Abstract:
P53 is one of the most important tumor suppressors. The resukts from functional analysis revealed that p53 is a potent stress responder that regulates cell-cycle arrest, DNA repair, cell senescence, and apoptosis. P53 is also recognized as a potential therapy target. MDM2 and MDMX are two major p53 suppressors, which can both inhibit p53 activity via different mechanisms. MDM2 is an E3 ligase of p53, which can promote p53 ubiquitination and can regulate p53 degradation and stabilization. MDMX does not have E3 ligase activity, but can directly bind to the N terminus of p53 and can inhibit p53 transactivation. Studies have shown that MDM2 and MDMX could work together to regulate p53 activity in a more complicated mechanism. The present work reviews the interplay among p53, MDM2, and MDMX.