Abstract 3471: Mutual regulation of MDM4 and TOP2A in cancer cell proliferation

Abstract

Abstract MDM4 and topoisomerase IIα (TOP2A) are important cancer-related factors. MDM4 acts as an oncoprotein promoting cancer progression by inhibiting tumor suppressor p53. As a DNA replication- and cell division-regulating enzyme, TOP2A is the main target of many anticancer therapy regimens, even though the exact role of TOP2A in cancer remains elusive. Herein we report that MDM4 and TOP2A bind to each other and are mutually upregulated at the post-translational level, leading to enhanced TOP2A catalytic activity, inhibition of p53, and increased tumor-cell proliferation. We demonstrate that the C-terminal region (CTR) of TOP2A binds to a unique sequence (residues 188-238) of MDM4, which contains an auto-inhibitory segment regulating MDM4-p53 interaction. TOP2A binding in turn activates MDM4 for p53 binding, resulting in enhanced inhibition of p53 and cancer cell proliferation. Conversely, binding of the MDM4 sequence to the CTR of TOP2A upregulates TOP2A protein expression. This in turn interferes with TOP2A DNA-decatenating activity. These results reveal novel functions of MDM4 and TOP2A as well as their interactions in oncogenesis, suggesting that inhibition of the MDM4-TOP2A interaction may represent a novel strategy in specifically and simultaneously targeting TOP2A and MDM4 for cancer treatment. Citation Format: Tao Liu, Hailong Zhang, Sha Yi, Lubing Gu, Muxiang Zhou. Mutual regulation of MDM4 and TOP2A in cancer cell proliferation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3471.