The transcriptional activity of the p53 tumor suppressor protein is crucial for the regulation of cell growth, apoptosis and tumor progression. The first identified p53 relative, p73, was reported to be monoallelically expressed in normal tissues. In some tumors, loss of heterozygosity was associated with overexpression of the silent allele. Human p73alpha was transfected into the wild-type p53...

The p53 gene family members p53, p73, and p63 display several isoforms derived from the presence of internal promoters and alternative splicing events. They are structural homologs but hold peculiar functional properties. p53, p73, and p63 are tumor suppressor genes that promote differentiation, senescence, and apoptosis. p53, unlike p73 and p63, is frequently mutated in cancer often displaying...

In previous studies, we used a photoactivable, radioiodinated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derivative to define and characterize a specific bacterial endotoxic LPS-binding protein (p73) on mammalian lymphoreticular cells, including B and T lymphocytes and macrophages. More recently, using the same methodology, we characterized a specific interaction of LPS with the S2 subunit ofBordeteUa pertussis ...

Novel therapies such as gene therapy are needed for the treatment of pancreatic carcinomas. Here we show that adenovirus-mediated p73 overexpression results in a strong induction of apoptosis, whereas the effect of p53 varies between different cell lines. In particular, p53-negative AsPC-1 cells are resistant to p53-mediated apoptosis. In these cells, only ectopically expressed p73 activates th...

A novel gene,/? 73, encoding a protein with significant homology top53, was recently identified at Ip36. To investigate penetrance of p 73 in prostatic carcinogenesis, mutation, allelotyping, and transcription analy ses of p73 were performed in prostatic carcinoma. No types of mutation causing amino acid substitutions or frameshifts were found in 106 cases examined. Loss of heterozygosity in th...

Novel therapies such as gene therapy are needed for the treatment of pancreatic carcinomas. Here we show that adenovirus-mediated p73 overexpression results in a strong induction of apoptosis, whereas the effect of p53 varies between different cell lines. In particular, p53-negative AsPC-1 cells are resistant to p53-mediated apoptosis. In these cells, only ectopically expressed p73 activates th...

Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease is a fatal autosomal recessive disorder characterized by the accumulation of free cholesterol and glycosphingolipids in the endosomal-lysosomal system. Patients with NPC disease have markedly progressive neuronal loss, mainly of cerebellar Purkinje neurons. There is strong evidence indicating that cholesterol accumulation and trafficking defects activate apopto...

BACKGROUND To evaluate the expression and differential significance of c-Jun, p73, Casp-9 and N-ras in thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) with the aim to provide useful information for tumor biology and prospective therapy. METHODS In this study, we analyzed the expression of four chromosome 1-related genes, namely c-Jun, p73, Casp-9 and N-ras, in 60 cases of thymic epithelial tumors. The tumors...

The tumor suppressor p53 is a potent inducer of tumor cell death, and strategies exist to exploit p53 for therapeutic gain. However, because about half of human cancers contain mutant p53, application of these strategies is restricted. p53 family members, in particular p73, are in many ways functional paralogs of p53, but are rarely mutated in cancer. Methods for specific activation of p73, how...

OBJECTIVE The relation between P73 gene polymorphism and cervical cancer has not been determined. At present, we utilized a meta-analysis method to elucidate the association between P73 and cervical cancer. RESULTS The present study included 635 patients with cervical cancer and 998 cancer-free control subjects. Using meta-analysis, we found a significant association of P73 genetic polymorphi...