New clues to the dark side of a key anti-tumor guardian
Although researchers over recent years have established a foothold in understanding how p53 protects against cancer, the mechanisms by which it might contribute to aging and lifespan are not well studied. In work reported this week, researchers studying p53 function in fruit flies show new evidence that despite the protective role of p53 as a guardian against tumor formation, normal levels of p53...'Guardian of the genome' protein found to underlie skin tanning
A protein known as the "master watchman of the genome" for its ability to guard against cancer-causing DNA damage has been found to provide an entirely different level of cancer protection: By prompting the skin to tan in response to ultraviolet light from the sun, it deters the development of melanoma skin cancer, the fastest-increasing form of cancer in the world. In a study in the March...p53, the Guardian of Our Genome
p53 is a tumor suppressor gene which was identified by Professor Sir David Lane of Dundee University in 1970.// Experiments done on this gene using the mice model shows that the gene keeps cancer at bay and also alters the ageing process. Larry Donehower of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston created some mice without the gene and found that they later developed cancer. In another set...