摘要
Preventing the propagation of damaged cells is a central component of tumour suppression. A key factor in this process is the transcription factor p53 - a fact exemplified by its frequent inactivation in human cancer. Since its discovery, over forty thousand reports have been published investigating p53 function and regulation. It is known that p53 mediates the expression of a diverse set of target genes which are broadly grouped by the biological response they provoke, with the best characterized being the induction of growth arrest, during which cellular damage is repaired, or the induction of apoptosis, which serves to eradicate damaged cells that may otherwise go on to form a tumour .
