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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
14:57
Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53
Published on: August 4, 2019
Regulation of p53 downstream genes
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
Seminars in Cancer Biology
|April 2, 1999
Summary
The p53 tumor suppressor protein, crucial in cancer, regulates gene expression to control cell fate. This review details p53
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The p53 tumor suppressor is frequently mutated in human cancers.
- p53 protein stabilization occurs due to DNA damage, hypoxia, and other stressors.
- Activated p53 functions as a transcription factor, influencing numerous cellular processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the transcriptional targets of the p53 protein.
- To elucidate the regulation of these target genes by p53.
- To assess the significance of p53 target genes in mediating p53's biological functions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on p53 transcriptional targets.
- Analysis of p53-mediated gene regulation mechanisms.
- Evaluation of the functional roles of identified p53 target genes.
Main Results:
- p53 activates a diverse set of target genes, including p21WAFI, GADD45, and BAX.
- These genes mediate key p53 functions like cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and senescence.
- Post-translational modifications like phosphorylation and acetylation are critical for p53 activation.
Conclusions:
- The transcriptional targets of p53 are central to its tumor-suppressive functions.
- Understanding p53 target gene regulation is vital for cancer therapy.
- p53's role in diverse cellular responses is executed through a network of target genes.
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