Course Descriptions

Description: p53, which was discovered in 1979, is the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor gene in human cancer. In the past 30 years, the function of p53 has been the subject of intensive research, and new revelations about p53 function have not declined with age. p53 functions as a node in numerous signaling pathways to regulate many important biological activities. In addition to its pivotal role in tumor suppression, recent studies have shown that p53 is critically involved in many other physiological and pathological processes. Furthermore, it is clear that p53 is therapeutically important and many approaches are being taken to reconstitute its function in tumors. In this course, we will introduce some of our current understanding of p53 function by giving 1 lecture and using 7 examples from the current literature. Students that successfully complete this course will gain a rich knowledge of tumor suppressor p53 and its signaling pathway on cancer and other diseases. This knowledge and concepts will be also very useful for their future research on cancer research and molecular biology. In addition, students will learn the skills to critically evaluate the literature and scientifically present a paper.