Project/Area Number |
13470027
|
Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
|
Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
Section | 一般 |
Research Field |
General medical chemistry
|
Research Institution | Nagoya City University |
Principal Investigator |
NAKANISHI Makoto Nagoya City University, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Professor, 大学院・医学研究科, 教授 (40217774)
|
Project Period (FY) |
2001 – 2002
|
Project Status |
Completed (Fiscal Year 2002)
|
Budget Amount *help |
¥14,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥14,500,000)
Fiscal Year 2002: ¥5,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,600,000)
Fiscal Year 2001: ¥8,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥8,900,000)
|
Keywords | Cell cycle / checkpoints / Cdc25 / Chk1 / Chk2 / Cdc2 / apoptosis / DNA damage / 細胞分裂 / DNA障害 |
Research Abstract |
The mammalian Chk2 kinase is thought to mediate ATM-dependent signaling in response to DNA damage. The physiological role of mammalian Chk2 has now been investigated by the generation of Chk2-deficient mice. Although Chk2(-/-) mice appeared normal, they were resistant to ionizing radiation (IR) as a result of the preservation of splenic lymphocytes. Thymocytes and neurons of the developing brain were also resistant to IR-induced apoptosis. The IR-induced G(1)/S cell cycle checkpoint, but not the G(2)/M or S phase checkpoints, was impaired in embryonic fibroblasts derived from Chk2(-/-) mice. IR-induced stabilization of p53 in Chk2(-/-)cells was 50-70% of that in wild-type cells. Caffeine further reduced p53 accumulation, suggesting the existence of an ATM/ATR-dependent but Chk2-independent pathway for p53 stabilization. In spite of p53 protein stabilization and phosphorylation of Ser23, p53-dependent transcriptional induction of target genes, such as p21 and Noxa, was not observed in Chk2(-/-) cells. Our results show that Chk2 plays a critical role in p53 function in response to IR by regulating its transcriptional activity as well as its stability.
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