What Are the Functions of the p53 Gene?
The p53 gene creates the p53 protein, a tumor suppressor that works by regulating the cell cycle. When there is damage to the DNA of a cell, p53 can stop the cell's continued growth or even trigger cell death to prevent cancer.-
Discovery of p53
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The p53 gene was discovered in 1979 by Arnold Levine, David Lane and William Old. It was initially thought to be an oncogene, which is a gene that turns healthy cells cancerous. It took a decade for scientists to realize that the opposite was true: p53 actually works to prevent healthy cells from becoming tumors.
Biography of Gene p53
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The p53 gene creates a protein that monitors cells for damage to their DNA. The protein got its name because its molecular mass is 53,000 atomic mass units, and the "p" stands for protein. It is found in small amounts in healthy cells, and lasts for only a few minutes.
The p53 gene is located on chromosome number 17. The p53 protein is not essential to life, but it is very important guarding the health of cells.
Halting Cell Growth
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One way that p53 stops the production of tumor cells is by halting cell growth when anything goes wrong. The cell cycle has multiple checkpoints, and p53 stops cell growth at checkpoint G1 when any problems are detected.
Triggering Apoptosis, or Cell Death
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The second way that p53 deals with tumor cells is by programming them to self-destruct. This process is called apoptosis, and it is a natural part of the cell cycle. However, damaged cells sometimes don't receive the instructions to self-destruct and may go on to become cancerous.
Current Research
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As of 2010, scientists are looking for ways to use the p53 gene to successfully fight cancer. In most cases where tumors occur, the p53 gene itself is damaged or missing, and some viruses may even "turn off" the p53 gene. Scientists are pursuing ways of replacing, repairing or "turning on" the p53 gene. One promising approach is to use harmless viruses to carry p53 into damaged cells so that it can fight cancer.
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