Transient Nutlin-3a Treatment Promotes Endoreduplication and the Generation of Therapy-Resistant Tetraploid Cells

p53 Activity is controlled in large part by MDM2, an E3 ubiquitin ligase that binds p53 and promotes its degradation. The MDM2 antagonist Nutlin-3a stabilizes p53 by blocking its interaction with MDM2. Several studies have supported the potential use of Nutlin-3a in cancer therapy. Two different p53 wild-type cancer cell lines (U2OS and HCT116) treated with Nutlin-3a for 24 hours accumulated 2N and 4N DNA content, suggestive of G(1) and G(2) phase cell cycle arrest. This coincided with increased p53 and p21 expression, hypophosphorylation of pRb, and depletion of Cyclin B1, Cyclin A, and CDC2. Upon removal of Nutlin-3a, 4N cells entered S phase and re-replicated their DNA without an intervening mitotic division, a process known as endoreduplication. p53-p21 pathway activation was required for the depletion of Cyclin B1, Cyclin A, and CDC2 in Nutlin-3a-treated cells and for endoreduplication after Nutlin-3a removal. Stable tetraploid clones could be isolated from Nutlin-3a treated cells, and these tetraploid clones were more resistant to ionizing radiation and cisplatin-induced apoptosis than diploid counterparts. These data indicate that transient Nutlin-3a treatment of p53 wild-type cancer cells can promote endoreduplication and the generation of therapy-resistant tetraploid cells. These findings have important implications regarding the use of Nutlin-3a in cancer therapy