The human MDM2 oncoprotein increases the transcriptional activity and the protein level of the p53 homolog p63

Genetic alteration of the p53 tumor suppressor gene, which monitors DNA damage and operates cell cycle checkpoints, is a major factor in the development of human malignancies. The p53 protein belongs to a family that also includes two structurally related proteins, p63 and p73. Although all three proteins share similar transcriptional functions and antiproliferative effects, each of them appears to play a distinct role in development and tumor suppression. One of the principal regulators of p53 activity is the MDM2 protein. The interaction of MDM2 with p53 inhibits p53 transcriptional activity and targets p53 for ubiquitin-dependent degradation. The ability of MDM2 to inhibit p53 functions is antagonized by the ARF oncosuppressor protein. We show here that like p53, the p63α and p63γ isoforms are able to associate with human MDM2 (HDM2). Overexpression of HDM2 increased the steady-state level of intracellular p63 and enhanced its transcriptional activity. Both effects appeared to be counteracted by ARF coexpression. These data indicate that p63 can be activated by HDM2 under conditions in which p53 is inhibited. Therefore, HDM2 expression could support p63-specific transcriptional functions on a common set of genes, keeping interference by p53 at a minimum.