Differential expression of multiple MDM2 messenger RNAs and proteins in normal and tumorigenic breast epithelial cells.

The MDM2 gene is a nuclear phosphoprotein that is regulated by p53 and functions, in one capacity, to inhibit the transcriptional activity of the wild-type p53 protein. Multiple MDM2 transcripts were detected in human breast epithelial cells. In estrogen receptor-negative normal, immortal, and tumorigenic breast epithelial cells, we found a good correlation between MDM2 mRNA levels and expression of wild-type p53. When wild-type p53 was overexpressed in estrogen receptor-negative tumor cells containing a mutant or no endogenous p53, MDM2 mRNA levels increased significantly, indicating that wild-type p53 positively influences MDM2 mRNA levels in these tumor cells. Because all estrogen receptor-positive breast tumor cells had high MDM2 mRNA levels regardless of the status of their endogenous p53 protein, other factors likely influence MDM2 expression in these cells. Distinct MDM2 proteins (range, Mr 54,000-68,000 and 90,000-100,000, respectively) were differentially expressed in human breast epithelial cells. The lower molecular weight MDM2 proteins were most abundant in the normal mammary cells but present at varying levels in many of the tumor cells examined. MDM2 was a nuclear protein; however, nuclear staining intensity did not always correlate with the amount of MDM2-immunoreactive protein as determined by Western blot analysis. This discrepancy suggests that MDM2 interacts with novel cellular proteins in different kinds of breast epithelial cells.