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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Jun 24.
Published in final edited form as: Cell. 2008 May 30;133(5):930–30.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2008.05.020
Site Modifying Enzyme Cellular Function Disease or Knockout Phenotype
Phosphorylation N-Terminal: S6, S9, S15, T18, S20
  • ATM, DNAPK, CK1

  • ERKs, ATR, p38 kinase, mTOR, Chk1/Chk2, JNK, MAPKAP2, Hipk4

  • Activated by DNA damage, UV light, ionizing radiation, replicative senescence, or phosphatidylcholines.

  • N-terminal phosphorylation causes p53 stabilization by inhibiting the p53-MDM2 interaction.

  • Knockin mice carrying separate analogs to human Ser18/ Ser23 mutation are phenotypically normal. Thymocytes from Ser18 mutant mice are susceptible to ionizing radiation-induced apoptosis, whereas S23 mutation in ES cells and MEFs is dispensable for p53 stabilization and activation. Ser18/Ser23 double mutant knockin mice display reduced apoptosis in thymocytes and develop some malignancies.

  • Very rare mutations reported in human tumors.

S33, S37, S36, S46, T55, T81
  • GSK3β, p38 kinase, ATR, DNAPK, JNK, AMPKalpha

  • HIPK2, DYKR2, ERK2, TAF1

  • Activation by UV light (S33, S37, S46, Thr81), H2O2 treatment (S33), γ-radiation, DNA damage (S37), and glucose deprivation (Ser46).

  • Phosphorylation leads to stabilization and promotes p53 transcriptional activity to regulate p53-mediated cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis.

  • Very rare mutations reported in human tumors.

S149, T150, T155
  • CSN-associated kinase complex

  • Activated in unstressed cells.

  • Promotes p53 degradation.

  • Very rare mutations reported in human tumors.

S315, S376, S378, S392
  • PKC, PKR, GSK3β

  • FACT-CK2, p38 kinase

  • CDK (cdc2/ck2), AURKA

  • Activated by UV light (CDK/GSK3β, FACT-CK2, p38 kinase), AURKA over-expression, and interferon signaling (PKR)

  • S351 phosphorylation activates p53-mediated transcription to regulate apoptosis and cell cycle.

  • PKC constitutively phosphorylates p53 at S376 and S378 in unstressed cells, IR stress leads to dephosphorylation.

  • S392 phosphorylation promotes sequence-specific p53 DNA binding.

  • Knockin of S392 mouse analog (S389) is phenotypically normal. p53 transcriptional activation is partially compromised in cells isolated from knockin mice.

  • Very rare mutations have been reported for individual sites in human tumors.

Acetylation K120
  • hMOF, Tip60

  • K120 acetylation is promoted upon DNA damage.

  • Acetylation at K120 is crucial for p53-mediated apoptosis via BAX and PUMA.

  • K120 acetylation is dispensable for cell-cycle regulation and growth arrest.

  • p53 acetylated at K120 accumulates at proapoptotic target genes.

  • K120 mutations to Arg, Glu, or Met have been reported in human tumors.

  • Effect of K120 point mutations in animal models will need to be determined.

K164
  • p300 / CBP

  • Acetylation is induced by DNA damage and HDAC inhibitor treatment.

  • K164 mutation does not affect DNA binding.

  • Acetylation is required for growth arrest and apoptosis.

  • Mutations of K164 are reported in human tumors.

K320
  • PCAF

  • Acetylation of K320 by PCAF is induced by DNA damage.

  • K320 acetylation increases p53 DNA-binding capability.

  • p53 K320 acetylation state effects transcriptional activity.

  • Knockin experiments of the mouse homolog K317R, mimicking p53 unacetylated at K320, enhance p53-mediated apoptosis after DNA damage in all cell types analyzed.

  • Very rare mutations reported in human tumors.

K370, K372, K373, K381, K382, K386
  • p300/CBP

  • C-terminal acetylation levels are enhanced upon stress.

  • Acetylation levels increase upon HDAC inhibitor (TSA, nicotinamide) treatment.

  • C-terminal acetylation enhances p53 sequence-specific DNA-binding activity.

  • Acetylation promotes CBP/p300 recruitment and target gene activation.

  • p53 stability is affected by C-terminal acetylation due to inhibition of ubiquitination at acetylated lysines.

  • p53 is deacetylated by HDACs and Sirt1.

  • Deacetylation by Sirt represses p53-dependent apoptosis in response to DNA damage and oxidative stress.

  • Knockin experiments in mice introducing p53 with the C-terminal lysines mutated (6KR/7KR) produced viable and phenotypically normal animals. C-terminal KR stem cells, MEFs, and thymocytes show normal p53 stabilization after DNA damage, yet p53 target gene expression is impaired in promoter-specific fashion.

  • Very rare mutations reported in human tumors.

Ubiquitination and UB-like Modification UB: K370, K372, K373, K381, K382, K386
  • MDM2

  • Arf-BP1, COP1, and Pirh2

  • MDM2-mediated polyubiquitination leads to p53 degradation.

  • monoubiquitination of p53 results in nuclear export.

  • Arf-BP1, COP1, and Pirh2 all ubiquitinate p53 and target it for proteasomal degradation.

  • HAUSP deubiquitinates p53 as well as regulates p53 via deubiquitination of MDM2 and MDMX.

  • Knockin experiments in mice introducing p53 with the C-terminal lysines mutated (6KR/7KR) produced viable and phenotypically normal animals. C-terminal KR stem cells, MEFs, and thymocytes display normal p53 stabilization after DNA damage, yet p53 target gene expression is impaired in a promoter-specific fashion.

  • Knockin experiments of the mouse homolog K317R, mimicking p53 unacetylated at K320, enhance p53-mediated apoptosis after DNA damage in all cell types analyzed.

  • Very rare mutations reported in human tumors.

SUMO: K386
  • PIAS, PIASxβ

  • Functional consequences are unclear. Both activation and suppression of transcriptional regulation have been reported.

NEDD8: K320 K321, K370, K372, K373
  • FBXO11, MDM2

  • Neddylation of p53 inhibits transcriptional activity.

Methylation K370
  • Smyd2

  • Inhibition of p53-promoter association resulting in p53 target gene repression.

  • Knockin experiments in mice introducing p53 with mutated C-terminal lysines (6KR/7KR) produced viable and phenotypically normal animals. C-terminal KR stem cells, MEFs, and thymocytes show normal p53 stabilization after DNA damage, yet p53 target gene expression is impaired in promoter-specific fashion.

  • Modest effect of C-terminal lysine mutant knockins implies limited effect of p53 regulation via single site metylation.

  • Very rare mutations reported in human tumors.

K372
  • Set7/9

  • Methylation stabilizes p53 and promotes nuclear localization to upregulate p53 target gene expression.

  • Blocks Smyd-mediated K370 methylation.

K382
  • Set8/PR-Set7

  • Suppresses p53 mediated transcription.

  • Augments proapoptotic and checkpoint activation.

Others O-GlcNAc: Ser149
  • O-GlcNAc transferase, O-GLcNAcase

  • Stabilization of p53 by blocking ubiquitination-mediated proteolysis.

  • Modification prevents T155 phosphorylation.

  • In vivo role of these modifications is not yet determined.

  • Very rare mutations reported in human tumors.

ADP-ribosylation: E258, D259, E271
  • PARP-1

  • ADP-ribosylation prevents p53-Crm1 interaction, resulting in nuclear accumulation of p53 due to inhibition of nuclear export of p53.