Using quantitative PCR, we found that MIR promoted the expression levels of ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated), ATR (ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad3-related and Rad3-related), TP53 (tumor protein p53), p21 (CDKN1A, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A) and GADD45 (growth arrest and DNA-damage inducible), but decreased the expression levels of cyclin B coding genes, CCNB1 and CCNB2, as well as CDK1 (Cyclin-dependent kinase 1).
Herein we used single-cell observation methods to gain insight into the roles of p16(INK4A) and p21(WAF1) (hereafter p16 and p21) in replicative senescence and ionizing radiation-induced accelerated senescence in human [normal, ataxia telangiectasia (AT) and Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS)] fibroblast strains.
Besides the p21(WAF1) promoter, activation of topoisomerase IIIalpha and SV40 promoters by the HDAC inhibitors are also decreased in the AT cell lines relative to WT cells; thus, these findings pertain to other promoters.
Mutation of other components of this pathway, including the products of the ataxia telangiectasia (AT), GADD45, mdm2, and p21WAF1/CIP1 genes may have effects comparable to mutations in the p53 gene.
DNA-PK activity however was not found to be related to the transcriptional induction of WAFl/CIP1(p2l) in AT lymphoblastoid cell lines, following treatment with ionizing radiation.
The increase of WAF1/CIP1(p21) and GADD45 mRNA, two genes transcriptionally activated by p53, was also reduced in the AT cell lines after such treatment.