In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Abdul Mondal and colleagues at the National Cancer Institute evaluated the expression of these two p53 isoforms in T lymphocytes from healthy donors and donors with lung cancer. In healthy patients, the authors observed an age dependent accumulation of senescent cells and that these cells had an increase in p53β compared to Δ133p53. In lung tumor-associated cells, there was a higher level of the Δ133p53 isoform. Furthermore, in senescent cells, expression of Δ133p53 induced replication and proliferation, while induction of p53β in tumor-associated cells promoted senescence.
This study defines the contribution of two p53 isoforms to senescence regulation, and suggests that altering the Δ133p53:p53β ratio may be an effect therapeutic strategy for treating immunosenescence disorders.
source : http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131115130159.htm