Genetic interaction of p53 and eIF4E at the balance of proliferation and apoptosis

FERRERO PAOLA; CAMPAGNO ROMINA; CORUJO GONZALO; HERNANDEZ GRECO; LU WAN JIN; ABRAMS JOHN; RIVERA POMAR ROLANDO

Lisboa

Congreso; 22 european Drosophila research conference; 2011

Overexpression of eIF4E is associated to cancer and the reduction of it to apoptosis. In an opposite manner, the reduction of p53 promotes tumorigenesis and its increase induces apoptosis. We have studied the interaction between eIF4E and p53 in Drosophila melanogaster. We show that overexpression of eIF4E in wing imaginal discs suppresses X-ray induced apoptosis. In a similar manner, overexpression of eIF4E suppresses the cell death phenotype induced by p53 overexpression in eye discs. We then evaluated the effect of activation of p53 by ionizing radiation using a GFP-based p53 surrogate. Irradiation of wing imaginal discs results in a two-fold increase of GFP levels, respect of not-irradiated discs. Endogenous apoptosis is not affected when eIF4E is overexpressed in embryos. We will discuss a model for the interaction.