ASPP2
We now know that ASPP2 is a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor
and an important activator of p53 during mouse development and tumor
suppression in vivo. ASPP2 might be a novel target for future cancer
therapy.
The fundamental role of apoptosis in tumor prevention and the important
role of p53 in this process are now universally recognized. Recently,
several families of p53-binding proteins have been shown to influence
p53's decision to direct the cells either in the apoptotic pathway or
in cell cycle arrest. Among them, the ASPP family specifically regulate
p53-dependent apoptosis. Its member ASPP2 was discovered more than 10
years ago as a binding partner of p53 and its role as a positive
regulator of p53 mediated apoptosis has been clearly established in
vitro. However, its physiological importance in vivo has just emerged
through the generation and characterisation of the ASPP2-deficient
mice.