Project description:The p53 transcription factor is a master regulator of cellular stress responses restrained by repressors such as MDM2 and the phosphatase PPM1D. Activation of p53 with pharmacological inhibitors of its repressors is being tested in clinical trials for cancer therapy, but efficacy has been limited by poor induction of tumor cell death. We demonstrate that dual inhibition of MDM2 and PPM1D induces cell death in multiple cancer cell types via amplification of the p53 transcriptional program through the eIF2alpha -ATF4 pathway. PPM1D inhibition induces phosphorylation of eIF2alpha, ATF4 accumulation, and ATF4-dependent enhancement of p53-dependent transactivation upon MDM2 inhibition. Dual inhibition of p53 repressors depletes heme and induces HRI-dependent eIF2alpha phosphorylation. Pharmacological induction of eIF2alpha phosphorylation synergizes with MDM2 inhibition to induce cell death and halt tumor growth in mice. These results demonstrate that PPM1D inhibits both the p53 network and the integrated stress response controlled by eIF2alpha, with clear therapeutic implications.
Project description:The p53 transcription factor is a master regulator of cellular stress responses restrained by repressors such as MDM2 and the phosphatase PPM1D. Activation of p53 with pharmacological inhibitors of its repressors is being tested in clinical trials for cancer therapy, but efficacy has been limited by poor induction of tumor cell death. We demonstrate that dual inhibition of MDM2 and PPM1D induces cell death in multiple cancer cell types via amplification of the p53 transcriptional program through the eIF2alpha -ATF4 pathway. PPM1D inhibition induces phosphorylation of eIF2alpha, ATF4 accumulation, and ATF4-dependent enhancement of p53-dependent transactivation upon MDM2 inhibition. Dual inhibition of p53 repressors depletes heme and induces HRI-dependent eIF2alpha phosphorylation. Pharmacological induction of eIF2alpha phosphorylation synergizes with MDM2 inhibition to induce cell death and halt tumor growth in mice. These results demonstrate that PPM1D inhibits both the p53 network and the integrated stress response controlled by eIF2alpha, with clear therapeutic implications.
