MDM2 interacts with the C-terminus of the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase epsilon.

MDM2 is induced by p53 in response to cellular insults such as DNA damage and can have effects upon the cell cycle that are independent or downstream of p53. We used a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify proteins that bind to MDM2 and which therefore might be involved in these effects. We found that MDM2 can bind to the C-terminus of the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase epsilon (DNA pol epsilon), to a region that is known to be essential in yeast. In an in vitro system we confirmed that MDM2 could bind to the homologous regions of both mouse and human DNA pol epsilon and to full-length human DNA pol epsilon. DNA pol epsilon co-immunoprecipitated with MDM2 from transfected H1299 cells and also from a HeLa cell nuclear extract. We show here that the DNA pol epsilon-interacting domain of MDM2 is located between amino acids 50 and 166. Our studies provide evidence that MDM2 interacts with a region of DNA pol epsilon that plays a critical role in the function of DNA pol epsilon.