Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
7
pubmed:dateCreated
2008-4-28
pubmed:abstractText
The roles of the p53 protein in tumor suppression have been firmly established. However, the functions of this protein under normal conditions or in the absence of stress, if any, have remained a mystery. In humans, some alleles containing a functional single nucleotide polymorphism in the p53 gene and its negative regulator, the Mdm2 gene, are under positive selection over evolutionary time frames, suggesting that the p53 pathway might have important functions that are optimized and selected for by evolutionary or reproductive pressures. Indeed, a recent study demonstrated a new function for the p53 protein in the regulation of maternal reproduction in mice, through transcriptional regulation of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a novel p53 target gene. Sufficient uterine LIF levels are essential for the implantation of blastocysts or early embryos into the uterus. p53 deficient (p53(-/-)) female mice have a reduced pregnancy rate and litter size, due to impaired implantation resulting from decreased uterine LIF levels. Administration of LIF to pregnant p53(-/-) mice restored maternal reproduction by improving implantation. An association has been reported between women carrying the p53 codon 72 polymorphism (a proline to arginine change) with recurrent implantation failure, suggesting a similar function for p53 in humans. These findings of a new function for the p53 protein in reproduction may help to explain the observed evolutionary selection of some alleles of the p53 and Mdm2 genes. This may also be an excellent example of antagonistic pleiotrophy.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Apr
pubmed:issn
1551-4005
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
7
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
848-52
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-9-23
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2008
pubmed:articleTitle
p53: a new player in reproduction.
pubmed:affiliation
Cancer Institute of New Jersey, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review