The DU145 human prostate carcinoma cell line harbors a temperature-sensitive allele of p53

Abstract

Background: Some nuances of mutant and wild-type p53 activity have been uncovered utilizing temperature sensitive (TS) alleles. However, few human tumor derived cell lines possess a TS p53 mutant.

Methods: The cell lines DU145 (heterozygous p53, P223L, and V274F) and PC3 (p53-null, where exogenous P223L and V274F were introduced individually or in combination) were examined for TS p53 activity as revealed by reporter construct and target gene activation.

Results: TS p53 function was observed in DU145 and expression of the P223L allele in PC3 conferred a TS p53 profile. Activation of p21Waf1 demonstrated that P223L TS activity may have been influenced by cellular context.

Conclusions: The DU145 cell line harbors a TS mutant of p53 and, in addition to being a widely used model of human prostate carcinoma, may also reveal new insights into p53 function due to the unique transcriptional properties of its TS phenotype.