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Nature 445, 606-607 (8 February 2007) | doi:10.1038/nature05567; Published online 24 January 2007

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Cancer biology: Gone but not forgotten

Norman E. Sharpless1 & Ronald A. DePinho2

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The p53 tumour-suppressor protein is a cell's principal guardian against cancer. Most cancers eliminate p53 — but it seems that its pathway remains intact, so resurrecting it might provide a cancer therapy.

Once fully established, many cancers rely for their maintenance on the persistent activation of certain cancer-promoting genes (oncogenes)1, 2. Drug developers hope to exploit this dependency, as it makes tumours vulnerable to inhibitors of the associated oncogenic proteins.

  1. Norman E. Sharpless is in the Department of Medicine and Genetics, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
    Email: nes@med.unc.edu
  2. Ronald A. DePinho is in the Center for Applied Cancer Science and Departments of Medical Oncology, Medicine and Genetics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
    Email: ron_depinho@dfci.harvard.edu

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