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chromothripsis
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- 1p53 prevents chromothripsis by balancing transcription and replication●p53 keeps a transcription–replication balance that prevents chromothripsis
A Nature study reports that the p53 protein, best known as a tumour suppressor, prevents chromothripsis — the shattering of chromosomes — by keeping transcription and DNA replication in balance. When p53 is missing or inactive, these processes collide, causing catastrophic genome damage that can drive cancer development. The finding links a classic cancer gene to a new mechanism of genome protection, and researchers say it may refine how tumour evolution and genome instability are understood.