Uncoupling elephant TP53 and cancer
Fritz Vollrath
Abstract
Elephant testicles do not descend, with implications for sperm production being hot enough to compromise germline DNA replication/repair. Uniquely, elephants also possess 20 copies of a gene encoding for the p53 protein. Did elephants evolve multiplication of the TP53 gene complex to protect their germline rather than to fight cancer?
Topics & Concepts
CancerBiologyGeneticsCancer-related Molecular PathwaysMolecular Biology Techniques and ApplicationsUbiquitin and proteasome pathways