INHIBITION OF DNA-REPLICATION FACTOR RPA BY P53

THE tumour suppressor p53 specifically interferes with the onset of S phase. The mechanism of the growth suppression action of the protein is unclear, though recent evidence points to transcriptional activation and repression functions of the protein1. A competing hypothesis suggests that p53 interacts with the DNA replication apparatus and directly interferes with DNA replication. The major evidence for this hypothesis is that p53 interacts with the simian virus 40 (SV40)-encoded protein T antigen and interferes with the ability of T antigen to unwind the SV40 origin of DNA replication, and recruit DNA polymerase alpha to the replication initiation complex2,3. Here we report that p53 physically interacts with and inhibits the function of a cellular DNA replication factor, the single-stranded DNA-binding protein complex RPA.