The P53 Family

The p53 tumor suppressor gene--the "guardian of the genome"--protects cells against genotoxic stress but is mutated in many cancers. It encodes one of a family of transcription factors (p53, p63, and p73) that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and cell death. Mutations in p53 allow cells to escape normal growth controls and thereby contribute to tumor malignancy. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology provides a comprehensive review of the functions of the p53 family. The contributors examine the normal roles of these transcription factors, the regulatory mechanisms that control p53 activity, and the part played by p53 mutations in tumorigenesis. They also discuss the evolution of the p53 family, which may originally have arisen to protect the integrity of the germ line. This collection also covers the structure of p53 and its isoforms, model systems for analyzing p53 function, studies of p53 polymorphisms, and therapeutic approaches aimed at targeting p53 defects in cancer.