p130/E2F4 binds to and represses the cdc2 promoter in response to p53.

p53 represses the transcription of cdc2 and cyclin B1, causing loss of Cdc2 activity and G(2) arrest. Here we show that the region -22 to -2 of the cdc2 promoter called the R box is required for repression by p53 but not for basal promoter activity. The R box confers p53-dependent repression on heterologous promoters and binds to p130/E2F4 in response to overexpression of p53. R box-dependent repression requires p21/waf1, and overexpression of p21/waf1 also represses the cdc2 promoter. These observations suggest that p53 represses the cdc2 promoter by inducing p21/waf1, which inhibits cyclin-dependent kinase activity, enhancing the binding of p130 and E2F4, which together bind to and repress the cdc2 promoter.