Nucleolin (NCL) is a major nucleolar phosphoprotein that has pleiotropic effects on cell proliferation and is elevated in a variety of tumors. NCL is highly phosphorylated at the N-terminus by two major kinases: interphase casein kinase 2 (CK2) and mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1). Earlier we demonstrated that a NCL-mutant that is partly defective in undergoing phosphorylation by CK2 inhibits chromosomal replication through its interactions with Replication Protein A, mimicking the cellular response to DNA damage. We further delineated that the N-terminus of NCL associates with Hdm2, the most common E3 ubiquitin ligase of p53. We reported that NCL antagonizes Hdm2 to stabilize p53 and stimulates p53 transcriptional activity. Although NCL-phosphorylation by CK2 and ribosomal DNA transcription are closely coordinated during interphase, the role of NCL phosphorylation in regulating cell proliferation remains unexplored. We have therefore engineered unique human cells that specifically induce expression of NCL-wild type (WT) or a phosphorylation-deficient NCL-mutant, 6/S*A where all the six CK2 consensus serine sites residing in the N-terminus NCL were mutated to alanine. Here we show that this NCL-mutant is defective in undergoing phosphorylation by CK2. We also demonstrate that NCL-phosphorylation by CK2 is required through the S-phase progression in cell cycle and hence proliferation. Induced expression of NCL with mutated CK2 phosphorylation sites stabilizes p53, results in higher expression of Bcl2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) homology 3 (BH3)-only apoptotic markers and causes a dominant-negative effect on cell viability. Our unique cellular system thus provides the first evidential support to delineate phospho-specific functions of NCL on cell proliferation.

Nucleolin (NCL) is an abundant stress-responsive, RNA-binding phosphoprotein that controls gene expression by regulating either mRNA stability and/or translation. NCL binds to the AU-rich element (ARE) in the 3'UTR of target mRNAs, mediates miRNA functions in the nearby target sequences, and regulates mRNA deadenylation. However, the mechanism by which NCL phosphorylation affects these functions and the identity of the deadenylase involved, remain largely unexplored. Earlier we demonstrated that NCL phosphorylation is vital for cell cycle progression and proliferation, whereas phosphorylation-deficient NCL at six consensus CK2 sites confers dominant-negative effect on proliferation by increasing p53 expression, possibly mimicking cellular DNA damage conditions. In this study, we show that NCL phosphorylation at those CK2 consensus sites in the N-terminus is necessary to induce deadenylation upon oncogenic stimuli and UV stress. NCL-WT, but not hypophosphorylated NCL-6/S*A, activates poly (A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) deadenylase activity. We further demonstrate that NCL interacts directly with PARN, and under non-stress conditions also forms (a) complex (es) with factors that regulate deadenylation, such as p53 and the ARE-binding protein HuR. Upon UV stress, the interaction of hypophosphorylated NCL-6/S*A with these proteins is favored. As an RNA-binding protein, NCL interacts with PARN deadenylase substrates such as TP53 and BCL2 mRNAs, playing a role in their downregulation under non-stress conditions. For the first time, we show that NCL phosphorylation offers specificity to its protein-protein, protein-RNA interactions, resulting in the PARN deadenylase regulation, and hence gene expression, during cellular stress responses.

Nucleolin is a multifunctional abundant nucleolar protein and its gene expression is transactivated by the proto-oncogene c-myc during exponential cellular growth. This non-ribosomal protein is a major nucleolar phosphoprotein which is involved in ribosomal RNA processing, RNA polymerase I-catalyzed transcription, and the regulation of apoptosis, demonstrating both positive and negative effects on cell proliferation. During an unperturbed cell-cycle, interphase (CK2) and mitotic (Cdc2) kinases regulate nucleolin phosphorylation, modulating its function and nucleolar localization. Following cellular stress, nucleolin has been shown to inhibit chromosomal replication and to relay nucleolar stress signals mediated by its re-localization within the nucleus. Nucleolin also interacts with prominent components of the ARF (Alternate Reading Frame)/p53 checkpoint pathway that controls growth upon oncogenic stress signals. We have previously demonstrated that nucleolin binds to the p53-antagonist Hdm2, inhibits Hdm2-mediated degradation of p53 and causes p53-mediated apoptosis in an ARF-independent manner. Here we further dissect role/s of nucleolin phosphorylation in regulating the ARF/p53 checkpoint. We have generated a novel system by engineering human osteocarcinoma (NARF6) cells to induce expression of nucleolin-wt (wild-type) or -S6A (a phospho-mutant with six consensus site serines mutated to alanine, impairing phosphorylation by CK2). This novel system can control expression of both nucleolin and ARF by different promoters, allowing us to dissect the downstream events that are solely nucleolin- or ARF- dependent, or regulated by both. We found that increased levels of nucleolin-S6A significantly decreased ARF protein levels as compared to nucleolin-wt. Nucleolin-S6A was significantly more nucleoplasmic and, interestingly, cells that express S6A lacked nucleolar ARF expression. Although a dramatic loss in both ARF and p21 protein levels is evident with nucleolin-S6A expression, there was a net increase in p53 levels. Significantly, nucleolin-S6A expression caused an increase in the fraction of G1 cells in an ARF-independent manner. Thus, reduction of nucleolin phosphorylation by CK2 acts as a molecular switch causing the sub-nuclear re-localization of both nucleolin and ARF. These events lead to p53 activation, and the control of growth in both normal and stressed cells. These results also provide validation of our unique cellular system that allows us to manipulate nucleolin wt and mutant levels, facilitating the study of its physiological functions. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2967. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2967