Super-Transactivation TP53 Variant in the Germline of a Family with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome.

Abstract

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is a rare autosomal dominant familial cancer syndrome, characterized by multiple malignancies and frequent germline alterations in TP53. In this study, we highlight four unclassified exonic TP53 variants detected in patients with a suspected diagnosis of LFS. Most intriguing was the discovery of a "super-transactivation" variant within Exon 10 of TP53 (c.1079G>T/p.G360V). Functional analysis of this novel variant revealed a paradoxical "super-transactivation" effect on tp53 response elements and a corresponding tumor suppressive effect on colony formation and apoptosis. While unlikely to be disease-causing, we propose that this variant may represent a novel tp53 polymorphism and potential phenotypic modifier in LFS. In the future, the enhanced transactivation effects of p.G360V-tp53 may also prove useful in designing more efficacious tp53-based gene therapies.