Highly purified p53 protein from different sources was able to degrade
DNA with a 3'-to-5' polarity, yielding deoxynucleoside monophosphates
as reaction products. This exonuclease activity was dependent on Mg2 and inhibited by addition of 5 mM nucleoside monophosphates. This exo
nuclease activity is intrinsic to the wild-type p53 protein: it copuri
fied with p53 during p53 preparation; only purified wild-type p53, but
not identically purified mutant p53 proteins displayed exonuclease ac
tivity; the exonuclease activity could be reconstituted from SDS gel-p
urified and urea-renatured p53 protein and mapped to the core domain o
f the p53 molecule; and finally, purified p53 protein could be UV cros
s-linked to GMP. A p53-intrinsic exonuclease activity should substanti
ally extend our view on the role of p53 as a ''guardian of the genome.
''