The murine double minute (mdm2) gene encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase that plays a key role in the degradation of p53 tumor suppressor protein. Nevertheless recent data highlight other p53-independent functions of MDM2. Given that MDM2 protein binds ATP, can interact with the Hsp90 chaperone, plays a role in the modulation of transcription factors and protection and activation of DNA polymerases, and is involved in ribosome assembly and nascent p53 protein biosynthesis, we have evaluated and found MDM2 protein to possess an intrinsic molecular chaperone activity. MDM2 can substitute for the Hsp90 molecular chaperone in promoting binding of p53 to the p21-derived promoter sequence. This reaction is driven by recycling of MDM2 from the p53 complex, triggered by binding of ATP to MDM2. The ATP binding mutant MDM2 protein (K454A) lacks the chaperone activity both in vivo and in vitro. Mdm2 cotransfected in the H1299 cell line with wild-type p53 stimulates efficient p53 folding in vivo but at the same time accelerates the degradation of p53. MDM2 in which one of the Zn 2؉ coordinating residues is mutated (C478S or C464A) blocks degradation but enhances folding of p53. This is the first demonstration that MDM2 possesses an intrinsic molecular chaperone activity, indicating that the ATP binding function of MDM2 can mediate its chaperone function toward the p53 tumor suppressor.The p53 tumor suppressor gene encodes a sequence-specific transcription factor that is mutated in the vast majority of human cancers (1). Two other paralogs of p53, namely p63 and p73, have been identified, but the physiological functions of each member of the p53 family appear to be rather distinct (for review, see Refs. 2 and 3). One of the foremost characterized target genes of p53 is the mdm2 gene. MDM2 protein possesses E3 ubiquitin ligase activity toward p53 that plays a role in the negative regulation of p53 and its degradation by the proteasome (for review, see Ref. 4).Through its ability to ubiquitylate p53 and target it for proteasomal degradation, MDM2 plays a key role in maintaining p53 at very low levels under non-stress conditions. In such circumstances MDM2 and p53 form a negative feedback loop in which p53 induces mdm2 transcription and MDM2 targets p53 for degradation (2). In stress situations, MDM2-dependent degradation of p53 is inhibited by a variety of mechanisms, including p14ARF binding to MDM2, phosphorylation of the C terminus of MDM2 by the ATM kinase, stress-induced phosphorylation of sites in the trans-activation domain of p53, subsequent binding of the p300 coactivator, and further acetylation of p53 in its C-terminal region (5), which results in an increase of the steady-state level of the p53 transcription factor and consequential flux in the expression of more than a hundred genes, including those involved in cell cycle arrest, senescence, and apoptosis (2).Recent reports indicate that apart from its initially discovered RING finger-dependent enzymatic E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, MDM2 has other functions. A hydroph...