UV-C-induced DNA damage leads to p53-dependent nuclear trafficking of PML

The promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) is a nuclear phosphoprotein that localizes to distinct domains in the nucleus, described as PML nuclear bodies (PML-NBs). Recent findings indicate that PML regulates the p53 response to oncogenic signals. Here, we define a p53-dependent role for PML in response to DNA damage. We exposed cells to ultraviolet light (UV-C) and imaged the nuclear distribution of PML, p53, and the BLM helicase by confocal microscopy. After DNA damage, PML partially relocated out of the PML-NBs, and colocalized with BLM and p53 at sites of DNA repair. In addition, using the isogenic HCT116 cell tines (p53+/+ and -/-), we show that the redistribution of PML was dependent on functional p53. Western analysis revealed that the level of PML protein remained unaltered after UV-C treatment. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that PML, in conjunction with p53 and BLM, contributes to the cellular response to UV-C-induced DNA damage and its repair.