Biomaterial Database

Functional role of p21 during the cellular response to stress. 1999

M Gorospe, and X Wang, and N J Holbrook

Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. myriam-gorospe@nih.gov

A wide range of stress stimuli, including oxidants, genotoxins, metabolic deficiencies, and irradiation, have been shown to induce expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21. Among the best characterized mediators of p21 induction by stress is the tumor suppressor gene p53, which acts as a transcriptional activator to enhance the expression of the p21 gene. However, many other mechanisms involving transcriptional and posttranscriptional events have been found to participate in the elevation of p21 levels by stressful agents. The significance of the stress-mediated elevation in p21 expression is not fully understood, but it is clear that alterations in p21 expression impact on the ability of the cell to survive the insult. Although a large number of reports have demonstrated correlations between the expression of p21 and cellular outcome, this review will focus only on those reports where the role of p21 in a given stress paradigm has been investigated directly, through use of different strategies to manipulate p21 expression followed by assessment of the consequences of altered p21 expression on cell survival. The majority of such studies have revealed that p21 exerts a protective function against stress, and this property appears to rely, at least in part, on the ability of p21 to suppress cell proliferation. A few exceptions to this universal protective influence of p21 have also been observed and will be discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D015870	Gene Expression	The phenotypic manifestation of a gene or genes by the processes of GENETIC TRANSCRIPTION and GENETIC TRANSLATION.	Expression, Gene,Expressions, Gene,Gene Expressions
D016213	Cyclins	A large family of regulatory proteins that function as accessory subunits to a variety of CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASES. They generally function as ENZYME ACTIVATORS that drive the CELL CYCLE through transitions between phases. A subset of cyclins may also function as transcriptional regulators.	Cyclin
D050759	Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21	A cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that mediates TUMOR SUPPRESSOR PROTEIN P53-dependent CELL CYCLE arrest. p21 interacts with a range of CYCLIN-DEPENDENT KINASES and associates with PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN and CASPASE 3.	CDK2-Associated Protein 20 kDa,CDKN1 Protein,CDKN1A Protein,Cdk-Interacting Protein 1,Cdk2 Inhibitor Protein,Cell Cycle Regulator p21,Cyclin Kinase Inhibitor p21,Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 1A Protein,Senescent Cell-Derived Inhibitor Protein 1,p21 Cell Cycle Regulator,p21 Cyclin Kinase Inhibitor,CDK2 Associated Protein 20 kDa,Cdk Interacting Protein 1,Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 1A Protein,Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21,Senescent Cell Derived Inhibitor Protein 1
D018869	Heat-Shock Response	A sequence of responses that occur when an organism is exposed to excessive heat. In humans, an increase in skin temperature triggers muscle relaxation, sweating, and vasodilation.	Heat-Shock Reaction,Heat Shock,Heat Shock Stress,Heat Stress,Heat-Stress Reaction,Heat-Stress Response,Heat Shock Reaction,Heat Shock Response,Heat Shock Stresses,Heat Shocks,Heat Stress Reaction,Heat Stress Response,Heat Stresses,Heat-Shock Reactions,Heat-Shock Responses,Heat-Stress Reactions,Heat-Stress Responses,Shock, Heat,Stress, Heat,Stress, Heat Shock