J.M. Nigro, S.J. Baker, A.C. Preisinger, J.M. Jessup, et al., "Mutations in the p53 gene occur in diverse human tumour types," Nature, 342, 705-8, 7 December 1989.
Janice M. Nigro (Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Baltimore): "`Cancer' represents a broad spectrum of diseases. Although all cancers involve abnormal cellular proliferation, the cell type involved and the biologic behavior of the cancerous tissues vary widely. For many years, investigators have been searching for abnormalities that are shared by several cancers in the hope that such changes would illuminate fundamental, general aspects of neoplasia. The cited paper suggests that p53 gene mutations may be such an abnormality. The gene was discovered through association with viral oncogene products and was subsequently shown to be altered by point mutation in two colorectal tumors. The new paper showed that p53 was subtly mutated in a variety of human cancers, including those of the breast, brain, lung, ...
