TY - JOUR T1 - Cyclopentenyl Cytosine Induces Senescence in Breast Cancer Cells through the Nucleolar Stress Response and Activation of p53 JF - Molecular Pharmacology JO - Mol Pharmacol SP - 40 LP - 48 DO - 10.1124/mol.110.070284 VL - 80 IS - 1 AU - Min Huang AU - Patrick Whang AU - Patrick Lewicki AU - Beverly S. Mitchell Y1 - 2011/07/01 UR - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/80/1/40.abstract N2 - The induction of senescence has emerged as a potentially important contributor to the effects of chemotherapeutic agents against tumors. We have demonstrated that depletion of CTP induced by cyclopentenyl cytosine (CPEC; NSC 375575), a specific inhibitor of the enzyme CTP synthetase, induces irreversible growth arrest and senescence characterized by altered morphology and expression of senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity in MCF-7 breast cancer cells expressing wild-type p53. In contrast, differentiation in the absence of senescence resulted from CPEC treatment in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells that express a mutated p53. Both senescence of MCF-7 cells and differentiation of MDA-MB-231 cells were prevented by repletion of CTP through the cytidine salvage pathway. Senescence in MCF-7 cells was associated with a G2- and S-phase arrest, whereas differentiation in MDA-MB-231 cells was associated with arrest in G1 phase at 5 days. Mechanistic studies revealed that CTP depletion induced a rapid translocation of nucleolar proteins, including nucleostemin and nucleolin into the nucleoplasm. This nucleolar stress response resulted in a sustained elevation of p53 and the p53 target genes, p21 and Mdm2, in cells with wild-type p53. Furthermore, short interfering RNA-induced knockdown of p53 in MCF-7 cells treated with CPEC prevented cellular senescence and increased apoptotic cell death. We conclude that CTP depletion and the resulting nucleolar stress response results in a senescence-like growth arrest through activation of p53, whereas cells with mutated p53 undergo differentiation or apoptotic cell death. ER -