Cooperative Binding of p53 to DNA: Regulation by Protein–Protein Interactions through a Double Salt Bridge

Abstract

Mutations in the transcription factor p53 enhance one's predisposition to cancer. Mutational studies show that double salt bridges are key elements for the dimerization of p53, its cooperative binding to DNA, and thus its proper function as a tumor suppressor (see picture). This might explain certain germ-line mutations found in patients with Li–Fraumeni syndrome.