The p53 tumor suppressor protein is upregulated in response to DNA damage and other stress signals. The upregulation of p53 involves freeing it from negative regulation imposed by Mdm2 and MdmX (Mdm4). Accumulating evidence indicates that phosphorylation of Mdm proteins by different stress-activated kinases such as ATM or c-Abl significantly impacts p53 functions. We have previously shown that ATM phosphorylation of Mdm2 Ser394 is required for robust p53 stabilization and activation following DNA damage. This dissertation describes in vivo examination of the mechanism by which Mdm2 Ser394 phosphorylation impacts p53 activities and its contribution to suppression of oncogene and DNA damage-induced tumors. We determine that phosphorylation of Mdm2 Ser394 regulates p53 activity by modulating Mdm2 stability and paradoxically delays Myc-driven lymphomagenesis while increasing lymphomagenesis in sub-lethally irradiated mice. c-Abl phosphorylates the residue neighboring Mdm2 Ser394, Mdm2 Tyr393. This dissertation describes the generation of a novel Mdm2Y393F mutant mouse to determine if c-Abl phosphorylation of Mdm2 regulates p53-mediated DNA damage responses or tumor suppression in vivo. Mdm2Y393F mice develop accelerated spontaneous and oncogene-induced tumors, yet display no defects in p53 stabilization and activity following acute genotoxic stress. Furthermore, the effects of these phosphorylation events on p53 regulation are not additive, as Mdm2Y393F/S394A mice and Mdm2S394A mice display similar phenotypes. The studies presented herein further our understanding of the mechanisms by which DNA damage-associated kinases stabilize and activate p53, and influence p53-dependent responses and tumor suppression. A better understanding of the in vivo effects of Mdm2 phosphorylation may facilitate the development of novel therapeutics capable of stimulating p53 anti-tumor activity or alleviating p53- dependent toxicities in non-malignant tissues.

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are highly refractive to current treatment strategies, and new multi-targeted treatments need to be elucidated. Combination therapy that includes targeting the murine double minute 2 (Mdm2) signaling axis offers a promising approach. Protein-protein interaction inhibitors such as Nutlin-3a block the binding of key signaling molecules such as p53, p73α, and E2F1 to the hydrophobic pocket of Mdm2 and can lead to activation of cell-death signaling pathways. Since clinical trials for TNBC are evaluating the DNA damaging agent carboplatin, the objective of this thesis was to evaluate the therapeutic potential and mechanism of action of combination carboplatin and Nutlin-3a to treat TNBC. In TNBC cell lines with a mutant p53 background, we determined if modulation of Mdm2 function in the context of carboplatin-mediated DNA damage resulted in a synergistic inhibition of cell growth. Several ratios of carboplatin:Nutlin-3a were strongly synergistic in increasing cell death, with combination indices of 0.5 and lower. Mechanistic studies indicated that drug sensitivity and Mdm2 expression were dependent on p73. Mdm2 localized to a larger degree in the chromatin fraction isolated from cells treated with the combination treatment consistent with observations by others that Mdm2 binds to the Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 complex, inhibits the DNA damage response, and increases drug sensitivity. In vivo efficacy experiments were conducted in the TMD231 orthotopic mammary fat pad model in NOD.Cg-PrkdcscidIl2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) mice. For assessment of baseline tumor burden and randomization, fluorescent imaging of E2-Crimson expressing TMD231 cells was performed. Following Nutlin-3a and carboplatin combination treatment, there was a statistically significant reduction in primary tumor volume as well as lung metastases with significantly increased probability of survival compared to Vehicle and single drug treatments (p<0.001). While there was a decrease in bone-marrow cellularity, this did not lead to bone-marrow aplasia, and body weights recovered to normal levels within 7 days post-treatment. The present studies demonstrate the promise of Mdm2 as a therapeutic target in combination with conventional therapy, increase our understanding of how to potentiate DNA damage in cancers, and may lead to new clinical therapies for triple-negative primary and metastatic breast cancer.

No description available.

Le rétinoblastome est une tumeur rare qui touche la rétine du jeune enfant. L'inactivation bi-allélique du gène RB1 est à l'origine du développement tumoral. RB1 est le premier gène suppresseur de tumeur qui ait été identifié et la prédisposition au rétinoblastome constitue un véritable paradigme de la prédisposition aux cancers. Dans les formes non prédisposées génétiquement, les deux mutations apparaissent dans une cellule rétinienne unique ; le rétinoblastome est alors unilatéral. Dans les formes à prédisposition génétique, la première mutation est constitutionnelle et la deuxième est somatique. La mutation constitutionnelle est une néo-mutation pré- ou post- zygotique dans les formes sporadiques, alors qu'elle est héritée dans les formes familiales. Dans les formes avec prédisposition génétique, le diagnostic est plus précoce que dans les formes sans prédisposition et la bilatérisation du rétinoblastome est généralement la règle. Néanmoins, de rares familles présentent une pénétrance réduite et une variabilité phénotypique se traduisant par la coexistence de patients atteints de rétinoblastome bilatéral ou unilatéral, d'apparentés porteurs sains et d'apparentés présentant des rétinomes. Les mécanismes responsables de la variabilité phénotypique intrafamiliale sont inconnus et l'existence de facteurs génétiques modulant le phénotype tumoral est probable.L'origine de la variabilité de l'expression phénotypique du rétinoblastome peut être la résultante (i) de l'existence de mutations en mosaïque, (ii) de mutations de RB1 et (iii) de facteurs modificateurs génétiques indépendants du locus de RB1. Trois axes distincts et originaux basés sur ces origines possibles de variabilité phénotypique ont été développés pour caractériser les relations génotype/phénotype dans le rétinoblastome. Premièrement, les conséquences d'une mosaïque somatique ont été illustrées grâce à l'étude d'une famille ayant bénéficié de cinq diagnostics prénatals. Dans ces familles, certains fœtus porteurs de l'allèle à risque identifié par une approche indirecte basée sur l'étude de microsatellites au locus de RB1, n'étaient pas porteurs de la mutation du parent atteint, lui-même atteint d'un rétinoblastome bilatéral. Ainsi, nous avons démontré la présence d'une mosaïque somatique et gonadique chez ce parent lourdement atteint. La conséquence de l'existence de patients présentant une mosaïque dans le cadre du conseil génétique a été discutée. La suite de nos travaux a pris en compte ces résultats afin de limiter les biais que pourrait induire la présence de mutations en mosaïque dans des études de corrélation génotype/phénotype dans le rétinoblastome. Deuxièmement, l'association de grandes délétions emportant RB1 avec des retards psychomoteurs chez des patients atteints de rétinoblastome a été étudiée. Une approche de CGH hautement résolutive, ciblée sur le locus de RB1, a été mise en place afin de caractériser le rôle des gènes contigus de RB1 dans ce syndrome. Ainsi, cette approche a permis de définir une zone à risque de retard psychomoteur que nous proposons comme seuil d'alerte pour le généticien. Cette zone définit un gène, PCDH8 d'expression cérébrale exclusive, comme un excellent candidat au retard psychomoteur. Enfin, troisièmement, une approche " gène candidat " reposant sur l'étude du SNP309 du promoteur de MDM2, a été mise en œuvre.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2008. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 197 pages. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references.

München, Techn. University, Diss., 2005.

