RESUMO
The DNA damage response activates several pathways that stall the cell cycle and allow DNA repair. These consist of the well-characterized ATR (Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad-3 related)/CHK1 and ATM (Ataxia telangiectasia mutated)/CHK2 pathways in addition to a newly identified ATM/ATR/p38MAPK/MK2 checkpoint. Crucial to maintaining the integrity of the genome is the S-phase checkpoint that functions to prevent DNA replication until damaged DNA is repaired. Inappropriate expression of the proto-oncogene c-Myc is known to cause DNA damage. One mechanism by which c-Myc induces DNA damage is through binding directly to components of the prereplicative complex thereby promoting DNA synthesis, resulting in replication-associated DNA damage and checkpoint activation due to inappropriate origin firing. Here we show that following etoposide-induced DNA damage translation of c-Myc is repressed by miR-34c via a highly conserved target-site within the 3(') UTR. While miR-34c is induced by p53 following DNA damage, we show that in cells lacking p53 this is achieved by an alternative pathway which involves p38 MAPK signalling to MK2. The data presented here suggest that a major physiological target of miR-34c is c-Myc. Inhibition of miR-34c activity prevents S-phase arrest in response to DNA damage leading to increased DNA synthesis, DNA damage, and checkpoint activation in addition to that induced by etoposide alone, which are all reversed by subsequent c-Myc depletion. These data demonstrate that miR-34c is a critical regulator of the c-Myc expression following DNA damage acting downstream of p38 MAPK/MK2 and suggest that miR-34c serves to remove c-Myc to prevent inappropriate replication which may otherwise lead to genomic instability.
Assuntos
Dano ao DNA , Replicação do DNA/fisiologia , Peptídeos e Proteínas de Sinalização Intracelular/metabolismo , MicroRNAs/biossíntese , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-myc/metabolismo , Proteínas Quinases p38 Ativadas por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Regiões 3' não Traduzidas , Animais , Linhagem Celular , Replicação do DNA/genética , Células HeLa , Humanos , Sistema de Sinalização das MAP Quinases , Camundongos , MicroRNAs/genética , Proto-Oncogene Mas , Fase S/genética , Fase S/fisiologia , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/deficiência , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/genética , Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53/metabolismoRESUMO
Since the identification of microRNAs (miRNAs) in 1993, and the subsequent discovery of their highly conserved nature in 2000, the amount of research into their function--particularly how they contribute to malignancy--has greatly increased. This class of small RNA molecules control gene expression and provide a previously unknown control mechanism for protein synthesis. As such, it is unsurprising that miRNAs are now known to play an essential part in malignancy, functioning as tumour suppressors and oncogenes. This Review summarises the present understanding of how miRNAs operate at the molecular level; how their dysregulation is a crucial part of tumour formation, maintenance, and metastasis; how they can be used as biomarkers for disease type and grade; and how miRNA-based treatments could be used for diverse types of malignancies.