How key cancer-fighting protein is held in check

Analysis reveals how the protein p53, which triggers cancer cells to commit suicide, attaches to its regulatory molecule. These findings could lead to drugs to unleash p53 to battle a range of cancers. In guarding the cell against genetic damage, the p53 machinery functions both in the nucleus of the cell and in the cell's gel-like cytosol. When this machinery detects irreparable damage to the cell, p53 is unleashed to trigger apoptosis. In about half of all cancers, this machinery is rendered inoperable by mutation of p53, enabling cancer cells to proliferate despite their genetic malfunctions.

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