Why I study p53. (the world's coolest protein)
13,059
Published 2021-06-25
Well I do. *
So what is it and why is it the world's coolest protein?
Well, maybe it isn't the world's coolest protein, but p53 is a important protein in human cells. p53 is a stress-activated transcription factor which means it can bind DNA and influence the expression of other genes. What genes it activates and when p53 does this dictates the downstream cellular responses to p53 activation. This includes cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, cellular senescence, DNA repair and alterations in metabolism.
It is for these reasons that p53 is regarded a tumour suppressor. However, though maybe not surprisingly, p53 is the most commonly mutated gene seen in human cancers. It's the mutated version of p53 that I do most of my studies on. You see, a subset of these mutations are called missense mutations, whereby there is a single amino acid substitution. These means the full length p53 protein is still produced but the amino acid change renders the protein malfunctional since it can no longer bind DNA. Given that at least (most likely) one cell in your body has a mutated p53 allele, it seems interesting to understand how the presence of mutant-p53 in "normal" cells may cause changes making a cell more prone to tumorigenesis...or not!
*this was meant to be read as "Well yes I do study p53" as opposed to "Well I know I study p53"
TIMESTAMPS:
Intro - 00:00
p53 is - 01:15
live vs. death (senescence vs. apoptosis) - 03:30
mutant-p53 - 06:30
interventions to destabilise mut-p53 - 09:20
REFERENCES:
My brain
Baar et al., 2017, Cell 169, 132–147
March 23, 2017 ª 2017 Elsevier Inc.
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.02.031 Targeted Apoptosis of Senescent Cells Restores
Tissue Homeostasis in Response to Chemotoxicity
and Aging
Life and Death Decision-Making by p53 and Implications for Cancer Immunotherapy doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2020.10.005
p53 and Tumor Suppression: It Takes a Network
doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2020.12.011
Check out @LifeXtenShow 's latest video • Is Your Body Older Than You Are? (X10...
Icons in intro; "www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background"Background vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com
All Comments (21)
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Lol, hope this video provided some more insight into p53. One area I didn't really touch on was the connection of p53 and cancer protection vs. aging, but that is because I already made a video on it last year --> https://youtu.be/__yPiIBXXtU
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the world’s coolest protein!
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“Malfunctional” is the coolest word I’ve heard in a long time, thank you! It is fun to learn more about your research, thank you for sharing your progress with us!
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0:45 now, that expression can never be un-heard!
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Hi there! I'm an undergraduate biology major and while learning about the cell cycle and post translational modifications, I got stuck on "p53" when my professor said it was found to be a contributing factor to the majority of cancers. I'm so glad I found your video! I can tell this is a complicated topic, but the way you explained it was approachable and easy enough for an undergrad to understand. Congratulations on all your success!
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Great video! As someone with a mutated TP53 gene (Li-Fraumeni Syndrome), your research is very important to me... keep up the great work. :)
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I love your research!!! ❤
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Your videos take up way too much time. It isn't the length of the video, it is the amount of time I put in to researching the ideas and potentialities they bring up. Keep them coming!
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If p53 itself gets a mutation or double-strand break from, for instance, heavy ionizing radiation produced from x-ray blasts of a CT scanner, this is when cancer is likely to occur depending on how much cumulative damage you already have, ROS accumulation, etc.
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Thank you so much for sharing your passion and making it so easily digestible! Would it be possible to make a follow up video on how p53 interacts with SIRT6?
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Neat stuff Sheekey! Start your book!
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You are a wonderful presenter and I love learning with you
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Thank you for sharing your research project- and now I will neve forget this protein!
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You are such a nerd, I love that obviously I am a nerd too watching these videos lol.
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I know what the world's coolest protein is but I don't know why because I've a small brain lol. Thankyou for your entertaining and unconventional style.
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wow, this topic is deep. thanks for the info. i'm a non-scientific amatuer, was just curious about genetics, and found your video by way of rabbit hole. again, thanks for the making this video, very insightful.
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Such a cool video. Keep it up
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Hi Sheek, to give you a good excuse to overhype p53, could you explain its relationship with p16, another "tumor surpressor". Could nutraceutically targetting these proteins improve or, more interestingly, worsen cancer outcomes? All the best with this channel!
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Good luck with your research. I hope it will indeed be the world's coolest protein :)
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Can't wait to hear your comments on UW–Madison cancer researchers Richard A. Anderson and Vincent Cryns that discovered a direct link between the p53 and PI3K/Akt pathways.
