Background: Cyclin G1 is a transcriptional target of p53 and is induced by DNA damage in a p53 dependent manner. Analysis of cyclin G1 disrupted mice demonstrated that cyclin G1 is involved in many of the functions regulated by p53 such as apoptosis, growth control and check point regulation in response to DNA damage. The results suggest that the main role of cyclin G1 is to mediate or regulate the function of p53.

Results: Western blot analysis revealed that the accumulation of p53 protein during the initial 24 h period following DNA damage is reduced in cyclin G1^–/– cells compared to wild‐type cells. This decrease in p53 accumulation could be recovered by introducing a cDNA expressing cyclin G1. Cyclin G1 interacted directly with MDM2 and promoted the formation of the ARF/MDM2 complex within the initial 24 h period following DNA damage. Furthermore, 48 h after irradiation, accumulation of p53 protein was enhanced in cyclin G1^–/– cells compared to wild‐type cells. In contrast, in 48 h postirradiated wild‐type cells, the cyclin G1‐MDM2 complex was found not to be associated with ARF but with the B′α subunit of protein phosphatase A.

Conclusion: These results suggest that cyclin G1 stabilizes and promotes the degradation of p53 protein by associating, respectively, with MDM2 complexes containing ARF and PP2A.