AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The most commonly mutated gene in people with cancer is p53 or TP53. More than 50% of cancers involve a missing or damaged p53 gene. Most p53 gene mutations are acquired. Germline p53 mutations are rare, but patients who carry them are at a higher risk of developing many different types of cancer.

Detailed explanation-2: -The nuclear phosphoprotein gene TP53 has also been recognized as an important tumor suppressor gene, perhaps the most commonly altered gene in all human cancers. Inactivating mutations of the TP53 gene also cause the TP53 protein to lose its ability to regulate the cell cycle.

Detailed explanation-3: -Tumor suppressor genes tell healthy cells when to destroy themselves, slow their growth, or repair DNA. Mutations to these genes can cause cells to become cancerous and multiply out of control. More than 70 types of tumor suppressor genes may play a role in the development of cancer.

Detailed explanation-4: -[1] Loss of function mutations in tumor suppressor genes has been identified in many types of cancers, including ovarian, lung, colorectal, head and neck, pancreatic, uterine, breast, and bladder cancer.