Figure 3.
Post-translational modifications on p53 dictate cell fate decisions. In response to DNA damage, p53 undergoes a series of post-translational modifications thought to be important in regulating p53 activity. Summarized here is a cartoon depicting the most relevant p53 modifications implicated in target gene selectivity and cell fate choice. For example, phosphorylation on Ser 46 and acetylation on Lys 120 enhances the preferential ability of p53 to transactivate genes that induce apoptosis. By contrast, acetylation and ubiquitination of Lys 320 have been implicated in mediating p53-dependent transcriptional activation of pro-arrest genes. Bax, Bcl2-associated X; DYRK2, dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 2; E4F1, putative E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase; HIPK2, homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2; hMOF, human males absent on the first (histone acetyltransferase); p53AIP, p53-regulated apoptosis-inducing protein 1; PCAF, p300/CBP-associated factor; PUMA, p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis.