Several mitochondrial proteins are tumor suppressors. These include succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and fumarate hydratase, both enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. However, to date, the mechanisms by which defects in the TCA cycle contribute to tumor formation have not been elucidated. Here we describe a mitochondrion-to-cytosol signaling pathway that links mitochondrial dysfunction to oncogenic events: succinate, which accumulates as a result of SDH inhibition, inhibits HIF-alpha prolyl hydroxylases in the cytosol, leading to stabilization and activation of HIF-1alpha. These results suggest a mechanistic link between SDH mutations and HIF-1alpha induction, providing an explanation for the highly vascular tumors that develop in the absence of VHL mutations.

Multicellular organisms initiate adaptive responses when oxygen (O(2)) availability decreases, but the underlying mechanism of O(2) sensing remains elusive. We find that functionality of complex III of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) is required for the hypoxic stabilization of HIF-1 alpha and HIF-2 alpha and that an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) links this complex to HIF-alpha stabilization. Using RNAi to suppress expression of the Rieske iron-sulfur protein of complex III, hypoxia-induced HIF-1 alpha stabilization is attenuated, and ROS production, measured using a novel ROS-sensitive FRET probe, is decreased. These results demonstrate that mitochondria function as O(2) sensors and signal hypoxic HIF-1 alpha and HIF-2 alpha stabilization by releasing ROS to the cytosol.

Cellular DNA damage causes stabilization and activation of the tumor suppressor and transcription factor p53, in part by promoting multiple covalent modifications of the p53 protein, including acetylation. We investigated the importance of acetylation in p53 function and the mechanism by which acetylation influences p53 activity. Acetylation site substitutions reduced p53-dependent transcriptional induction and G1 cell cycle arrest. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis of the endogenous p21 promoter showed increased association of p53, coactivators (CBP and TRRAP), and acetylated histones following cell irradiation. Results with acetylation-defective p53 demonstrate that the critical function of acetylation is not to increase the DNA binding affinity of p53 but rather to promote coactivator recruitment and histone acetylation. Therefore, we propose that an acetylation cascade consisting of p53 acetylation-dependent recruitment of coactivators/HATs is crucial for p53 function.