Abstract
Evolutionary patterns indicate that primordial p53 genes predated the appearance of cancer. Therefore, wild-type tumour suppressive functions and mutant oncogenic functions that give celebrity status to this gene family were probably co-opted from unrelated primordial activities. Is it possible to deduce what these early functions might have been? And might this knowledge provide a platform for therapeutic opportunities?
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Acknowledgements
W.L. and J.M.A. are supported by R01 grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. J.F.A. is supported by R01 from the National Cancer Institute. We are grateful to A. Diehl for artwork preparation.
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Lu, WJ., Amatruda, J. & Abrams, J. p53 ancestry: gazing through an evolutionary lens. Nat Rev Cancer 9, 758–762 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc2732
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc2732
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