Abstract
A p53 gene function controls cell cycle progress and apoptotic process at the site of DNA lesion as a genomic guardian. It is thought that p53 gene product inhibits the process that a cell transforms. However, intervention to a p53 gene function and malignant transformation is not clear. Therefore, we planned this study using embryonic cells derived from a p53 knockout mouse to clarify how a p53 function was concerned with cellular immortalization and malignant transformation. In this study, we inoculated 106 cells into a T75 flask with MEM culture medium containing 10% FBS, and passaged them every 5th day and examined expression of malignant transformation character. As a result, degradation of cell growth was seen at passage 7-9, but all cells acquired immortality regardless of presence of a p53 gene, and the p53 knockout cell acquired tumorigenicity easily. Aneuploid was seen with both cells with manifestation of cancer character, especially p53 knockout cells became aneuploid at two or three passage. By these results, I will discuss how p53 genes contributes to cellular transformation.
