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Transformation-Related Protein 53 Essay

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Transformation-Related Protein 53, also known as TP53, is a tumor suppressor gene. It is named after its molecular mass. The gene was discovered by Arnold Levine, David Lane, and William Old in 1979 and was voted molecule of the year by science magazine in 1993. Although, it was not until 1989 that it was revealed to be a tumor suppressor gene. It was previously thought of as an oncogene. TP53 encodes for a protein, called p53 protein, that helps to regulate the cell cycle and inhibits mutations in the genome as well. Both of these functions help to conserve stability. One of the reasons for TP53’s high importance, and the extensive research on the gene, is its function to suppress cancer cells in multicellular organisms, including humans (Vijayaraj). The gene is located on chromosome seventeen (17p13.1). The genomic coordinates are 17:7,571,719-7,590,867 and it is 19,148 base pairs in length. The p53 protein is made up of three hundred and ninety three amino acids and is considered a phosphoprotein. The gene also contains four domains, also called units. Each one of these domains has a different responsibility. One domain, called the core domain, identifies specific DNA sequences. Another domain stimulates transcription factors. The third domain controls the tetramerization of the protein. The last domain is able to distinguish damaged DNA. This may include single-stranded DNA or base pairs that are misaligned (Vijayaraj). The gene also contains twenty

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