CDIP, a novel pro-apoptotic gene, regulates TNFalpha-mediated apoptosis in a p53-dependent manner

We have identified a novel pro-apoptotic p53 target gene named CDIP (Cell Death Involved p53-target). Inhibition of CDIP abrogates p53-mediated apoptotic responses, demonstrating that CDIP is an important p53 apoptotic effector. CDIP itself potently induces Apoptosis that is associated with Caspase-8 cleavage, implicating the extrinsic cell death pathway in Apoptosis mediated by CDIP. siRNA-directed knockdown of Caspase-8 results in a severe impairment of CDIP-dependent cell death. In investigating the potential involvement of extrinsic cell death pathway in CDIP-mediated Apoptosis, we found that TNF-alpha expression tightly correlates with CDIP expression, and that inhibition of TNF-alpha signaling attenuates CDIP-dependent Apoptosis. We also demonstrate that TNF-alpha is upregulated in response to p53 and p53 inducing genotoxic stress, in a CDIP-dependent manner. Consistently, knockdown of TNF-alpha impairs p53-mediated stress-induced Apoptosis. Together, these findings support a novel p53 --> CDIP --> TNF-alpha apoptotic pathway that directs Apoptosis after exposure of cells to genotoxic stress. Thus, CDIP provides a new link between p53-mediated intrinsic and death receptor-mediated extrinsic apoptotic signaling, providing a novel target for Cancer therapeutics aimed at maximizing the p53 apoptotic response of Cancer cells to drug therapy.