p53 function and dysfunction

Abstract

The word “cancer” is used to describe a group of heterogeneous pathologic states in which cells multiply abnormally and invade surrounding tissues. There are hundreds of different kinds of cancers, at least one originating from nearly every cell type in the mammalian organism. One long-standing hope has been that the same biochemical pathway for controlling growth is disrupted in many different kinds of cancers, despite their biologic heterogeneity; this would provide acommon denominator for understanding, treating, and preventing these diseases. The pathway involving p53 fulfills this hope, as alterations of this tumor suppressor gene appear to be involved, directly or indirectly, in the majority of human malignancies. This has in turn stimulated an intense search for the biochemical functions of p53 and the effects of mutation on these properties.