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p53, also known as Tumor protein P53, cellular tumor antigen p53 (UniProt name), or transformation-related protein 53 (TRP53) is a regulatory protein that is often mutated in human cancers. The p53 proteins (originally thought to be, and often spoken of as, a single protein) are crucial in vertebrates , where they prevent cancer formation. [ 5 ]
P53, p63, and p73 have similar features in their gene structures and functions but have also diverged evolutionarily. The p53 family evolved from an ancestor gene in unicellular life. [ 4 ] The ancestor gene functioned in germ line DNA protection early invertebrates. [ 5 ]
p53 mutations can function as a dominant negative, meaning that a mutated p53 protein can prevent the function of the natural protein produced from the non-mutated allele. [9] Other tumor-suppressor genes that do not follow the two-hit rule are those that exhibit haploinsufficiency, including PTCH in medulloblastoma and NF1 in neurofibroma.
The G1/S transition is highly regulated by transcription factor p53 in order to halt the cell cycle when DNA is damaged. [5] It is a "point of no return" beyond which the cell is committed to dividing; in yeast this is called the Start point, and in multicellular eukaryotes it is termed the restriction point (R-Point).
The p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) also known as Bcl-2-binding component 3 (BBC3), is a pro-apoptotic protein, member of the Bcl-2 protein family. [5] [6] In humans, the Bcl-2-binding component 3 protein is encoded by the BBC3 gene. [5] [6] The expression of PUMA is regulated by the tumor suppressor p53.
Apoptosis-stimulating of p53 protein 2 (ASPP2) also known as Bcl2-binding protein (Bbp) and tumor suppressor p53-binding protein 2 (p53BP2) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TP53BP2 gene. [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.
There are several thousand different strains of knockout mice. [3] Many mouse models are named after the gene that has been inactivated. For example, the p53 knockout mouse is named after the p53 gene which codes for a protein that normally suppresses the growth of tumours by arresting cell division and/or inducing apoptosis.
In the field of genetics, a suicide gene is a gene that will cause a cell to kill itself through the process of apoptosis (programmed cell death). Activation of a suicide gene can cause death through a variety of pathways, but one important cellular "switch" to induce apoptosis is the p53 protein.