Ce travail porte sur l’étude électrochimique et par microscopie de fluorescence in situ de l’auto-assemblage, sur électrode d’or, de monocouches d’aptamères peptidiques de la protéine p53 en vue de la détection de la protéine MDM2. L’utilisation de nouvelles sondes de reconnaissance moléculaire telles que les aptamères peptidiques a été considérée en tant qu’alternative à l’utilisation d’anticorps. Les aptamères peptidiques sont des séquences synthétiques de peptide se liant à la protéine cible avec une affinité et une spécificité élevées. La première partie de ce travail porte sur l’étude électrochimique de l’interface modifiée résultant de diverses procédures d’immobilisation. Des mesures en présence du marqueur rédox [Ru(NH3)6]3+ ont démontré l’immobilisation de la sonde peptidique à la surface d’or et ont permis l’évaluation relative de la densité de sondes adsorbées à la surface respectivement à la méthode d’immobilisation considérée. Par ailleurs, des mesures en présence du couple rédox [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- ont mis en évidence une inhibition drastique du transfert d’électron dans le cas de monocouches composées exclusivement du peptide. Dans un second temps, nous nous sommes intéressés à la détection de la protéine MDM2. Trois interfaces modifiées ont été envisagées soit deux monocouches mixtes de peptide et de 4-mercaptobutan-1-ol, ce dernier jouant le rôle de diluant, adsorbés en une ou en deux étape(s), et une monocouche uniquement composée de peptide. L’utilisation de la spectroscopie d’impédance électrochimique en présence du couple rédox [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- comme méthode de détection a mis en exergue la pertinence de cette dernière interface pour la détection. En effet, l’inhibition du transfert d’électron préalablement identifiée est fortement amoindrie suite à l’interaction avec la protéine cible. Une gamme de détection s’étendant de ~1 à 60 ng mL-1 et une limite de détection de 0,69 ng mL-1 ont été obtenues. Cette performance est comparable à celle des kits ELISA commerciaux. La fiabilité et la spécificité de la réponse ont été vérifiées par le biais de contrôles négatifs sur trois protéines, en l’occurrence le fibrinogène, le cytochrome c et l’albumine de sérum bovin, et validées par des mesures complémentaires de microbalance à cristal de quartz.La troisième partie de ce travail est consacrée à l’étude, par microscopie de fluorescence in situ, de l’organisation de la monocouche résultant des trois procédures d’auto-assemblage précitées. Ces mesures ont permis la mise en évidence d’une distribution hétérogène de la densité en sondes, et plus particulièrement la présence d’agrégats. Ceux-ci ne peuvent être désorbés de la surface par l’application de potentiels même très négatifs (-1,450 V vs Ag / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Mdm2 and Mdm4 are critical negative regulators of the p53 tumor suppressor. Mdm4-null mutants are severely anemic and exhibit impaired proliferation of the fetal liver erythroid lineage cells. This phenotype may indicate a cell-intrinsic function of Mdm4 in erythropoiesis. In contrast, red blood cell count was nearly normal in mice engineered to express low levels of Mdm2, suggesting that Mdm2 might be dispensable for red cell production. In the first part of the thesis, we further explore the tissue-specific functions of Mdm2 and Mdm4 in the erythroid lineage by crossing the conditional Mdm4 and Mdm2 alleles to an erythroid-specific-cre (EpoRGFP-Cre ) knock-in allele. Our data show that Mdm2 is required for rescuing erythroid progenitors from p53-mediated apoptosis during primitive erythropoiesis. In contrast, Mdm4 is only required for the high erythropoietic rate during embryonic definitive erythropoiesis. Thus, in this particular cellular context, interestingly, Mdm4 only contributes to p53 regulation at a specific phase of the differientation program.<p><p>Moreover, a large body of evidence indicates that aberrant expression of either MDM2 or MDM4 impairs p53 tumor suppression function and consequently favors tumor formation. Overexpression of MDM2 was observed in 10% of 8000 human cancers from various sites, including lung or stomach, and MDM4 was found amplified and/or overexpressed in 10-20% of over 800 diverse tumors including lung, colon, stomach and breast cancers. Remarkably, selective MDM4 amplification occurs in about 65% of human retinoblastomas. In contrast, MDM2 amplifications are relatively rare (about 5%) in retinoblastomas, indicating that depending on the tumor context (cell type, initiating oncogene, …), MDM4, rather than MDM2, overexpression might be selected for as a more efficient mean of suppression of p53 function. As part of a large effort to better understand why different cell types require distinct combinations of mutations to form tumours, we will examine the molecular basis for selective up-regulation of Mdm4 in retinoblastomas. In this context, we have successfully