PML is a ROS sensor activating p53 upon oxidative stress

PML nuclear bodies (NBs) recruit partner proteins -including p53 and its regulators- controlling their abundance or function. Investigating arsenic sensitivity of acute promyelocytic leukemia, we proposed that PML oxidation promotes NB-biogenesis. Yet, physiological links between PML and oxidative stress response in vivo remain unexplored. Here we identify PML as a reactive oxygen species (ROS) sensor. Pml-/- cells accumulate ROS, while PML expression decreases ROS levels. Unexpectedly, Pml-/- embryos survive acute glutathione depletion. Moreover, Pml-/- animals are resistant to acetaminophen hepatotoxicity or fasting-induced steatosis. Molecularly, Pml-/- animals fail to properly activate oxidative stress-responsive p53 targets, while NRF2 response is accelerated. Finally, in an oxidative stress-prone background, Pml-/- animals display a longevity phenotype, likely reflecting decreased basal p53 activation. Thus, similar to p53, PML exerts basal anti-oxidant properties, but also drives oxidative stress-induced changes in cell survival/proliferation or metabolism in vivo. Through NB-biogenesis, PML therefore couples ROS-sensing to p53 responses, shedding a new light on PML role in senescence or stem cell biology.

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Niwa-Kawakita M, Ferhi O, Soilihi H, Le Bras M, Lallemand-Breitenbach V, de Thé H