Regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21WAF1/CIP1 by protein kinase Cδ-mediated phosphorylation

摘要

Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p21WAF1/CIP1(-/-)-null mice have an increased incidence of tumor formation. Here, we demonstrate that p21WAF1/CIP1 is unstable in HeLa cells treated with siRNA duplexes that target PKCδ. PKCδ phosphorylates p21WAF1/CIP1 at a serine residue (146Ser) located in its C-terminal domain. In cells treated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, the levels of both p21WAF1/CIP1 and its 146Ser-phosphorylated form increased significantly. We also show that a substitution, resulting from a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at 149Asp found in certain cancer patients, strongly compromises PKCδ-mediated phosphorylation at 146Ser and results in cells that are relatively resistant to TNFα-induced apoptosis. Thus, post-translational phosphorylation of p21WAF1/CIP1 is important from an apoptotic cell death, and may also have patho-physiological relevance for the development of human cancer.