Tumor Suppressor Gene p53: How the Guardian of our Genome Prevents Cancer, MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
77 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307,
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Course Description
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Cancer involves uncontrolled cell growth, resistance to cell death, failure to differentiate into a particular cell type, and increased cellular motility. A family of gate-keeper genes, known as tumor suppressor genes, plays important roles in preventing the initiation and progression of cancer. Among these, p53 is the most famous. Because of its essential role in maintaining genomic integrity, p53 is often called the guardian of the genome. During this course, we will study how p53 serves as a pivotal tumor suppressor gene in preventing cancer.