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: a tumor suppressor gene that in an inactivated form tends to be associated with a high risk of certain cancers
Examples of p53 in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For instance, variations in MHC genes, which help the immune system fight infections, or the p53 gene, which controls cell growth and death, can affect how the body responds to HPV.4
Who Gets Cervical Cancer?
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Brandi Jones, Health, 11 Sep. 2024
And, at the same time this is happening, a large number of other pathways also feed into the activity of p53.
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John Timmer, Ars Technica, 29 Mar. 2024
Studies on the closely related SARS-CoV have implicated viral proteins in the possible degradation of p53 and pRB, which are critical oncosuppressors.
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Carolyn Barber, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2023
Another obvious example would be the p53 gene, which is very strongly associated with cancer suppression.
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Bill Gifford, Scientific American, 31 July 2023
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Word History
Etymology
from p53, the protein made by the gene, from protein + 53, the gene's molecular weight
First Known Use
1990, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near p53
Cite this Entry
“P53.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/p53. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Medical Definition
p53
noun
: a tumor suppressor gene that in a defective form tends to be associated with a high risk of certain cancers (as of the colon, lung, and breast)
More from Merriam-Webster on p53
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about p53
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