generated 2 conditional transgenic mouse lines expressing either mycMdm2 or mycMdm4 driven by the PCAGGs promoters in the ROSA26 locus. Since a cassette containing a floxed transcriptional stop element is inserted upstream of the transgenes, we can achieve tissue-specific expression and spatio-temporal regulation of the transgenes by using different Cre and CreER. By the use of N-terminal myc-tag fused with the transgenes, we are able to compare the expression levels of the transgenes. Finally, due to C-terminal IRES-GFP element, we can easily identify transgene expressing cells. One of our aims is to use this Mdm4 conditional transgenic mouse line as the first, non-chimeric, mouse model of retinoblastoma that can be used as an appropriate preclinical model to improve treatment of this disease.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Today, development of accurate early diagnosis of cancers thus became the number one challenge of medicine during the 21st century as the current techniques relies on imaging methods that suffer from low sensitivity and misdiagnosis.For these reasons, in this work, we aimed at developing a no-wash colorimetric biosensor for the detection of the oncoprotein Mdm2. Indeed, abnormal levels of Mdm2 could be related to the early formation of tumors.This thesis is devoted to the conception of a no-wash colorimetric biosensor for the detection of the oncoprotein Mdm2. This work can be divided in four parts:(i) The detection strategy and the design of the recognition elements (Chapter I).(ii) The conjugation of gold nanoparticles with the recognition elements (Chapter II, III, IV, V and VI).(iii) The modification of the metallic core of the nanoparticles (Chapter VII).(iv) The use of the optimized biosensor for the detection of Mdm2 (Chapter VIII).In the first part, we investigated the sensing strategy. An aggregation-based assay with plasmonic nanoparticles was selected, as the detection signal is a change of color of the suspension that can be observed to the naked eye or by UV-Vis spectroscopy. We designed the recognition elements, two peptide aptamers coming from endogenous proteins p53 and p14, and we grafted them separately on two batches of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) via thiol end-groups. We used these latter for the detection of various concentrations of Mdm2 in buffer using our dual-trapping strategy with these two batches of functionalized AuNPs. We demonstrated that both peptides are able to interact with Mdm2 even after grafting onto the particles and that this detection strategy is highly specific. However, this first sensor presented some drawbacks, such as a poor colloidal stability of the AuNPs and a limited dynamic range.With the aim to encompass these issues we investigated, in the second part of this thesis, alternative strategies to conjugate the peptides to the particles. We investigated the functionalization of the particles with stabilizing ligands such as thiolated poly(ethyleneglycol) (HS-PEG). We first studied their simultaneous grafting with the peptides on the AuNPs. We observed that grafting HS-PEGs and peptides side-by-side allowed to control the density of peptides conjugated to the AuNPS and increased drastically the stability of the particles. However, the detection of Mdm2 was strongly hindered by the presence of PEG on the particles carrying the p14 peptide. In a second step, we investigated the conjugation of peptides on the top of a PEG layer carrying functional groups (HS-PEG-X where X is a carboxylate or an alkyne). AuNPs were first functionalized with mixtures of HS-PEG and HS-PEG-X, and the peptides were conjugated to the functional groups via amide bond formation or CuAAC coupling in a second step. However, we noticed that it was not possible to control the composition of the mixed layer of PEGs and thus the peptide grafting density.Due to the lack of recognized protocols in the literature for (i) the determination of the chemical and colloidal stabilities of AuNPs and (ii) the determination of the proportion of different ligands in the organic coating of the particles, we developed two interesting tools. The first one was a convenient method allowing to evaluate by UV-Vis spectroscopy the efficiency of the citrate exchange process using thiol-, alkyne- or diazonium-ligands from gold nanoparticles synthesized via a Turkevich method. The second protocol was a method allowing to quantify the proportion of two HS-PEGs ligands grafted in mixtures onto gold nanoparticles via 1H NMR spectroscopy.As we couldn’t find conditions in which the proportion of multiple thiolated ligands can be controlled on AuNPs, we decided to investigate another functionalization strategy based on the use of calix4arene-diazonium salts.We first studied the grafting on AuNPs of calixarenes bearing four PEG chains at the level of their small rim, one ended by a carboxylic acid and three by a methoxy group. The calixarene layer allowed to obtain AuNPs covered