Question

What are your thoughts on p53, cancer and the Warburg effect

Answer 1

Ans . p53 :- Tumor protein p53 , also known as p53, cellular tumor antigen p53, the Guardian of Genome , phosphoprotein p53, tumor suppressor p53 is any isoform of a protein encoded by homologous genes in various organisms, such as TP53 and Trp53.

The p53 (tumor protein ) is a gene that codes for a protein that regulates the cell cycle and hence functions as a tumor suppression. It is very important for cells in multicellular organisms to suppress cancer. The p53 is also known as 'Guardian of Genome' because of its role in conserving stability by preventing genome mutation.

In normal cells, the p53 protein level is low. DNA damage and other stress signals may trigger the increase of p53 proteins, which have 3 major functions : growth arrest, DNA repair and apoptosis (cell death) . The growth arrest stops the progression of cell cycle, preventing replication of damaged DNA.

Cancer :- A disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue. Possible sign and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bleeding, prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss, and a change in bowel movements. Over 100 types of cancers affect humans.

The majority of cancers are due to genetic mutations from environmental and lifestyle factors. Common environmental factors that contribute to cancer death include tobacco, diet and obesity, infections, radiations, pollution. The substances that cause cancer are called carcinogens. Example of cancer are carcinoma, sarcoma, melanoma, lymphoma, leukemia.

Warburg effect :- It is a form of modified cellular metabolism based on aerobic fermentation found in cancer cells, which tend to favor anabolic glycolysis rather than the oxidative phosphorylation pathway which is the preference of most other cells of the body.

The Warburg effect describes the observation that cancer cells and many cells grown in vitro, exhibit glucose fermentation even when enough oxygen is present to properly respire. The Warburg effect is a consequence of damage to the mitochondria in cancer or an adaptation to low - oxygen environments within tumors.