New Insights into the Roles of p53 in Central Nervous System Diseases

The transcription factor p53, a widely accepted tumor suppressor, regulates the expression of many oncogenes and their downstream signaling pathways, resulting in a series of biological outcomes. Mutations and deletions of the p53 gene often occur in tumor tissues and are involved in their development. In addition to its role in tumors, p53 has a widespread expression in the brain and participates in most cell processes, such as dendrite formation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, DNA repair, and cell cycle arrest. Therefore, abnormalities in p53 and its related signaling pathways play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system diseases. This review mainly discusses the latest findings regarding the role of p53 in some central nervous system diseases, such as brain tumors, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, autism, epilepsy, spinocerebellar ataxia, and so on, to provide a comprehensive interpretation of the treatment of neurological diseases from a new perspective.