生物谷报道：细胞产生不可修复的DNA损伤后通常会程序性死亡，或称凋亡。然而在肿瘤细胞中这一机制失去作用，所以它能够肆意增殖，拒绝接受“自杀”的命令。德国科学家近日发现了其中的可能原因——肿瘤细胞会降解一种能触发凋亡的蛋白。抑制这种蛋白的降解能够使凋亡机制恢复作用，并将提升放疗和化疗的效力。相关论文发表在《自然—细胞生物学》（Nature Cell Biology）上。
严重DNA损伤后触发凋亡的其中一类蛋白是HIPK2分子。德国癌症研究中心的Thomas Hofmann和同事研究发现，HIPK2不断在健康细胞中产生，但一种名为Siah-1的酶将它标记为“垃圾”，所以它又立刻被降解。
轻微损伤的细胞会进入一种低级警戒状态——短时间内抑制HIPK2的降解。一旦损伤得到修复，细胞会立即恢复对HIPK2的降解。只有在严重损伤（比如DNA双链均遭破坏）的细胞中，HIPK2的降解才被永久性地抑制。结果HIPK2不断积累，触发凋亡，细胞自杀。
研究人员推测，这可能就是放疗和化疗有时失效的原因。这两种治疗方法都会严重损伤肿瘤细胞，最终导致它们的程序性死亡。Thomas Hofmann说：“如果有抵抗发生，经常是由于肿瘤细胞‘拒绝’执行自杀的命令。”
研究人员在实验中抑制了Siah-1酶，结果发现，即使在轻微损伤的细胞中，HIPK2也能够积聚，凋亡也被触发。Hofmann推测，“癌医学将可能利用这一发现。比如，我们可以将Siah-1抑制剂与放疗或化疗结合使用，从而将细胞拉回到凋亡机制中来。”（生物谷www.bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Nature Cell Biology，doi:10.1038/ncb1743，Melanie Winter，Thomas G. Hofmann
Control of HIPK2 stability by ubiquitin ligase Siah-1 and checkpoint kinases ATM and ATR
Melanie Winter1,2, Dirk Sombroek1,2, Ilka Dauth1, Jutta Moehlenbrink1, Karin Scheuermann1, Johanna Crone1 & Thomas G. Hofmann1
Abstract
The tumour suppressor HIPK2 is an important regulator of cell death induced by DNA damage, but how its activity is regulated remains largely unclear. Here we demonstrate that HIPK2 is an unstable protein that colocalizes and interacts with the E3 ubiquitin ligase Siah-1 in unstressed cells. Siah-1 knockdown increases HIPK2 stability and steady-state levels, whereas Siah-1 expression facilitates HIPK2 polyubiquitination, degradation and thereby inactivation. During recovery from sublethal DNA damage, HIPK2, which is stabilized on DNA damage, is degraded through a Siah-1-dependent, p53-controlled pathway. Downregulation of Siah-1 inhibits HIPK2 degradation and recovery from damage, driving the cells into apoptosis. We have also demonstrated that DNA damage triggers disruption of the HIPK2–Siah-1 complex, resulting in HIPK2 stabilization and activation. Disruption of the HIPK2–Siah-1 complex is mediated by the ATM/ATR pathway and involves ATM/ATR-dependent phosphorylation of Siah-1 at Ser 19. Our results provide a molecular framework for HIPK2 regulation in unstressed and damaged cells.
