Abrogation of p53-mediated transactivation by SV40 large T antigen

p53 is known to bind specifically to the 44-bp human DNA sequence in an immunoprecipitation assay. We show here that the transcription of the reporter CAT gene linked with the herpesvirus thymidine kinase (tk) promoter containing the 44-base sequence is enhanced by mouse wild-type but not mutant-type p53 in F9 and p53-null Saos-2 cells. The p53-mediated transactivation was dramatically abrogated by introduction of SV40 large T antigen (SVLT) in Saos-2 cells in which p53 was clearly associated with SVLT. Furthermore, the p53-SVLT complex did not bind to the 44-base sequence at all. Thus, SVLT sequesters the transactivation function of the wild-type p53 by inhibiting the binding of p53 to the 44-base sequence. This is good evidence to show 'loss of functions' in the product of a tumor-suppressor oncogene by a dominant oncogene product at a molecular level.