Regulatory role of protein p53 in the functional activity of the central nervous system

Abstract

p53 is one of the most popular research objects among scientists. Over the past 40 years since its discovery, more than 100 thousand scientific works have been written and their number continues to grow steadily. The increased interest in this protein among doctors is due to the participation of p53 in the development of malignant tumors - a socially significant group of diseases of the 21st century. p53 is a tumor suppressor. Normally, when exposed to damaging factors, this protein promotes DNA repair or apoptosis, depending on the damage, which in turn prevents the accumulation of cells with mutant DNA. When p53 mutates, it loses its function, leading to abnormal cell proliferation and tumor progression. However, the role of p53 is not limited to participation in carcinogenesis. Another, no less important and interesting function is the participation of this protein in the regulation of the activity of the central nervous system, but its role is ambiguous. On the one hand, p53 is involved in the embryogenesis of nervous tissue and promotes the differentiation of neural stem cells; on the other hand, p53 can also have a damaging effect on neurons. The literature review presents current data on the structure and function of the main regulator of the human genome, the p53 protein, and its homologues p63 and p73. The participation of these proteins in programmed cell death and carcinogenesis is considered. Special attention is paid to the role of proteins of the p 53 family in the functioning of cells of the central nervous system and neuroprotection.