Mouse models dissect the role of p53 in cancer and development

Mice lacking one or two copies of the p53 gene have provided invaluable insight into the process of tumorigenesis. The importance of apoptosis in suppression of tumorigenesis in vivo became evident from analysis of these mice. Moreover, the timing and kinds of tumors that develop in these mice are altered by the presence of additional inherited mutations, by strain differences, and by food intake. Developmental abnormalities are also visible in mice with loss of p53 and with overexpression of p53 suggesting that p53 levels are critical for normal cellular processes. While mice do not necessarily recapitulate all the tumor types found in inherited cancers, they offer the unique opportunity to decipher the critical pathways in tumorigenesis. These findings can then be applied to humans.