The relevance of protein-protein interactions for p53 function: the CPE contribution

The relevance of p53 as a tumour suppressor is evident from the fact that more than 50% of the human cancers hold mutations in the gene coding for p53, and of the remaining cancers a considerable number have alterations in the p53 pathway. From its discovery 30 years ago, the importance of p53 as an essential transcription factor for tumour suppression has become clear. More recently, new and seemingly diverse roles of p53 have been discovered. It soon became clear that protein-protein interactions play an important role in the regulation of the p53 function at different levels. Here we review the contribution by Prof. Fersht and his group towards understanding the basis and functional relevance of p53 protein-protein interactions, and the important role that protein science, biophysics and structural biology have played in the science produced in the Centre for Protein Engineering over the years.