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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Purification of Ubiquitinated p53 Proteins from Mammalian Cells
Published on: March 21, 2022
The p53 target Wig-1 regulates p53 mRNA stability through an AU-rich element
Anna Vilborg1, Jacob A Glahder, Margareta T Wilhelm
1Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institute, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
The p53 target gene Wig-1 encodes a double-stranded-RNA-binding zinc finger protein. We show here that Wig-1 binds to p53 mRNA and stabilizes it through an AU-rich element (ARE) in the 3' UTR of the p53 mRNA. This effect is mirrored by enhanced p53 protein levels in both unstressed cells and cells exposed to p53-activating stress agents. Thus, the p53 target Wig-1 is a previously undescribed ARE-regulating protein that acts as a positive feedback regulator of p53, with implications both for the steady-state levels of p53 and for the p53 stress response. Our data reveal a previously undescribed link between the tumor suppressor p53 and posttranscriptional gene regulation via AREs in mRNA.
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