Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P43146 (tumour suppressor)
 5,935 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The p53 tumour suppressor is a transcription factor that regulates the progression of the cell through its cycle and cell death (apoptosis) in response to environmental stimuli such as DNA damage and hypoxia. Even though p53 modulates these critical cellular processes, mice that lack p53 are developmentally normal, suggesting that p53-related proteins might compensate for the functions of p53 during embryogenesis. Two p53 homologues, p63 and p73, are known and here we describe the function of p63 in vivo. Mice lacking p63 are born alive but have striking developmental defects. Their limbs are absent or truncated, defects that are caused by a failure of the apical ectodermal ridge to differentiate. The skin of p63-deficient mice does not progress past an early developmental stage: it lacks stratification and does not express differentiation markers. Structures dependent upon epidermal-mesenchymal interactions during embryonic development, such as hair follicles, teeth and mammary glands, are absent in p63-deficient mice. Thus, in contrast to p53, p63 is essential for several aspects of ectodermal differentiation during embryogenesis.
 ...
PMID:p63 is a p53 homologue required for limb and epidermal morphogenesis. 1022 93

The p51/p63/KET proteins were identified based on their strong homology to the tumour suppressor p53 and a related set of proteins termed p73. All these protein species were shown to activate transcription from at least some p53-responsive promoters. To evaluate a possible role of the transcriptionally active splicing variant p51A/p63gamma in tumour suppression, we determined whether viral oncoproteins that inactivate p53 might also target p51A. Neither the large T-antigen of simian vacuolating virus 40 (SV40) nor the E6 protein from human papillomavirus type 18 were found to inhibit p51A-mediated transcription, whereas they strongly suppress the activity of p53. Further, SV40 T-antigen directly interacts with p53 but not detectably with p51A. Finally, a cytoplasmic mutant (K128A) of SV40 T-antigen relocalizes p53 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, but p51A remains in the nucleus when coexpressed with cytoplasmic T-antigen. These results strongly suggest that the inhibitory effect of these viral oncoproteins is specific for p53 and does not measurably affect p51A. Thus, unlike p53, p51A does not appear to be a necessary target in virus-induced cell transformation and may not exert a role comparable to p53 in tumour suppression.
 ...
PMID:Failure of viral oncoproteins to target the p53-homologue p51A. 1056 58

p73 (ref. 1) has high homology with the tumour suppressor p53 (refs 2-4), as well as with p63, a gene implicated in the maintenance of epithelial stem cells. Despite the localization of the p73 gene to chromosome 1p36.3, a region of frequent aberration in a wide range of human cancers, and the ability of p73 to transactivate p53 target genes, it is unclear whether p73 functions as a tumour suppressor. Here we show that mice functionally deficient for all p73 isoforms exhibit profound defects, including hippocampal dysgenesis, hydrocephalus, chronic infections and inflammation, as well as abnormalities in pheromone sensory pathways. In contrast to p53-deficient mice, however, those lacking p73 show no increased susceptibility to spontaneous tumorigenesis. We report the mechanistic basis of the hippocampal dysgenesis and the loss of pheromone responses, and show that new, potentially dominant-negative, p73 variants are the predominant expression products of this gene in developing and adult tissues. Our data suggest that there is a marked divergence in the physiological functions of the p53 family members, and reveal unique roles for p73 in neurogenesis, sensory pathways and homeostatic control.
 ...
PMID:p73-deficient mice have neurological, pheromonal and inflammatory defects but lack spontaneous tumours. 1071 51

Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial malignancy that is consistently associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) but which very rarely has p53 gene mutations in primary tumours. Since the tumour suppressor p53 is mutated in most human cancers or the wild type protein is inactivated in a significant number of the remainder, here we have investigated cellular factors that could compromise p53 function in primary NPC. Twenty-five primary tumours were judged to carry only wild type p53 by SSCP analysis of all exons and sequence determination of exons 4-9. Only one tumour was found to express significant levels of hMdm2 and in 24/25 there were no detectable mutations or deletions in exons 1beta and 2 of the p14(ARF) gene. However, immunohistochemistry consistently revealed that all the tumour cells express substantial amounts of the p53-related protein p63. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis of mRNA from tumour biopsies showed that the dominant species expressed was invariably the truncated deltaN-isotype. Since this can block p53-mediated transactivation, it is potentially a dominant-negative isoform. In normal nasopharyngeal epithelium the distribution of p63 was restricted to the proliferating basal and suprabasal layers. We suggest that deltaN-p63 is a good candidate as a suppressor of wild type p53 function in these tumours and also that it may prove to be a valuable diagnostic marker for undifferentiated NPC.
 ...
PMID:High level expression of deltaN-p63: a mechanism for the inactivation of p53 in undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)? 1091 1

Inactivation of the tumour suppressor p53 is the most common defect in cancer cells. The discovery of its two close relatives, p63 and p73, was therefore both provocative and confounding. Were these new genes tumour suppressors, p53 regulators, or evolutionary spin-offs? Both oncogenic and tumour-suppressor properties have now been attributed to the p53 homologues, perhaps reflecting the complex, often contradictory, protein products encoded by these genes. p63 and p73 are further implicated in many p53-independent pathways, including stem-cell regeneration, neurogenesis and sensory processes.
 ...
PMID:P63 and P73: P53 mimics, menaces and more. 1125 95

