AUTHOR=Semenov Oleg , Daks Alexandra , Fedorova Olga , Shuvalov Oleg , Barlev Nickolai A. TITLE=Opposing Roles of Wild-type and Mutant p53 in the Process of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences VOLUME=9 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-biosciences/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2022.928399 DOI=10.3389/fmolb.2022.928399 ISSN=2296-889X ABSTRACT=

The central role of an aberrantly activated EMT program in defining the critical features of aggressive carcinomas is well documented and includes cell plasticity, metastatic dissemination, drug resistance, and cancer stem cell-like phenotypes. The p53 tumor suppressor is critical for leashing off all the features mentioned above. On the molecular level, the suppression of these effects is exerted by p53 via regulation of its target genes, whose products are involved in cell cycle, apoptosis, autophagy, DNA repair, and interactions with immune cells. Importantly, a set of specific mutations in the TP53 gene (named Gain-of-Function mutations) converts this tumor suppressor into an oncogene. In this review, we attempted to contrast different regulatory roles of wild-type and mutant p53 in the multi-faceted process of EMT.