Ryota Koyama

CLCA2, a target of the p53 family, negatively regulates cancer cell migration and invasion.

The tumor suppressor p53 transcriptionally regulates a number of genes that are involved in cell-cycle inhibition, apoptosis and the maintenance of genetic stability. Recent studies suggest that p53 also contributes to the regulation of cell migration and invasion. Here, we show that human chloride channel accessory-2 (CLCA2) is a target gene of the p53 family (p53, p73 and p63). CLCA2 is induced by DNA damage in a p53-dependent manner. The p53 family proteins activate the CLCA2 promoter by binding directly to the conserved consensus p53-binding site present in the CLCA2 promoter. In terms of function, ectopic expression of CLCA2 inhibited cancer cell migration. In contrast, silencing CLCA2 with siRNA stimulated cancer cell migration and invasion. We also found that inactivation of CLCA2 enhanced the expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), as well as its promoter activation. A small-molecule FAK inhibitor reduced the effect of CLCA2 siRNA on cell migration and invasion, suggesting that CLCA2 inhibits cancer cell migration and invasion through suppression of the FAK signaling pathway. Furthermore, there was an inverse correlation between CLCA2 and FAK expression in 251 human breast cancer tissues. These results strongly suggest that CLCA2 is involved in the p53 tumor suppressor network and has a significant effect on cell migration and invasion.

Forkhead transcription factor FOXF1 is a novel target gene of the p53 family and regulates cancer cell migration and invasiveness

p53 is an established tumor suppressor that can activate the transcription of multiple target genes. Recent evidence suggests that p53 may contribute to the regulation of cell invasion and migration. In this study, we show that the forkhead box transcription factor FOXF1 is a novel target of the p53 family because FOXF1 is upregulated by p53, TAp73 and TAp63. We show that FOXF1 is induced upon DNA damage in a p53-dependent manner. Furthermore, we identified a response element located within the FOXF1 gene that is responsive to wild-type p53, TAp73β and TAp63γ. The ectopic expression of FOXF1 inhibited cancer cell invasion and migration, whereas the inactivation of FOXF1 stimulated cell invasion and migration. We also show that FOXF1 regulates the transcriptional activity of E-cadherin (CDH1) by acting on its FOXF1 consensus binding site located upstream of the E-cadherin gene. Collectively, our results show that FOXF1 is a p53 family target gene, and our data suggest that FOXF1 and p53 form a portion of a regulatory transcriptional network that appears to have an important role in cancer cell invasion and migration.

Identification of Flotillin-2, a Major Protein on Lipid Rafts, as a Novel Target of p53 Family Members

p73 and p63 are members of the p53 gene family and have been shown to play an important role in development and homeostasis mainly by regulating the transcription of a variety of genes. A subset of these genes encodes secreted proteins and receptors that may be involved in the communication between adjacent cells. We report here that flotillin-2, a major hydrophobic protein on biomembrane microdomain lipid rafts, is a direct transcriptional target of the p53 family member genes. It has been suggested that such rafts could play an important role in many cellular processes including signal transduction, membrane trafficking, cytoskeletal organization, and pathogen entry. We found that the expression of flotillin-2 was specifically up-regulated by either TAp73β or TAp63γ, but not significantly by p53. In addition, flotillin-2 transcription is activated in response to cisplatin in a manner dependent on endogenous p73. By using small interference RNA designed to target p73, we showed that silencing endogenous p73 abolishes the induction of flotillin-2 transcription following cisplatin treatment. Furthermore, we identified a p73/p63-binding site located upstream of the flotillin-2 gene that is responsive to the p53 family members. This response element is highly conserved between humans and rodents. We also found that ectopic expression of TAp73 as well as TAp63 enhances signal transduction by assessing the interleukin-6–mediated phosphorylation of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3. Thus, in addition to direct transactivation, p53 family member genes enhance a set of cellular processes via lipid rafts. (Mol Cancer Res 2008;6(3):395–406)

p53 negatively regulates the hepatoma growth factor HDGF

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is a secreted heparin-binding growth factor that has been implicated in cancer development and progression. Here, we report that HDGF is a critical target for transcriptional repression by the tumor suppressor p53. Endogenous HDGF expression was decreased in cancer cells with introduction of wild-type p53, which also downregulated HDGF expression after DNA damage. In support of the likelihood that HDGF is a critical driver of cancer cell growth, addition of neutralizing HDGF antibodies to culture media was sufficient to block cell growth, migration, and invasion. Similarly, these effects were elicited by conditioned culture medium from p53-expressing cells, and they could be reversed by the addition of recombinant human HDGF. Interestingly, we found that HDGF was overexpressed also in primary gastric, breast, and lung cancer tissues harboring mutant p53 genes. Mechanistic investigations revealed that p53 repressed HDGF transcription by altering HDAC-dependent chromatin remodeling. Taken together, our results reveal a new pathway in which loss of p53 function contributes to the aggressive pathobiological potential of human cancers by elevating HDGF expression.

