The p53 transcription factor is best known as a tumor suppressor but also plays fundamental roles in aging, metabolism, and stem cell biology. A naturally occurring p53 isoform, called Δ40p53 (or ...

Virtually all of the p53-/- and p53-/m mice developed cancer ... Possibly, since many genes affecting cellular aging were first discovered as tumor suppressors.

When researchers forced expression of telomerase to rebuild telomeres, or when the PGC proteins were overexpressed, the aging phenotype was partially rescued. In these mice, p53 overexpression led to ...

The absence of p53 significantly accelerates the progression ... that we all accumulate mutations as an inevitable part of aging," Ciccarelli detailed. "Our findings challenge the simplistic ...