by a very dense PEG shell (with more PEG chains/nm2 that what was obtained previously with thiol anchoring). In addition to that, this PEG shell was strongly anchored to the AuNPs, conferring them a very high colloidal and chemical robustness. We then combined the grafting of this calixarene with the grafting of another non-functional calixarene, bearing four PEG chains ended by a methoxy group, and we quantified the conjugation capacity of such particles by amide bond formation. We demonstrated that this strategy allows to (i) increase drastically the stability of the AuNPs and (ii) control the proportion of peptide conjugated at their surface. Finally, we showed that calixarene-coated AuNPs to which to the p53 and p14 peptides have been conjugated could be used to detect Mdm2.With the evidence that the peptide conjugation density could be controlled using calixarene-coated AuNPs, we investigated the simultaneous grafting of two functional calixarenes on particles: one bearing four carboxylic acids groups and one bearing four PEG chains ended by alkyne groups. We optimized the grafting of these calixarenes in mixed layers on the AuNPs as well as their conjugation. We demonstrated that the grafting of two functional calixarenes led to the production of bi-functional AuNPs, capable of conjugation with two molecules via two distinct chemistries.In the third part, we optimized the composition of the metallic core of the biosensor. As it is well known that silver nanoparticles express better optical properties than gold nanoparticles of the same size, we aimed to incorporate silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the biosensor. This was a true challenge due to the intrinsic low chemical stability of silver nanoparticles that greatly limits their use in IVD. For this purpose, we developed an innovative in situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles in the presence of the calixarene-diazonium salts. After optimization of the synthesis, we observed that calixarenes bearing four carboxylic acids groups at the level of their small rim allowed the production of ultra-stable silver nanoparticles to which biomolecules can easily be conjugated. This in situ synthesis procedure even allowed us to produce alloy nanoparticles, with metallic cores whose composition could easily be tuned from pure silver to silver/gold alloys or pure gold. With this synthesis, the composition of the organic layer could also be easily tuned by using mixtures of calixarenes-diazonium salts.Finally, in the last part, we investigated the detection of Mdm2 with the optimized version of the biosensor, i.e. silver nanoparticles coated by a calixarene layer to which the p53 and p14 peptides were conjugated. With this novel class of nanoparticles, we could encompass the two initial drawbacks of the initial sensor. First, we were able to detect Mdm2 with a wider detection range and a lower limit. Secondly, the particles were sufficiently stable and robust to be dispersed in physiological fluids and we could detect Mdm2 in human serum without interference. / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur et technologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The MDM2-p53 feedback loop is a well-characterized pathway. p53 is a transcription factor and regulates the transcriptional expression of genes that encode proteins responsible for cellular senescence, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and DNA repair. Various cellular stresses can result in p53 activation, including hypoxia, DNA damage by agents such as UV or IR, oncogenic signaling, nucleotide depletion and nucleolar stress from perturbation of ribosomal biogenesis. Under normal conditions, MDM2’s role in the pathway is to inhibit p53 function by directly binding to this protein and facilitating its ubiquitylation and 26S proteasome-mediated degradation. Under stressful cellular conditions, certain proteins interact with and rescue MDM2’s inhibition of p53. For example, upon exposure to small amounts of Actinomycin D, rRNA transcript synthesis is stalled resulting in the release of various ribosomal proteins including RPL5, RPL11 and RPL23; each of which has been shown to bind MDM2 within its central acidic domain and inhibit its ability to destabilize p53. Although the RPL5 binding region of MDM2 have been mapped in prior investigations, the MDM2-binding region(s) of RPL5 have yet to be characterized. By employing RPL5 deletion mutagenesis and in vitro GST-fusion protein-protein association assays with purified proteins, this dissertation attempts to elucidate those regions of RPL5 that may interact with MDM2. Normalizing RPL5-WT to 1.00, our study reveals that the basic N and C-terminals of RPL5 appear to bind with MDM2 while RPL5’s central region displays negligible binding to the central acidic domain of MDM2. Also, the possible meanings of these RPL5 MDM2 binding domains are discussed along with their utilization in potential future applications.