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P53 Gene

            
             The p53 gene is linked to the 17th chromosome and is a tumor suppressor protein. The protein p53 is vital in allowing other normal cells to grow, and be able to tell the difference in each other. A Mutation in p53 regulates significant change in transforming cells from being normal to malignant (cancerous). P53 helps (or codes) for a protein that acts that regulates the cell cycle. If p53 stops or does not start working, this gene through will disrupt the cell cycle. This will normally cause a tumor to form. P53 is linked to the 17th chromosome, meaning that it is autosomal. The p53 gene is also dominant and hereditary. P53 is usually only activated in mutated and damaged cells. This protein fixes what is broken or damaged and regulates growth. If the cell is irreparable, it goes through apoptosis (cell death).
             The p53 gene is apparently repairable. When scientists were able to repair the p53 gene in mice, the tumors shrank. In the near future, drugs in line with technology dealing with the p53 gene will probably be used in clinical trials to see if it can benefit humans with tumors that have damaged or mutant p53's.
             Mutations with the p53 have to be confirmed through genetic testing or mapping of chromosomes. Since the disease is found on the 17th chromosome, through mapping scientists are able to determine if p53 is the actual problem based upon symptoms. Symptoms include the follow (same as cancer): lump or thickening in the breast or testicles; a change in a wart or mole; a skin sore or a persistent sore throat that doesn't heal; a change in bowel or bladder habits, chronic fatigue. A suspected tumor is a big hint that the p53 is not properly working.
            


Essays Related to P53 Gene

1. Gene Therapy

... defective genes in germline and somatic cell therapy is that , in the germline cells (which contribute to the genetic heritage of the offspring). Gene therapy in germline cells have the ability to affect not only the individual being treated, but also their children as well. Germline therapy would change ... the difficulties and problems of germline therapy , it's unlikely that germline therapy would be tried on humans in the near future. Over 50% of gene therapy experiments are for the treatments of various cancers such as head and neck, ovarian, or metastatic cancers. For an example i...

  • Word Count: 1322
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

2. The Basics of Cancer

... sense the damage inflicted on the DNA and impose the cell cycle arrest. There are two categories of checkpoint mechanisms. These mechanisms consist of p53-dependent mechanisms and p53-independent mechanisms. p53 is described by (Strachan & Read 1999) as a gene that codes for a protein that regulates the cell cycle and hence functions as a tumour suppression. It is very important for cells in ... Lin 1999) discussed the process of apoptosis in detail and also touched upon the role of the p53 gene in apoptosis. As mentioned previously in this review, the p53 gene has a crucial role to p...

  • Word Count: 3250
  • Approx Pages: 13
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Cell Cycle

... paper reviews current research on G1 phase progression in human cancer. The effects of mutations in cyclins, cyclin dependent kinases, as well as p53 and Rb pathways on cancer onset is also examined. A major regulatory role in G1 phase progression involves extracellular signaling which activates the ... as both "positive and negative regulators of G1 phase progression." The p53 pathway is important in the G1 phase in that the p53 gene functions in detecting DNA damage within the cell. In response to DNA damage, p53 ensures that the cell arrests in G1 and attempts to repair the ... damag...

  • Word Count: 1393
  • Approx Pages: 6

4. Cancer

... The side effects still associated with radiation and chemotherapy have led many researchers to look to new areas for cures. The breathtaking pace of gene discovery in the last two decades, coupled with the birth of recombinant DNA technology, gave rise to the concept that genes may be manipulated ... The theory is that the disease will take over the cancerous cells and then the lump can be cured by the cure for the disease. Gene therapy has the potential to provide cancer treatments based on novel mechanisms of action with potentially low toxicities. (Roth JA; Swisher SG; Meyn RE ... ar...

  • Word Count: 1594
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Reading Journal - Biotechnology

... fibrosis and cancer. This is done by injecting a normal working gene into a vector such as a virus that will eventually release the gene in place of the defective gene. However, gene therapy is still in the clinical trials stage with a few successes so far. Many cancers are linked to the p53 gene that prevents tumors. This gene may become mutated and cause the disease of cancer. With ... gene therapy to synthetically create a functional p53 gene eventually, the cure for cancer along with many ... other mutated gene diseases may be in sight with the help of diagnostic biotechnology to a...

  • Word Count: 1283
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Breast Cancer

... developing breast cancer and a 45% chance of developing ovarian cancer." Women who prove to carry the BRCA2 gene have a high risk of getting breast cancer only. In an essay on Breast Cancer the author has explored the issue of genes. The gene P53 is a tumor-suppressor gene which contributes to the fight against Breast Cancer since it prevents cell growth. If any damage occurs ... in this gene, it is then unable to prevent cells from dividing normally, and this can form a tumor. Another ... gene which is similar in function to P53 is ataxia telangilctasia mutated or ATM. This mutated ge...

  • Word Count: 2529
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Lung Cancer

... related. However not all smokers develop lung cancer. Research has shown that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)--carcinogenic compounds in cigarette smoke--produce DNA damage patterns that are similar to the p53 mutation patterns found in lung cancer tissues in smokers. Earlier studies had shown that exposure to one specific PAH, benzo[alpha]pyrene diol epoxide, induces guanine adducts at mutational hotspots ... within the p53 tumor suppressor gene, which is mutated in 60% of human lung cancers. It is thought that these adducts cause problems with lung cell reproduction that may e...

  • Word Count: 1232
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Breast Cancer - Symptoms and Treatments

... , the zygote (fertilized egg) receives a mutated copy of certain anti-oncogene known as breast cancer predisposition genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2), ATM, CHEK2, P53 (Rivera-Varas, 1998). Eventually, each cell that develops will receive this mutated gene. Meanwhile, for a mutated BRCA gene to develop breast cancer, a second hit mutation must occur to cause the development of breast cancer. As an anti-oncogene, BRCA1 and ... BRCA2 gene are DNA repair genes which are located on chromosome 17 and 13 respectively. Inheriting a mutated BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes possesses a greater risk of developing brea...

  • Word Count: 1253
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. DNA Big Topics

... are transferred to a gel (blotting such as "Southern blot,"") 4) a radioactive probe is added to the blot (a ss DNA complementary to the DNA of interest, e.g. disease-causing gene) that binds by base-pairing. 5) autoradiography makes visible the bands that bind to the radioactive probe. Growth Control and Cancer: (Review Fig 17-1 p. 524: Eukaryotic Cell Cycle: phases ... cancers are NOT associated with viruses Most oncogenes are mutant forms of normal genes (not viral) How are normal genes transformed to oncogenes? a. point mutation b. DNA rearrangement c. gene amplification d. chromosom...

  • Word Count: 876
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

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