Mouse models of Mdm2 and Mdm4 and their clinical implications

Mdm2 and Mdm4 are two key negative regulators of the tumor suppressor p53. Deletion of either Mdm2 or Mdm4 induces p53-dependent early embryonic lethality in knockout mouse models. The tissue-specific deletion of Mdm2 induces p53-dependent apoptosis, whereas the deletion of Mdm4 induces both p53-dependent apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Compared to Mdm4 deletion, Mdm2 deletion causes more severe phenotypic defects. Disrupting the Mdm2 and Mdm4 interaction using knockin mice models causes embryonic lethality that can be completely rescued by the concomitant loss of p53, suggesting that Mdm2 and Mdm4 heterodimerization is critical to inhibit p53 activity during embryogenesis. Overexpression of Mdm2 and Mdm4 in mice induces spontaneous tumorigenesis, which clearly indicates that Mdm2 and Mdm4 are bona fide oncogenes. Studies from these mouse models strongly suggest that blocking Mdm2- and Mdm4-mediated p53 inhibition is an appealing therapeutic strategy for cancer patients with wild-type p53 alleles.