Inhibition of CDK activity and PCNA-dependent DNA replication by p21 is blocked by interaction with the HPV-16 E7 oncoprotein

  1. Jens Oliver Funk1,
  2. Shou Waga2,
  3. Jo Beth Harry1,
  4. Erik Espling1,
  5. Bruce Stillman2, and
  6. Denise A. Galloway1,3
  1. 1Program in Cancer Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC), Seattle, Washington 98109 USA; 2Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724 USA

Abstract

p21 inhibits cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-dependent DNA replication by binding to CDK/cyclin complexes and to PCNA through distinct domains. The human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 E7 oncoprotein (16E7) abrogated a DNA damage-induced cell cycle arrest in vivo, despite high levels of p21. Using cell lysates and purified proteins we show that 16E7 prevented p21 both from inhibiting CDK2/cyclin E activity and PCNA-dependent DNA replication, whereas the nononcogenic HPV-6 E7 had reduced effects. Inactivation of both inhibitory functions of p21 was attained through binding between 16E7 and sequences in the carboxy-terminal end of p21 that overlap with the PCNA-binding site and the second p21 cyclin-binding motif. These data imply that the carboxyl terminus of p21 simultaneously modulates both CDK activity and PCNA-dependent DNA replication and that a single protein, 16E7, can override this modulation to disrupt normal cell cycle control.

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Footnotes

  • 3 Corresponding author.

  • E-MAIL dgallowa{at}fhcrc.org; FAX (206) 667-5815.

    • Received May 23, 1997.
    • Accepted July 3, 1997.
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