p53 Family Members Regulate the Expression of the Apolipoprotein D Gene

p73 and p63 are members of the p53 gene family that play an important role in development and homeostasis, mainly by regulating transcription of a variety of genes. We report here that apolipoprotein D (apoD), a member of the lipocalin superfamily of lipid transport proteins, is a direct transcriptional target of the p53 family member genes. We found that the expression of apoD was specifically up-regulated by either TAp73 or TAp63 but not significantly by p53. In addition, apoD transcription is activated in response to cisplatin in a manner dependent on endogenous p73. By using small interference RNA designed to target p73, we demonstrated that silencing endogenous p73 abolishes induction of apoD transcription following cisplatin treatment. We also identified a p73/p63-binding site in the promoter of the apoD gene that is responsive to the p53 family members. The ectopic expression of TAp73 as well as the addition of recombinant human apoD to culture medium induced the osteoblastic differentiation of the human osteosarcoma cell line Saos-2, as assessed by alkaline phosphatase activity. Importantly, apoD knockdown abrogated p73-mediated alkaline phosphatase induction. Moreover, TAp73-mediated apoD expression was able to induce morphological differentiation, as well as expression of neuronal markers, in the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. These results suggest that apoD induction may mediate the activity of p73 in normal development.

A novel approach to cancer treatment using structural hybrids of the p53 gene family

The p53 tumor suppressor belongs to a gene family that includes two other structurally and functionally related members: p73 and p63. The regulation of p53 activity differs significantly from that of p73 and p63. To enhance the tumor suppressive activity of p53, we constructed six recombinant adenoviruses that encode hybrid proteins with three functional domains derived from either p53 or TAp63γ. The potency of these hybrid molecules in suppressing tumorigenesis was evaluated using in vitro and in vivo models. Of the hybrid molecules tested, one hybrid named p63–53O was the most potent activator of apoptosis in human cancer cells. The p63–53O hybrid is composed of the transcriptional activation domain and DNA-binding domain of TAp63γ and the oligomerization domain of p53. The p63–53O hybrid efficiently transactivated p53AIP1. Moreover, silencing of p53AIP1 partially abolished the apoptotic response to p63–53O in human cancer cells. The p53–p63 hybrid molecule is a novel potent anti-proliferative agent for the treatment of cancer.

Genomic characterization of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Insights from next-generation sequencing

Two major types of cancer occur in the esophagus: squamous cell carcinoma, which is associated with chronic smoking and alcohol consumption, and adenocarcinoma, which typically arises in gastric reflux-associated Barretts esophagus. Although there is increasing incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma in Western counties, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for most esophageal malignancies in East Asia, including China and Japan. Technological advances allowing for massively parallel, high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) of DNA have enabled comprehensive characterization of somatic mutations in large numbers of tumor samples. Recently, several studies were published in which whole exome or whole genome sequencing was performed in ESCC tumors and compared with matched normal DNA. Mutations were validated in several genes, including in TP53, CDKN2A, FAT1, NOTCH1, PIK3CA, KMT2D and NFE2L2, which had been previously implicated in ESCC. Several new recurrent alterations have also been identified in ESCC. Combining the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with information obtained from NGS studies may lead to the development of effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for ESCC. As this research becomes more prominent, it is important that gastroenterologist become familiar with the various NGS technologies and the results generated using these methods. In the present study, we describe recent research approaches using NGS in ESCC.

