From p63 to p53 across p73

Most genes are members of a family. It is generally believed that a gene fa mily derives from an ancestral gene by duplication and divergence. The tumo r suppressor p53 was a striking exception to this established rule. However , two new p53 homologs, p63 and p73, have recently been described [1-6]. At the sequence level, p63 and p73 are more similar to each other than each i s to p53, suggesting the possibility that the ancestral gene is a gene rese mbling p631p73, while p53 is phylogenetically younger [1,2]. The complexity of the family has also been enriched by the alternatively sp liced forms of p63 and p73, which give rise to a complex network of protein s involved in the control of cell proliferation, apoptosis and development [1,2,4,7-9]. In this review we will mainly focus on similarities and differ ences as well as relationships among p63, p73 and p53. (C) 2001 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.