Cell-specific transcriptional activation of the mdm2-gene by ectopically expressed wild-type form of a temperature-sensitive mutant p53.

The temperature-sensitive mutant p53 tsp53val135 (tsp53) displays a mutant phenotype at 38 degrees C, but assumes properties of a wild-type (wt) p53 at 32 degrees C. We analysed the cellular responses of two cell lines which ectopically overexpress tsp53, and dramatically differ in their responses to tsp53 expressed at 32 degrees C. Clone 6 (cl6) cells [precrisis rat embryo fibroblasts transformed by tsp53val135 and an activated ras oncogene at 38 degrees C (Michalovitz et al., 1990. Cell 62, 671-680) stop to grow and arrest mainly in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, whereas MethAp53ts cells [BALB/c mouse MethA tumor cells, transfected with the same tsp53 encoding vector as cl6 cells (Otto and Deppert, 1993. Oncogene 8, 2591-2603)] do not growth arrest at 32 degrees C. Both cell lines expressed similar amounts of tsp53, which was mainly cytoplasmic at 38 degrees C and mainly nuclear at 32 degrees C. At 32 degrees C, both cell lines contained similar amounts of waf1/cip1 mRNA. However, the amount of mdm2 mRNA in MethAp53ts cells was considerably higher compared to that in cl6 cells. The different transcriptional regulation of the mdm2-gene in cl6 and MethAp53ts cells at 32 degrees C indicated that the tsp53 proteins in these cells were functionally different. This assumption was supported by our finding that at 32 degrees C phosphorylation of the tsp53 in these cells was markedly different. We conclude that the cellular environment is an important determinant of p53 function.