The p63 gene, a member of the p53 gene family, is expressed into at least six protein isoforms which are divided into two groups, those containing the transcription activation domain (TA isoforms) and those that do not (Delta N isoforms). The TA isoforms are similar to p53 in that they are able to activate transcription of specific target genes and induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The Delta N isoforms are unable to activate transcription, and act in a dominant negative manner, inhibiting transcription activation by both p53 and TA isoforms. p63 knock-out studies in mice have shown that p63 plays an important role in development rather than in tumour suppression. In humans, mutations in the p63 gene have been linked with several developmental abnormalities. Studies on human tumours suggest an oncogenic function for Delta N isoforms rather than a tumour suppressor function for the TA forms.
 ...
PMID:p63. 1173 80

The p63 gene encodes at least six different proteins with homology to the tumour suppressor protein p53 and the related p53 family member p73. So far, there have been limited data concerning the expression patterns of individual p63 proteins, due to a lack of reagents that distinguish between the different isoforms. Three antibodies have been produced specifically directed against the two N-terminal isoforms (TAp63 and DeltaNp63) and the C-terminal region of the p63alpha proteins. TAp63 proteins are located suprabasally in stratified epithelia compared with the N-terminal truncated forms, which are more abundantly expressed in the basal cell layer, indicating a switch in expression of p63 isoforms during normal cellular differentiation. Analysis of squamous cell carcinomas shows DeltaNp63alpha to be the most widely expressed isoform, compatible with a role for this protein in promoting neoplastic cell growth in these tissues. DeltaNp63 protein expression is also restricted to basal cells in breast and prostate, whilst TAp63 isoforms are more widely expressed in these tissues as well as in tumours at these sites. TAp63, but not DeltaNp63 or p63alpha, is detected in normal colon and in colon carcinoma. TAp63 proteins are also expressed in the nuclei of a sub-population of lymphoid cells and in most malignant lymphomas, whereas DeltaNp63 proteins are not expressed. Taken together, a hitherto unrecognized regulation of p63 isoform expression in vivo has been uncovered, with different p63 proteins expressed during differentiation and in different cell types. The data indicate roles for specific p63 isoforms not only in maintaining epithelial stem cell populations, but also in cellular differentiation and neoplasia.
 ...
PMID:Differential expression of p63 isoforms in normal tissues and neoplastic cells. 1243 10

The p53 tumour suppressor gene belongs to a small family of related proteins that includes two other members, p63 and p73. Phylogenetic and functional studies suggest that p63 and p73 are ancient genes that have essential roles in normal development, whereas p53 seems to have evolved more recently to prevent cell transformation. In mammalian cells, a plethora of proteins have been found to specifically regulate p53 activity. The genome of the fish Fugu rubripes has been recently published. It is the second vertebrate genome for which the entire sequence is now available. Phylogenetic studies are essential in order to analyse and define signalling pathways important for cell cycle regulation. The presence or absence of a critical member in any pathway can shed light about the evolution of these pathways. The Fugu genome databank has been analysed for several members of the p53 network, including p53, p63 and p73. A good conservation of the network that regulates p53 stability and apoptosis has been found. We also discovered that some cofactors that cooperate with p53 for apoptosis are also well conserved and belong to multigene families not detected in the human genome.
 ...
PMID:Data mining the p53 pathway in the Fugu genome: evidence for strong conservation of the apoptotic pathway. 1290 91

The tumour suppressor activity of p53 plays a major role in limiting abnormal proliferation, and inactivation of the p53 response is becoming increasingly accepted as a hallmark of cancer. In contrast, both p63 and p73, which are close relatives of p53, are rarely mutated in tumour cells. At a theoretical level, therapeutic approaches that reinstate p53 activity, or augment p63 and p73, provide plausible and potentially efficacious routes towards new cancer treatments. Equally important is the clinical need to increase the efficacy of conventional anti-cancer drugs. Incapacitating the p53 response to limit the side effects in healthy cells may be one approach towards increasing the therapeutic window of many current anti-cancer drugs. Nevertheless, while cancer drug discovery focussed on p53 is an exciting and realistic possibility, translating this concept into a clinical setting is likely to be challenging.
 ...
PMID:Drug discovery and the p53 family. 1459 32

The transcription factor and tumour suppressor p53 and its two homologues p63 and p73 form a family of proteins. p63 and p73 show much greater molecular complexity than p53 because they are expressed both as multiple alternatively spliced C-terminal isoforms, and as N-terminally deleted, dominant-negative proteins that show reciprocal functional regulation. In addition, several other factors, such as post-translational modifications and specific and common family regulatory proteins, result overall in subtle modulation of their biological effects. Although all p53, p63 and p73 family members are regulators of the cell cycle and apoptosis, the developmental abnormalities of p73- and p63-null mice do not show enhanced tumour susceptibility of p53 knockouts, suggesting that complex regulatory processes modulate the functional effects of this family of proteins.
 ...
PMID:Functional regulation of p73 and p63: development and cancer. 1465 98


1 2 3 4 5 Next >>