Mutant p53 gain of function: The NF-Y connection

Abstract

The molecular mechanisms underlying mutant p53 gain of function are becoming increasingly complex. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Di Agostino et al. identify the heterotrimeric transcription factor NF-Y as an interacting partner of mutant p53. They show that mutant p53/NF-Y complexes bind to NF-Y target promoters and recruit p300 in response to DNA damage, resulting in aberrant transactivation of NF-Y target genes and cell cycle deregulation. These data thereby implicate transcriptional activation by mutant p53 as a key mechanism responsible for its oncogenic activity.