Summary MDM2, a negative regulator of p53, is elevated in many cancers that retain wild-type p53. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the human MDM2 promoter increases the affinity of Sp1 resulting in elevated MDM2 levels. We generated mice carrying either the MDM2SNP309T or the MDM2SNP309G allele to address the impact of MDM2SNP309G on tumorigenesis. Mdm2SNP309G/G cells exhibit elevated Mdm2 levels, reduced p53 levels, and decreased apoptosis. Importantly, some Mdm2SNP309G/G mice succumbed to tumors before one year of age, suggesting that this allele increases tumor risk. Additionally, the Mdm2SNP309G allele potentiates the tumor phenotype and alters tumor spectrum in mice inheriting a p53 hot-spot mutation. These data provide causal evidence for increased cancer risk in carriers of the Mdm2SNP309G allele.

Summary Mdm2 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets p53 for degradation. p53515C (encoding p53R172P) is a hypomorphic allele of p53 that rescues the embryonic lethality of Mdm2−/− mice. Mdm2−/− p53515C/515C mice, however, die by postnatal day 13 due to hematopoietic failure. Hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors of Mdm2−/− p53515C/515C mice were normal in fetal livers but were depleted in postnatal bone marrows. After birth, these mice had elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) thus activating p53R172P. In the absence of Mdm2, stable p53R172P induced ROS, and cell cycle arrest, senescence and cell death in the hematopoietic compartment. This phenotype was partially rescued with antioxidant treatment and upon culturing of hematopoietic cells in methycellulose at 3% oxygen. p16 was also stabilized due to ROS, and its loss increased cell cycling, and partially rescued hematopoiesis and survival. Thus, Mdm2 is required to control ROS-induced p53 levels for sustainable hematopoiesis.

p53 levels are tightly regulated in normal cells, and thus the wild-type p53 protein is nearly undetectable until stimulated through a variety of stresses. In response to stress, p53 is released from its negative regulators, mainly Mdm2, allowing p53 to be stabilized to activate cell cycle arrest, senescence, and apoptosis programs. Many of the upstream signals that regulate wild type p53 are known; however, limited information for the regulation of mutant p53 exists. Previously, we demonstrated that wild-type and mutant p53R172H are regulated in a similar manner in the absence of Mdm2 or p16. Additionally, this stabilization of mutant p53 is responsible for the gain-of-function metastatic phenotype observed in the mouse. In this report, we examined the role of oncogenes, DNA damage, and reactive oxygen species, signals that stabilize wild type p53, on the stabilization of mutant p53 in vivo and the consequences of this expression on tumor formation and survival. These factors stabilized mutant p53 protein which often times contributed to exacerbated tumor phenotypes. These findings, coupled with the fact that patients carry p53 mutations without stabilization of p53, suggest that personalized therapeutic schemes may be needed for individual patients depending on their p53 status.

This is the first study to demonstrate that knockdown of hepatic SPARC expression ameliorates thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats with chronic liver injury. SPARC is a potential target for gene therapy in liver fibrosis.