Cloning and characterization of spliced fusion transcript variants of synovial sarcoma: SYT/SSX4, SYT/SSX4v, and SYT/SSX2v. Possible regulatory role of the fusion gene product in wild type SYT expression.

The synovial sarcoma translocation t(X;18)(p11.2; q11.2) results in the fusion of the SYT gene on chromosome 18 to exon 5 of either SSX1 or SSX2 genes on chromosome X. We recently reported that the SSX4 gene is also involved in such a translocation. In the present investigation we cloned and sequenced the full-length cDNA of SYT/SSX1, SYT/SSX2 and SYT/SSX4 from synovial sarcoma tissues. We isolated a novel fusion transcript type variant involving the fusion of SYT with exon 6 of the SSX4 gene (SYT/SSX4v). The SYT/SSX4 and SYT/SSX2 open reading frame also differed from previously reported SYT/SSX sequences by an in-frame addition of 93bp exon located in the junction between exon 7 and 8 of the SYT. This exon is identical to that reported for the murine SYT but has not been previously found in the human transcript. Two SYT transcripts, with and without the 93 bp exon, were co-expressed in mouse NIH3T3 cells, human malignant cells and human testis tissue, but not in human normal fibroblasts. Stable transfection of an SYT/SSX4 expression vector into human and murine cell lines correlated with a down-regulation of SYT transcripts. This was also observed in a synovial sarcoma tumor expressing SYT/SSX4. This suggests that the SYT/SSX fusion gene may regulate SYT expression from the normal allele and as such alter the normal function of SYT.

The alternative product from the human CDKN2A locus, p14(ARF), participates in a regulatory feedback loop with p53 and MDM2.

The two distinct proteins encoded by the CDKN2A locus are specified by translating the common second exon in alternative reading frames. The product of the alpha transcript, p16(INK4a), is a recognized tumour suppressor that induces a G1 cell cycle arrest by inhibiting the phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein by the cyclin-dependent kinases, CDK4 and CDK6. In contrast, the product of the human CDKN2A beta transcript, p14(ARF), activates a p53 response manifest in elevated levels of MDM2 and p21(CIP1) and cell cycle arrest in both G1 and G2/M. As a consequence, p14(ARF)-induced cell cycle arrest is p53 dependent and can be abrogated by the co-expression of human papilloma virus E6 protein. p14(ARF) acts by binding directly to MDM2, resulting in the stabilization of both p53 and MDM2. Conversely, p53 negatively regulates p14(ARF) expression and there is an inverse correlation between p14(ARF) expression and p53 function in human tumour cell lines. However, p14(ARF) expression is not involved in the response to DNA damage. These results place p14(ARF) in an independent pathway upstream of p53 and imply that CDKN2A encodes two proteins that are involved in tumour suppression.

Features of replicative senescence induced by direct addition of antennapedia-p16INK4A fusion protein to human diploid fibroblasts.

The p16INK4A cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor is now recognized as a major tumor suppressor that is inactivated by a variety of mechanisms in a wide range of human cancers. It is also implicated in the mechanisms underlying replicative senescence since p16INK4A RNA and protein accumulate as cells approach their proscribed limit of population doublings in tissue culture. To obtain further evidence of its role in senescence, we have sought ways of overexpressing p16INK4A in primary human diploid fibroblasts (HDF). To circumvent the low transfection efficiency of primary cells we have exploited a recombinant form of the full-length p16INK4A protein fused to a 16 amino acid peptide from the Drosophila antennapedia protein. This peptide has the capacity to cross both cytoplasmic and nuclear membranes allowing the direct introduction of the active protein to primary cells. Here, we show that antennapedia-tagged wild-type p16INK4A protein, but not a functionally compromised tumor-specific variant, causes G1 arrest in early passage HDFs by inhibiting the phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein. Significantly, the arrested cells display several phenotypic features that are considered characteristic of senescent cells. These data support a role for p16INK4A in replicative senescence and raise the possibility of using the antennapedia-tagged protein therapeutically.

Inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases induce features of replicative senescence in early passage human diploid fibroblasts.

After a limited number of population doublings (PDs), cultures of normal mammalian diploid cells undergo an irreversible growth arrest known as replicative senescence [1]. As well as contributing to cellular ageing, senescence is viewed as an important mechanism of tumour suppression by preventing the emergence of immortal cell clones [2-4]. Senescent cells have a number of characteristics that distinguish them from cycling or quiescent cells including elevated levels of two cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitors, p16INK4a and p21CIP1 [5-11]. Here, we demonstrate that both of these Cdk inhibitors, as well as other members of their protein families (the INK4 and CIP/KIP families, respectively [12]), induce several facets of the senescent phenotype when ectopically expressed in young human diploid fibroblasts. These include a reduced proliferative capacity, an altered size and shape, the presence of underphosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (pRb), increased expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and the appearance of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal) activity [2,3,13-15]. A 20 amino acid peptide from p16INK4a that inhibits Cdks active in the G1 phase of the cell cycle [16] produces similar effects in a dose-dependent manner suggesting that, in primary fibroblasts, inhibition of G1-specific Cdk activity is sufficient to induce phenotypic changes that normally occur at the end of their finite lifespan.

A subunit of the anaphase-promoting complex is a centromere-associated protein in mammalian cells.

