P130 shares structural and functional homology with pRb and p107. One property common to p107 and p130, but not to pRb, is the ability to stably interact with cyclin A/cdk2 and cyclin E/cdk2 complexes in vitro and in vivo. Using GST-p130 fusion proteins representing various regions of p130, baculovirus-produced cyclin A/cdk2 and cyclin E/cdk2 complexes were found to interact with residues within a part of p130 known as the spacer region. Cyclin E was able to bind the p130 spacer region in the presence or absence of cdk2 whereas cyclin A binding was dependent upon the presence of cdk2. The smallest p130 fusion protein sufficient to interact with cyclin A/cdk2 or cyclin E/cdk2 complexes contained p130 amino acids 652-698 and deletion of p130 amino acids 680-682 abolished binding to both of the cyclin/cdk2 complexes. When overexpressed in C33A cells, a p130 mutant containing a deletion of amino acids 620-697 was unable to form complexes with either cyclin A or cyclin E. This p130 mutant was at least as active as wild type p130 in suppressing the growth of G418 resistant colonies when overexpressed in C33A or SAOS-2 cells.