C. Brancolini et al., SUSCEPTIBILITY TO P53 DEPENDENT APOPTOSIS CORRELATES WITH INCREASED LEVELS OF GAS2 AND GAS3 PROTEINS, Cell death and differentiation, 4(3), 1997, pp. 247-253
p53 dependent apoptosis is a critical regulator of tumorigenesis. In t
his paper we demonstrate that BALB/c cells transformed with a LT mutan
t perturbing pRb but not p53 functions (LT-2809) show unrestrained cel
l division under low serum condition which is actively counterbalanced
by apoptosis. BALB/c cells transformed with a LT mutant perturbing p5
3 but not pRb functions (LT-K1), show similar unrestrained cell divisi
on but no evident signs of apoptosis when grown in low serum. Such apo
ptotic response of LT-2809 cells is characterised by increased express
ion of Gas2 which becomes proteolytically processed. Similarly Gas3 ex
pression is markedly increased in LT-2809 cells with respect to LT-K1.
Since both Gas2 and Gas3 have been previously associated with the apo
ptotic response at growth arrest, our observations suggest that they c
ould also contribute to the regulation of cellular susceptibility to p
53 dependent apoptosis.