Impact of MDM2 polymorphism: increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and a poor prognosis in the Tunisian population.

Introduction: MDM2 was originally identified as an oncoprotein that binds to p53 and inhibits p53-mediated transactivation. Scientists have described functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the MDM2 gene. They showed that the genotype of SNP 309 induces an increase in the level of MDM2 protein, which causes attenuation of the p53 pathway.

Association of a p73 exon 2 GC/AT polymorphism with colorectal cancer risk and survival in Tunisian patients.

We examined the association of one linked GC/AT polymorphism at p73 with the risk of colorectal cancer. In the present study, we investigated whether this polymorphism was related to the risk of colorectal cancer, and whether there were relationships between the polymorphism and LOH, protein expression or clinicopathological variables. The p73 genotypes were determined by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 150 Tunisians patients with colorectal cancer and in 204 healthy control subjects.

The prognostic value of p73 overexpression in colorectal carcinoma: a clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical, and statistical study of 204 patients.

Introduction: The protein p73 is the first identified homolog of the tumor suppressor gene p53, but its function in tumor development has not been established. Indeed, the results regarding the p73 implication in colorectal cancers is still controversial.

Aim: We investigated whether the p73 is implicated in colorectal cancer, whether the p73 expression is related to prognosis and whether the p73 expression is correlated with p21-ras or p53.