CARF (collaborator of ARF) interacts with HDM2: evidence for a novel regulatory feedback regulation of CARF-p53-HDM2-p21WAF1 pathway.

We initially cloned CARF (collaborator of ARF), as a novel ARF-binding protein by a yeast interaction screen. It also interacts with p53 directly leading to ARF-independent enhancement of p53 function and in turn undergoes a negative feedback regulation. Herein we report that i) CARF interacts with HDM2 and undergoes degradation by an HDM2-dependent proteasome pathway, and ii) it acts as a transcriptional repressor of HDM2. By overexpression and silencing studies, we demonstrated that CARF exerts a vital control on the p53-HDM2-p21WAF1 pathway that is frequently altered in cancer cells.