Scientists from University of California, Davis have demonstrated the complex relationship between Rbm38 and p53, indicating how organism calibrates p53 level. This finding was published in PNAS.

RNA-binding motif protein 38(Rbm38) is a target of the p53 family and modulates p53 expression via mRNA translation. The biological function of Rbm38 is implicated in the cell cycle control, differentiation, and senescence. Consistently, altered expression of Rbm38 is found in many types of cancers. For example, Rbm38 overexpression is found in breast cancer patients with poor prognosis and is associated with malignant transformation of colorectal adenoma to carcinoma.

However, the biological function of Rbm38 and the role of the p53-Rbm38 loop in tumor suppression have not been studied in vivo.

In this study, researchers show that mice deficient in Rbm38 exhibit hematopoietic defects and are susceptible to spontaneous tumors and accelerated aging. Furthermore, they show that Rbm38 is critical for p53-mediated radiosensitivity and tumor suppression. Together, their results suggest that Rbm38 is necessary for normal hematopoiesis and for suppressing accelerated aging and tumorigenesis. In addition, the p53-Rbm38 axis might be explored for extending longevity and for tumor suppression.

Reference:

Zhang J, Xu E, Ren C, et al. Mice deficient in Rbm38, a target of the p53 family, are susceptible to accelerated aging and spontaneous tumors[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014, 111(52): 18637-18642.