Inhibition of the transcriptional function of p53 by EWS–Fli1 chimeric protein in Ewing Family Tumors

Abstract The chromosomal translocation t(11;22)(q24;q12) generates the EWS–Fli1 fusion gene, which contributes to the development of Ewing Family Tumors (EFTs). Although p53 mutations are found only in 5–20% of EFTs, the p53 pathway is thought to be abrogated in EFTs. The role of EWS–Fli1 in the p53 pathway in the tumor is still poorly understood. In this study, using immunoprecipitation and co-localization, we show that EWS–Fli1 interacts with p53 within the nucleus in vivo . The introduction of EWS–Fli1 resulted in significant reduction of promoter activities and mRNA levels of p21 and mdm2, meanwhile it canceled p53-dependent growth suppression. In contrast, knockdown of EWS–Fli1 expression mediated by small interfering RNAs (siRNA) also augmented the induction of p21 and mdm2 in response to DNA damage. Furthermore, using serial deletion constructs of the EWS–Fli1 fusion protein, we determined that EWS–Fli1 binding to p53 as well as inhibition of p21 and mdm2 promoter activities was mediated by its N-terminal domain (amino acid residues 65–109). These observations suggest that the N-terminal region of EWS–Fli1 might associate with p53 and impair its transcriptional activity, subsequently inhibiting the expression of its downstream genes. These results might provide new insight into the oncogenesis of EFTs by EWS–Fli1 via the inhibition of p53 function.