E2F-Rb complexes assemble and inhibit cdc25A transcription in cervical carcinoma cells following repression of human papillomavirus oncogene expression
Ll. Wu et al., E2F-Rb complexes assemble and inhibit cdc25A transcription in cervical carcinoma cells following repression of human papillomavirus oncogene expression, MOL CELL B, 20(19), 2000, pp. 7059-7067
Expression of the bovine papillomavirus E2 protein in cervical carcinoma ce
lls represses expression of integrated human papillomavirus (BPV) E6/E7 onc
ogenes, followed by repression of the cdc25A gene and other cellular genes
required for cell cycle progression, resulting in dramatic growth arrest. T
o explore the mechanism of repression of cell cycle genes in cervical carci
noma cells following E6/E7 repression, we analyzed regulation of the cdc25A
promoter, which contains two consensus E2F binding sites and a consensus E
2 binding site. The wild-type E2 protein inhibited expression of a lucifera
se gene linked to the cdc25A promoter in HT-3 cervical carcinoma cells. Mut
ation of the distal E2F binding site in the cdc25A promoter abolished E2-in
duced repression, whereas mutation of the proximal E2F site or the E2 site
had no effect. None of these mutations affected the activity of the promote
r in the absence of E2 expression. Expression of the E2 protein also led to
posttranscriptional increase in the level of E2F4, p105(Rb), and p130 and
induced the formation of nuclear E2F4-p130 and E2F4-p105(Rb) complexes. Thi
s resulted in marked rearrangement of the protein complexes that formed at
the distal E2F site in the cdc25A promoter, including the replacement of fr
ee E2F complexes with E2F4-p105(Rb) complexes. These experiments indicated
that repression of E2F-responsive promoters following HPV E6/E7 repression
was mediated by activation of the Rb tumor suppressor pathway and the assem
bly of repressing E2F4-Rb DNA binding complexes. Importantly, these experim
ents revealed that HPV-induced alterations in E2F transcription complexes t
hat occur during cervical carcinogenesis are reversed by repression of HPV
E6/E7 expression.