Identification and characterization of a metastatic suppressor BRMS1L as a target gene of p53

The tumor suppressor p53 and its family members, p63 and p73, play a pivotal role in the cell fate determination in response to diverse upstream signals. As transcription factors, p53 family proteins regulate a number of genes that are involved in cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, senescence, and maintenance of genomic stability. Recent studies revealed that p53 family proteins are important for the regulation of cell invasion and migration. Microarray analysis showed that breast cancer metastasis suppressor 1‐like (BRMS1L) is upregulated by p53 family proteins, specifically p53, TAp63γ, and TAp73β. We identified two responsive elements of p53 family proteins in the first intron and upstream of BRMS1L. These response elements are well conserved among mammals. Functional analysis showed that ectopic expression of BRMS1L inhibited cancer cell invasion and migration; knockdown of BRMS1L by siRNA induced the opposite effect. Importantly, clinical databases revealed that reduced BRMS1L expression correlated with poor prognosis in patients with breast and brain cancer. Together, these results strongly indicate that BRMS1L is one of the mediators downstream of the p53 pathway, and that it inhibits cancer cell invasion and migration, which are essential steps in cancer metastasis. Collectively, our results indicate that BRMS1L is involved in cancer cell invasion and migration, and could be a therapeutic target for cancer.

Profiling cancer-related gene mutations in oral squamous cell carcinoma from Japanese patients by targeted amplicon sequencing

Somatic mutation analysis is a standard practice in the study of human cancers to identify mutations that cause therapeutic sensitization and resistance. We performed comprehensive genomic analyses that used PCR target enrichment and next-generation sequencing on Ion Proton semiconductor sequencers. Forty-seven oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) samples and their corresponding noncancerous tissues were used for multiplex PCR amplification to obtain targeted coverage of the entire coding regions of 409 cancer-related genes (covered regions: 95.4% of total, 1.69 megabases of target sequence). The number of somatic mutations in 47 patients with OSCC ranged from 1 to 20 with a mean of 7.60. The most frequent mutations were in TP53 (61.7%), NOTCH1 (25.5%), CDKN2A (19.1%), SYNE1 (14.9%), PIK3CA (10.6%), ROS1 (10.6%), and TAF1L (10.6%). We also detected copy number variations (CNVs) in the segments of the genome that could be duplicated or deleted from deep sequencing data. Pathway assessment showed that the somatic aberrations within OSCC genomes are mainly involved in several important pathways, including cell cycle regulation and RTK-MAPK-PI3K. This study may enable better selection of therapies and deliver improved outcomes for OSCC patients when combined with clinical diagnostics.Somatic mutation analysis is a standard practice in the study of human cancers to identify mutations that cause therapeutic sensitization and resistance. We performed comprehensive genomic analyses that used PCR target enrichment and next-generation sequencing on Ion Proton semiconductor sequencers. Forty-seven oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) samples and their corresponding noncancerous tissues were used for multiplex PCR amplification to obtain targeted coverage of the entire coding regions of 409 cancer-related genes (covered regions: 95.4% of total, 1.69 megabases of target sequence). The number of somatic mutations in 47 patients with OSCC ranged from 1 to 20 with a mean of 7.60. The most frequent mutations were in TP53 (61.7%), NOTCH1 (25.5%), CDKN2A (19.1%), SYNE1 (14.9%), PIK3CA (10.6%), ROS1 (10.6%), and TAF1L (10.6%). We also detected copy number variations (CNVs) in the segments of the genome that could be duplicated or deleted from deep sequencing data. Pathway assessment showed that the somatic aberrations within OSCC genomes are mainly involved in several important pathways, including cell cycle regulation and RTK–MAPK-PI3K. This study may enable better selection of therapies and deliver improved outcomes for OSCC patients when combined with clinical diagnostics.

Identification and characterization of the intercellular adhesion molecule-2 gene as a novel p53 target

The p53 tumor suppressor inhibits cell growth through the activation of both cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, which maintain genome stability and prevent cancer development. Here, we report that intercellular adhesion molecule-2 (ICAM2) is transcriptionally activated by p53. Specifically, ICAM2 is induced by the p53 family and DNA damage in a p53-dependent manner. We identified a p53 binding sequence located within the ICAM2 gene that is responsive to wild-type p53, TAp73, and TAp63. In terms of function, we found that the ectopic expression of ICAM2 inhibited cancer cell migration and invasion. In addition, we demonstrated that silencing endogenous ICAM2 in cancer cells caused a marked increase in extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation levels, suggesting that ICAM2 inhibits migration and invasion of cancer cells by suppressing ERK signaling. Moreover, ICAM2 is underexpressed in human cancer tissues containing mutant p53 as compared to those with wild-type p53. Notably, the decreased expression of ICAM2 is associated with poor survival in patients with various cancers. Our findings demonstrate that ICAM2 induction by p53 has a key role in inhibiting migration and invasion.