cancers Review p53/p73 Protein Network in Colorectal Cancer and Other Human Malignancies Andela¯ Horvat †, Ana Tadijan † , Ignacija Vlaši´c † and Neda Slade * Laboratory for Protein Dynamics, Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruder¯ Boškovi´cInstitute, Bijeniˇcka54, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
[email protected] (A.H.);
[email protected] (A.T.);
[email protected] (I.V.) * Correspondence:
[email protected] † Contributed equally. Simple Summary: The p53 family of proteins comprises p53, p63, and p73, which share high structural and functional similarity. The two distinct promoters of each locus, the alternative splicing, and the alternative translation initiation sites enable the generation of numerous isoforms with different protein-interacting domains and distinct activities. The co-expressed p53/p73 isoforms have significant but distinct roles in carcinogenesis. Their activity is frequently impaired in human tumors including colorectal carcinoma due to dysregulated expression and a dominant-negative effect accomplished by some isoforms and p53 mutants. The interactions between isoforms are particularly important to understand the onset of tumor formation, progression, and therapeutic response. The understanding of the p53/p73 network can contribute to the development of new targeted therapies. Abstract: The p53 tumor suppressor protein is crucial for cell growth control and the maintenance of genomic stability. Later discovered, p63 and p73 share structural and functional similarity with p53. To understand the p53 pathways more profoundly, all family members should be considered. Citation: Horvat, A.; Tadijan, A.; Each family member possesses two promoters and alternative translation initiation sites, and they Vlaši´c,I.; Slade, N. p53/p73 Protein undergo alternative splicing, generating multiple isoforms.