title: HdmX stimulates Hdm2-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of p53.
abstract: The RING finger proteins HdmX and Hdm2 share significant structural and functional similarity. Hdm2 is a member of the RING finger family of ubiquitin-protein ligases E3 and targets the tumor suppressor protein p53 for degradation. Although HdmX also binds to p53, HdmX does not induce p53 degradation. Moreover, HdmX has been reported to interfere with p53 degradation in overexpression experiments. To obtain insight into the mechanism by which HdmX interferes with p53 degradation, we studied the effect of HdmX on the E3 activity of Hdm2 in vitro. Surprisingly, this revealed that HdmX stimulates Hdm2-mediated ubiquitination of p53 and that HdmX facilitates ubiquitination of Hdm2 and vice versa. In addition, down-regulation of HdmX expression within cells results in the accumulation of both p53 and Hdm2. Because HdmX alone does not have appreciable E3 activity, these data indicate that HdmX acts as a stimulator, rather than as an inhibitor, of the E3 activity of Hdm2 and that, at least under certain conditions, HdmX is actively involved in the degradation of both p53 and Hdm2.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051736:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D025801:Ubiquitin / Q000378:metabolism; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D025801:Ubiquitin; C497206:MDM2 protein, human; D051736:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases