Letter abstract


Nature Cell Biology 6, 665 - 672 (2004)
Published online: 13 June 2004 | doi:10.1038/ncb1147

PML regulates p53 stability by sequestering Mdm2 to the nucleolus

Rosa Bernardi1, Pier Paolo Scaglioni1,3, Stephan Bergmann1,3, Henning F. Horn2, Karen H. Vousden2 & Pier Paolo Pandolfi1

Top

The promyelocytic leukaemia (PML) tumour-suppressor protein potentiates p53 function by regulating post-translational modifications, such as CBP-dependent acetylation1, 2 and Chk2-dependent phosphorylation, in the PML-Nuclear Body (NB)3. PML was recently shown to interact with the p53 ubiquitin-ligase Mdm2 (refs 4–6); however, the mechanism by which PML regulates Mdm2 remains unclear. Here, we show that PML enhances p53 stability by sequestering Mdm2 to the nucleolus. We found that after DNA damage, PML and Mdm2 accumulate in the nucleolus in an Arf-independent manner. In addition, we found that the nucleolar localization of PML is dependent on ATR activation and phosphorylation of PML by ATR. Notably, in Pml-/- cells, sequestration of Mdm2 to the nucleolus was impaired, as well as p53 stabilization and the induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that PML physically associates with the nucleolar protein L11, and that L11 knockdown impairs the ability of PML to localize to nucleoli after DNA damage. These findings demonstrate an unexpected role of PML in the nucleolar network for tumour suppression.

Top
  1. Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Department of Pathology and Medicine, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
  2. Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK.
  3. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Correspondence to: Pier Paolo Pandolfi1 e-mail: p-pandolfi@ski.mskcc.org



MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS

These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.


Extra navigation

Subscribe to Nature Cell Biology

Subscribe

Open Innovation Challenges

  • Optimizing Sub-cellular Localization Tags

    • Deadline: Nov 29 2009
    • Reward: $20,000 USD

    The Seeker is looking for methods to optimize sub-cellular localization tags for protein expression....

  • Single-cell Analysis Platform

    • Deadline: Dec 02 2009
    • Reward: $5,000 USD

    This Challenge is looking for novel approaches to analyzing changes at a single-cell level. This is...

naturejobs