Integrin-β4 is a novel transcriptional target of TAp73

ABSTRACT

As a member of p53 family, p73 has attracted intense investigations due to its structural and functional similarities to p53. Among more than ten p73 variants, the transactivation (TA) domain-containing isoform TAp73 is the one that imitates the p53's behavior most. TAp73 induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, which endows it the capacity of tumour suppression. Also, it can exert diverse biological influences on cells through activating a complex and context dependent transcriptional programme. The transcriptional activities further broaden its roles in more intricate biological processes. In this article, we report that p73 is a positive regulator of a cell adhesion related gene named integrin β4 (ITGB4). This finding may have implications for the dissection of the biological mechanisms underlining p73 functions.

KEYWORDS:

• p53 family
• Integrins
• cell interaction
• p73
• oncosupression
• cancer cells
• adhesion and migration
• oncogenes and tumor suppressors
• transcription factors

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Medical Research Council, United Kingdom, by Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca contro il Cancro (AIRC): AIRC 2014 IG15653 (to G.M.), AIRC 5xmille MCO9979 (to G.M.) and AIRC 2011 IG11955 (to G.M.). G.M. and N.B. also acknowledge the support of RSF grant# 14-50-00068.