p53 engagement is a hallmark of an unfolded protein response in the nucleus of mammalian cells

Abstract

Exposure to exogenous and endogenous stress is associated with the intracellular accumulation of aberrant unfolded and misfolded proteins. In eukaryotic cells, protein homeostasis within membrane-bound organelles is regulated by specialized signaling pathways, with the unfolded protein response in the endoplasmic reticulum serving as a foundational example. Yet, it is unclear if a similar surveillance mechanism exists in the nucleus. Here we leveraged engineered proteins called destabilizing domains to acutely expose mammalian cells to nuclear- or cytosolic- localized unfolded protein. We show that the appearance of unfolded protein in either compartment engages a common transcriptional response associated with the transcription factors Nrf1 and Nrf2. Uniquely, only in the nucleus does unfolded protein activate a robust p53-driven transcriptional response and a transient p53-independent cell cycle delay. These studies highlight the distinct effects of localized protein folding stress and the unique protein quality control environment of the nucleus.