphorylation is a marker for Erk-mediated (as opposed to Akt-mediated) mTOR activation in TSC and human cancer. On the basis of these findings, TSC2 phosphorylation at S664 can be used to identify patients that may benefit from antitumor therapy with MAPK and mTOR inhibitors. Importantly, our results indicate that Erk-mediated phosphorylation and inactivation of TSC2 can be critical in development of hamartomatous lesions in TSC and cancer pathogenesis.