Talks

Presenting Author

Mallika Khurana

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Discipline Track

Biomedical Science

Abstract Type

Research/Clinical

Abstract

Background: CARF (Collaborator of ARF)/CDKN2AIP is an essential protein, first cloned as a binding partner of ARF. It was subsequently shown to interact with p53, HDM2 proteins and regulate growth arrest and apoptosis by its multimodal mechanism of action. Over-expression of CARF caused senescence like growth arrest of cells, its knock-down triggered apoptosis. Intriguingly, malignantly transformed cells showed high level of CARF expression. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that level of CARF expression may be a key determinant of cell proliferation fates; where an increase in its levels causes growth arrest/senescence, but beyond a threshold it activates carcinogenesis.

Methods: We utilized in vitro cell culture models using retrovirus-driven expression of CARF to achieve over-expression and super-expression of CARF. Analysis of CARF levels was undertaken by biochemical and imaging protocols. Cells exposed to a variety of stresses including physiological, environmental, oxidative, radiation and chemotherapeutics was examined for CARF expression and corresponding cell proliferation fates.

Results: Induction of Senescence was seen in cells over-expressing CARF. On the other hand, cells compromised for CARF showed apoptosis, and the ones with super-expression of CARF exhibited malignant transformation. CARF expression analysis in these experimental models endorsed the concept of cell-fate determining role of CARF.

Conclusions: We present molecular evidence of the bridging role of CARF in stress-aging-cancer phenotypes and its application in pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for stress and cancer treatments.

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Stress-induced changes in CARF expression determine growth arrest, apoptosis, or malignant transformation in cultured human cells: Molecular evidence and its application

Background: CARF (Collaborator of ARF)/CDKN2AIP is an essential protein, first cloned as a binding partner of ARF. It was subsequently shown to interact with p53, HDM2 proteins and regulate growth arrest and apoptosis by its multimodal mechanism of action. Over-expression of CARF caused senescence like growth arrest of cells, its knock-down triggered apoptosis. Intriguingly, malignantly transformed cells showed high level of CARF expression. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that level of CARF expression may be a key determinant of cell proliferation fates; where an increase in its levels causes growth arrest/senescence, but beyond a threshold it activates carcinogenesis.

Methods: We utilized in vitro cell culture models using retrovirus-driven expression of CARF to achieve over-expression and super-expression of CARF. Analysis of CARF levels was undertaken by biochemical and imaging protocols. Cells exposed to a variety of stresses including physiological, environmental, oxidative, radiation and chemotherapeutics was examined for CARF expression and corresponding cell proliferation fates.

Results: Induction of Senescence was seen in cells over-expressing CARF. On the other hand, cells compromised for CARF showed apoptosis, and the ones with super-expression of CARF exhibited malignant transformation. CARF expression analysis in these experimental models endorsed the concept of cell-fate determining role of CARF.

Conclusions: We present molecular evidence of the bridging role of CARF in stress-aging-cancer phenotypes and its application in pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for stress and cancer treatments.

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