Abstract
p53 is a potent tumor suppressor inactivated in many cancers. In this study, the membrane permeability of the HIV-1 Tat basic domain was exploited to introduce functional p53 into cancer cells. We expressed and purified a p53 fusion protein with the HIV-1 Tat basic domain at its N terminus (Tat-p53), and examined its transduction profile and biological activity in cancer cells. Tat-p53 was efficiently delivered to both the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells, and was transcriptionally active, as judged by the level of p21/WAF1 protein and of p21 promoter activity. Transduction of cells with Tat-p53 resulted in apoptotic cell death in both p53 positive and negative human tumor cell lines. These results suggest that Tat-p53 could be useful in cancer therapy.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 353-359 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Molecules and Cells |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 30 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Apoptosis
- Cancer therapy
- Tat
- Transduction
- Tumor suppressor
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology