Apoptosis of leukocytes triggered by acute DNA damage promotes lymphoma formation.

Apoptosis triggered by p53 upon DNA damage secures removal of cells with compromised genomes, and is thought to prevent tumorigenesis. In contrast, we provide evidence that p53-induced apoptosis can actively drive tumor formation. Mice defective in p53-induced apoptosis due to loss of its proapoptotic target gene, puma, resist gamma-irradiation (IR)-induced lymphomagenesis.