ABOVE: When MDM2 (violet) and MDMX (red) are prevented from messing with p53 (blue), the famous tumor-surpressing protein lets endogenous retroviruses loose, ultimately helping the immune system spot cancerous cells.
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The tumor suppressing protein p53 has earned the nickname “guardian of the genome” because of its well-studied arsenal of techniques for responding to genetic damage. When it binds to damaged DNA, it can activate DNA repair proteins, pause the cell division process until repairs are complete, or trigger programmed cell death if the damage is irreversible. Now, new research suggests p53 has another trick up its sleeve: it can force cancer cells out of hiding by making them go viral.
Often, tumors persist in the body because “cancer cells are hiding from immune cells,” says Galina Selivanova, a tumor biologist at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. She’s the lead author on the new study, published July 6 in ...