Sister chromatids in early mitotic cells are held together mainly by interactions between centromeres. The separation of sister chromatids at the transition between the metaphase and the anaphase stages of mitosis depends on the anaphase-promoting complex (APC), a 20S ubiquitin-ligase complex that targets proteins for destruction. A subunit of the APC, called APC-alpha in Xenopus (and whose homologs are APC-1, Cut4, BIME, and Tsg24), has recently been identified and shown to be required for entry into anaphase. We now show that the mammalian APC-alpha homolog, Tsg24, is a centromere-associated protein. While this protein is detected only during the prophase to the anaphase stages of mitosis in Chinese hamster cells, it is constitutively associated with the centromeres in murine cells. We show that there are two forms of this protein in mammalian cells, a soluble form associated with other components of the APC and a centromere-bound form. We also show that both the Tsg24 protein and the Cdc27 protein, another APC component, are bound to isolated mitotic chromosomes. These results therefore support a model in which the APC by ubiquitination of a centromere protein regulates the sister chromatid separation process.

The murine Ki-67 cell proliferation antigen accumulates in the nucleolar and heterochromatic regions of interphase cells and at the periphery of the mitotic chromosomes in a process essential for cell cycle progression.

We have isolated the murine homologue of the human Ki-67 antigen. The Ki-67 antigen is used as a marker to assess the proliferative capacity of tumour cells; however, its cellular function is not known. The murine Ki-67 cDNA sequence (TSG126) was found to contain 13 tandem repeats, making up more than half of the total protein size. A comparison of this repetitive sequence block to its human counterpart, which contains 16 consecutive repeat units, revealed several conserved sequence motifs, including one motif frequently observed in proteins interacting with DNA. An antiserum developed against the product of the TSG126 cDNA clone identified a protein with an apparent molecular mass of 360 kDa, mainly expressed in proliferating cells. The TSG126 protein begins to accumulate during the late G1 stage of the cell cycle and is first seen as numerous small granules evenly distributed throughout the nucleus. During the S and the G2 phases, larger foci that overlap with the nucleoli and the heterochromatic regions are formed. At the onset of mitosis the TSG126 protein undergoes a dramatic redistribution process and becomes associated with the surface of the condensed chromosomes. The relative absence of the TSG126 protein from G1 interphase cells strongly argues against a model where the association of the TSG126 protein with mitotic chromosomes merely reflects a mechanism for the symmetrical distribution of nucleolar proteins between daughter cells. Instead, the intracellular distribution of the TSG126 protein during the cell cycle suggests that it could have a chromatin-associated function in both interphase and mitotic cells. Microinjection of anti-TSG126 antibodies into proliferating Swiss-3T3 fibroblasts was found to delay cell cycle progression, indicating that the TSG126 protein has an essential nuclear function.

A murine replication protein accumulates temporarily in the heterochromatic regions of nuclei prior to initiation of DNA replication.

We have analyzed the expression of the murine P1 gene, the mammalian homologue of the yeast MCM3 protein, during the mitotic cell cycle. The MCM3 protein has previously been shown to be of importance for initiation of DNA replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that the murine P1 protein was present in the nuclei of mammalian cells throughout interphase of the cell cycle. This is in contrast to the MCM3 protein, which is located in the nuclei of yeast cells only between the M and the S phase of the cell cycle. Detailed analysis of the intranuclear localization of the P1 protein during the cell cycle revealed that it accumulates transiently in the heterochromatic regions towards the end of G1. The accumulation of the P1 protein in the heterochromatic regions prior to activation of DNA replication suggests that the mammalian P1 protein is also of importance for initiation of DNA replication. The MCM2-3.5 proteins have been suggested to represent yeast equivalents of a hypothetical replication licensing factor initially described in Xenopus. Our data support this model and indicate that the murine P1 protein could function as replication licensing factor. The chromosomal localization of the P1 gene was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization to region 6p12 in human metaphase chromosomes.

A novel murine gene encoding a 216-kDa protein is related to a mitotic checkpoint regulator previously identified in Aspergillus nidulans.

We describe the isolation and characterization of a novel mouse gene, tsg24, which displays striking sequence similarities to the Aspergillus nidulans bimE gene. The bimE gene has been shown to be a mitotic checkpoint regulator, negatively regulating entry into mitosis in A. nidulans. The tsg24 gene was found to contain a long open reading frame of 1944 amino acids, encoding a polypeptide with a calculated molecular mass of 216,087 Da. We have developed an antibody directed against the product of the tsg24 gene and identified a protein with a molecular mass of approximately 200 kDa. This protein was found to be uniformly expressed throughout interphase of the cell cycle, whereas the level of this protein was lower in protein extracts prepared from mitotic cells.

Analysis of the expression of a large number of novel genes isolated from mouse prepubertal testis.

The analysis of genes expressed in a restricted temporal and spatial manner during spermatogenesis has given insights into different gene-regulatory mechanisms active in germ cells. However, very few genes have so far been described that are predominantly active in spermatogonia and the early meiotic cell types of testis. To isolate a battery of such genes, more than 100 different mRNA molecules were isolated from a mouse prepubertal testicular cDNA library, and their expression patterns in different tissues analyzed. Thirty mRNAs, 26 of them previously not described in the literature, were found to be predominantly expressed in mouse testis. A detailed analysis of their expression patterns identified a number of mRNA molecules differentially expressed in testicular cell types, including both germ cells and somatic cell types. Characterization of these mRNAs also revealed five distinct temporal phases of gene expression during prepubertal germ cell development. Three different genes, mainly active in the spermatogonial and the early meiotic cell types of testis, were isolated and will be used to characterize further stage-specific gene expression during germ cell differentiation.