Question

How does a p53 mutant result in its functioning as an oncogene? What function of p53 (and the effect of such mutations on the cell) might be altered(and how these alterations affect p53 function) to give it an oncogenic function? What specific functions of p53 would need to be altered/affected for it to function as an oncogene?

Answer 1

Damage to DNA can include single stranded breaks, double sranded breaks, changes to DNA code, DNA kinks and DNA sticking together. Most of the time our cell itself deals with these type of damages with the help of a sentinel protein called p53. yhis protein p53 is recruited rapidly to these regions of DNA damage where they slide along the DNA until it finds the a critical site od damage , it then binds to the site. p53 then sends the message to halt cell division until DNA is repaired or if the damage is too severe the cell is destroyed by apotosis. Thus for this reson p53 are called the guardian of genome.

A mutation in the gene encoding for p53 can cause p53 protein to get mutated and to get  damaged and they start functioning as oncogene. The mutated p53 will no longer be able to bind to the DNA damage sites. This means that no decisions can be made about whether to repair DNA or destroy the cell. Without functional p53 overtime, cells can accumulate more and more DNA damage. These damaged cells are more likely to grow and divide out of control leading to the formation of tumor. Thus p53 alterations can make it a oncogene and it is the reaso for one halt of all the human cancers collectively making them the most common event in development of cancer.