P53 GENE

Domain	Definition
Health	A tumor suppressor gene that normally inhibits the growth of tumors. This gene is altered in many types of cancer. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Specialty Definition: P53 gene

Protein structure

The p53 protein is a phosphoprotein made of ~390 amino acids. It consists of three units (or domains):

A domain that activates transcription factors.
A domain that recognizes specific DNA sequences.
A domain that recognized damaged DNA, such as misaligned base pairs or single-stranded DNA.

p53 protein has been voted molecule of the year.

Mechanism

The p53 protein can regulate the cell in several ways:

It can activate DNA repair proteins when it recognizes damaged DNA.
It can also hold the cell cycle at the G₁/S regulation point on DNA damage recognition.
It can initiate apoptosis, the programmed cell death, if the DNA damage proves to be irrepairable.

Malfunctions

If the p53 gene is damaged, tumor suppression is severely reduced. People who inherit only one functional copy of p53 will most likely develop tumors in early adulthood, a disease known as Li-Fraumeni syndrome. p53 can also be damaged in cells by mutagens (chemicals, radiation or viruses), increasing the likelihood that the cell will begin uncontrolled division. More than 50 percent of human tumors contain a mutation or deletion of the p53 gene.

Crosswords: P53 GENE

Specialty definitions using "P53 GENE": Protein p53 ♦ SCH-58500. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Anagrams: P53 GENE

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "3-5-e-e-g-n-p"
	-3 letters: gene, neep, peen.
	-4 letters: eng, gee, gen, nee, pee, peg, pen.
	-5 letters: en, ne, pe.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.