Loss of TRP53 (p53) accelerates tumorigenesis and changes the tumor spectrum of SJL/J mice.

Known as the guardian of the genome, transformation-related protein 53 (TRP53) is a well -known tumor suppressor. Here, we describe a novel TRP53 deficient mouse model on a tumor prone background-SJL/J mice. The absence of TRP53 (TRP53 nullizygosity) leads to a shift in the tumor spectrum from a non-Hodgkin's-like disease to thymic lymphomas and testicular teratomas at a very rapid tumor onset averaging ~12 weeks of age. In haplotype studies, comparing tumor prone versus tumor resistant Trp53 null mouse strains, we found that other tumor suppressor, DNA repair and/or immune system genes modulate tumor incidence in TRP53 null strains, suggesting that even a strong tumor suppressor such as TRP53 is modulated by genetic background. Due to their rapid development of tumors, the SJL/J TRP53 null mice generated here can be used as an efficient chemotherapy or immunotherapy screening mouse model.