Ju‐Gyeong Kang

The energy that sustains cancer cells is derived preferentially from glycolysis. This metabolic change, the Warburg effect, was one of the first alterations in cancer cells recognized as conferring a survival advantage. Here, we show that p53, one of the most frequently mutated genes in cancers, modulates the balance between the utilization of respiratory and glycolytic pathways. We identify Synthesis of Cytochrome c Oxidase 2 (SCO2) as the downstream mediator of this effect in mice and human cancer cell lines. SCO2 is critical for regulating the cytochrome c oxidase (COX) complex, the major site of oxygen utilization in the eukaryotic cell. Disruption of the SCO2 gene in human cancer cells with wild-type p53 recapitulated the metabolic switch toward glycolysis that is exhibited by p53-deficient cells. That SCO2 couples p53 to mitochondrial respiration provides a possible explanation for the Warburg effect and offers new clues as to how p53 might affect aging and metabolism.

A previous bioinformatics-based search for small RNAs in Escherichia coli identified a novel RNA named IS183. The gene encoding this small RNA is located between and on the opposite strand of genes encoding two transcriptional regulators of the acid response, gadX (yhiX) and gadW (yhiW). Given that IS183 is encoded in the gad gene cluster and because of its role in regulating acid response genes reported here, this RNA has been renamed GadY. We show that GadY exists in three forms, a long form consisting of 105 nucleotides and two processed forms, consisting of 90 and 59 nucleotides. The expression of this small RNA is highly induced during stationary phase in a manner that is dependent on the alternative sigma factor sigmaS. Overexpression of the three GadY RNA forms resulted in increased levels of the mRNA encoding the GadX transcriptional activator, which in turn caused increased levels of the GadA and GadB glutamate decarboxylases. A promoter mutation which abolished gadY expression resulted in a reduction in the amount of gadX mRNA during stationary phase. The gadY gene was shown to overlap the 3' end of the gadX gene, and this overlap region was found to be necessary for the GadY-dependent accumulation of gadX mRNA. We suggest that during stationary phase, GadY forms base pairs with the 3'-untranslated region of the gadX mRNA and confers increased stability, allowing for gadX mRNA accumulation and the increased expression of downstream acid resistance genes.

RATIONALE: Exercise capacity is a physiological characteristic associated with protection from both cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. p53 regulates mitochondrial function and its deletion markedly diminishes exercise capacity, but the underlying genetic mechanism orchestrating this is unclear. Understanding the biology of how p53 improves exercise capacity may provide useful insights for improving both cardiovascular as well as general health. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to understand the genetic mechanism by which p53 regulates aerobic exercise capacity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using a variety of physiological, metabolic, and molecular techniques, we further characterized maximum exercise capacity and the effects of training, measured various nonmitochondrial and mitochondrial determinants of exercise capacity, and examined putative regulators of mitochondrial biogenesis. As p53 did not affect baseline cardiac function or inotropic reserve, we focused on the involvement of skeletal muscle and now report a wider role for p53 in modulating skeletal muscle mitochondrial function. p53 interacts with Mitochondrial Transcription Factor A (TFAM), a nuclear-encoded gene important for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transcription and maintenance, and regulates mtDNA content. The increased mtDNA in p53(+/+) compared to p53(-/-) mice was more marked in aerobic versus glycolytic skeletal muscle groups with no significant changes in cardiac tissue. These in vivo observations were further supported by in vitro studies showing overexpression of p53 in mouse myoblasts increases both TFAM and mtDNA levels whereas depletion of TFAM by shRNA decreases mtDNA content. CONCLUSIONS: Our current findings indicate that p53 promotes aerobic metabolism and exercise capacity by using different mitochondrial genes and mechanisms in a tissue-specific manner.