In good times and bad

It is widely accepted in cancer biology that p53 has a tumor suppressive activity, which is lost during tumorigenesis most frequently by mutations in the p53 gene. The discovery of p73 as the first homologue of p53 raised immediate expectations about p53-like tumor suppressor activities. Although tumors show changes in the expression level of p73 and differences in the expression pattern of p73 isoforms, mutations are not commonly observed making it difficult to infer p73's role in tumorigenesis. An experimental model of human cell transformation closely mimics the expression changes observed in cancer patients and provides novel insights into the regulation and function of p73 in the various steps on the road to malignant transformation. p53-like isoforms of p73 (TAp73) are upregulated early during the transformation process in response to RB pathway alterations and block progression to the fully transformed state. Antagonists of TAp73 such as the dominant-negative p73 protein Delta Np73 overcome this block and pave the way to full transformation. Here we review these findings in the context of patient data and recent advances on molecular aspects of p73 function and discuss the implications for p73 as a target for cancer therapy.