p21 binding to PCNA causes G1 and G2 cell cycle arrest in p53-deficient cells

A unique feature of p21 that distinguishes it from the other cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors is its ability to associate with the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), an auxiliary factor for DNA polymerases δ and ε. While it is now well established that inhibition of cyclin/CDK complexes by p21 can result in G1 cell cycle arrest, the consequences of p21/PCNA interaction on cell cycle progression have not yet been determined. Here, we show, using a tetracycline-regulated system, that expression of wild-type p21 in p53-deficient DLD1 human colon cancer cells inhibits DNA synthesis and causes G1 and G2 cell cycle arrest. Similar effects are observed in cells expressing p21CDK−, a mutant impaired in the interaction with CDKs, but not in cells expressing p21PCNA−, a mutant deficient for the interaction with PCNA. Analysis of cells treated with a p21-derived PCNA-binding peptide provides additional evidence that the growth inhibitory effects of p21 and p21CDK− result from their ability to bind to PCNA. Our results suggest that p21 might inhibit cell cycle progression by two independent mechanisms, inhibition of cyclin/CDK complexes, and inhibition of PCNA function resulting in both G1 and G2 arrest.