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Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53
14:57

Yeast As a Chassis for Developing Functional Assays to Study Human P53

Published on: August 4, 2019

Regulation of p53 downstream genes

W S el-Deiry1

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104, USA.

Seminars in Cancer Biology
|April 2, 1999
PubMed

Insights

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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