Recall the p53 signaling pathway, which prevents cell division in the presence o
ID: 3522592 • Letter: R
Question
Recall the p53 signaling pathway, which prevents cell division in the presence of DNA damage, depicted below.
The ability of p53 to block cell division in the presence of DNA damage is critical to prevent cancer, but if p53 is overactive, cells are unable to divide when they need to. Which of the following mutations would likely lead to an increased risk of cancer?
1. a mutation in ATM, increasing its activity in the absence of DNA damage
2. a mutation in a p53 phosphatase, preventing dephosphorylation of p53
3. a mutation in p53 that prevents its phosphorylation
4. a mutation in Mdm2 that decreases its activity incorrect
53Mdm2 Mdm2 transcription Cell cycle arrest gene transcription DNA damage ? ATM Phospho-p53Explanation / Answer
p53 is a tumor suppressor gene. It prevents the proliferation of cells in the presence of DNA damage. So, p53 gene is also known as guardian of the genome or molecular police. p53 gets converted to phospho-p53 by p53 phosphatase in the presence of ATM gene. This phospho-p53 leads to cell cycle arrest by blocking gene transcription. Therefore, a mutation in p53 that prevents it's phosphorylation may lead to uncontrolled proliferation of cells with damaged DNA which can lead to formation of cancer. So, answer for this question is option 3.
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