Abstract

p53 is one of the most important tumour suppressor proteins currently known. It is activated in response to DNA damage and this activation leads to proliferation arrest and cell death. The abundance and activity of p53 are tightly controlled and reductions in p53' s activity can contribute to the development of cancer. Here, we show that Fam83F increases p53 protein levels by protein stabilisation. Fam83F interacts with p53 and decreases its ubiquitination and degradation. Fam83F is induced in response to DNA damage and its overexpression also increases p53 activity in cell culture experiments and in zebrafish embryos. Downregulation of Fam83F decreases transcription of p53 target genes in response to DNA damage and increases cell proliferation, identifying Fam83F as an important regulator of the DNA damage response. Overexpression of Fam83F also enhances migration of cells harbouring mutant p53 demonstrating that it can also activate mutant forms of p53.