Andres Espineira's List: Cancer protein

• August 15th, 2009
• Protein plays three cancer-fighting roles
• important tumor-suppressor

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• Scientists have discovered a new role in cancer protection
• called p53
• rotects cells from becoming cancerous by sensing stress and either shutting down cell division or triggering cell death.
• University of Tokyo
• p53 also

  plays a role in

  slicing stretches of RNA into regulatory molecules called microRNAs

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• • This paragraphs says that p53 binds DNA which causes a gene to produce the p21 protein, the p21 protein combines with the cdk2 protein so that the cell canot pass through to the next stage of cell division.
• n the cell
• The p53 gene has been mapped to chromosome 17
• p53 protein binds DNA
• another gene to produce a protein called p21 that interacts with a cell division-stimulating protein
• p21 is complexed with cdk2 the cell cannot pass through to the next stage of cell division
• p21 protein is
• ct as the 'stop signal' for cell division. Thus cells divide uncontrollably, and form tumors.

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• methods for reintroducing  this gene back into cancer cells are being  developed so that the cancer cell literally can  be “switched off.”
• their latest research  collaboration
• Dr. Nemunaitis and colleagues
• for treating cancer by  transferring p53 genes into malignant  cells.
• focuses on developing  improved delivery systems
• researchers, applying the knowledge  that a viral infection can enter the human cell  and deactivate p53, are using an  innocuous adenovirus as a vector to enter  cancerous cells and reintroduce the p53  gene.
• In preliminary trials, reduced tumor size  and improved survival have been demonstrated in  lung, head and neck, ovarian, breast, and  prostate cancers.

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• Dr Randy Wysong