The p53 Network*

Loss of control of genomic stability is central in the development of cancer, and p53, by regulating normal responses to DNA damage and other forms of genotoxic stress, is a key element in maintaining genomic stability. Thus, it is no surprise that functional p53 is lost in about half of all human cancers. What about the other half? One possibility is that p53-independent regulatory mechanisms have been lost. Another is that inactivation of p53-dependent pathways can occur at any of several different points and that p53 itself is merely the most common target. For example, the p53 inhibitor Mdm2 is overexpressed in tumors independently of the p53 mutation. Here, we review pathways that signal in to p53, in response to different forms of stress, and pathways that signal out, triggered by activated p53. It is clear that p53 is the central component of a complex network of signaling pathways and that the other components of these pathways pose alternative targets for inactivation. For additional recent reviews, see Refs. 1 and 2.