Question

What is the impact of p53 genes on phenotype and where they are located?

Answer 1

p53 gene is also called TP53 gene, since the TP53 gene provides instructions for making a protein called tumor protein p53 (or p53). p53 protein acts as a tumor suppressor, because it regulates cell division by keeping cells from growing and dividing (proliferating) too fast. The p53 protein is located in the nucleus of cells throughout the body. It attaches directly to DNA.
Toxic chemicals, radiation, or ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight may cause the damage to DNA. When the DNA in a cell becomes damaged by such agents, p53 protein plays a critical role in determining whether the DNA will be repaired or the damaged cell will undergo apoptosis. If the DNA can be repaired, p53 activates other genes to fix the damage. If the DNA cannot be repaired, this protein prevents the cell from dividing and signals it to undergo apoptosis. By preventing the cells from dividing, p53 helps prevent the development of tumors.
Thus p53 regulates the cell division and prevents the tumor formation.
p53 gene is located in the seventeenth chromosome in human cells.