Acetyltransferases and tumour suppression

The acetyltransferase p300 was first identified associated with the adenovi ral transforming protein E1A, suggesting a potential role for p300 in the r egulation of cell proliferation. Direct evidence demonstrating a role for p 300 in human tumours was lacking until the recently publication by Gayther et al, which strongly supports a role for p300 as a tumour suppressor. The authors identify truncating mutations associated with the loss or mutation of the second allele in both tumour samples and cell lines, suggesting that loss of p300 may play a role in the development of a subset of human cance rs.