The p53 protein can activate genes involved in apoptosis, known as programmed cell death. Discuss how...

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Biology

The p53 protein can activate genes involved in apoptosis, knownas programmed cell death. Discuss how mutations in genes coding forproteins that function in apoptosis could contribute to cancer.

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Inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor is a frequent event in tumorigenesis In most cases the p53 gene is mutated giving rise to a stable mutant protein whose accumulation is regarded as a hallmark of cancer cells Mutant p53 proteins not only lose their tumor suppressive activities but often gain additional oncogenic functions that endow cells with growth and survival advantages Interestingly mutations in the p53 gene were shown to occur at different phases of the multistep process of malignant transformation thus contributing differentially to tumor initiation promotion aggressiveness and metastasis Mutations in p53 Are a Frequent Event in Cancer The evolution of a normal cell toward a cancerous one is a complex process accompanied by multiple steps of genetic and epigenetic alterations that confer selective advantages upon the altered cells The alterations underlying tumorigenesis are considered to endow the evolving tumor with selfsufficiency of growth signals insensitivity to antigrowth signals evasion from programmed cell death unlimited replicative potential sustained angiogenesis and finally the ability to invade and metastasize Despite massive research efforts and the very impressive progress made over the past several See Answer

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