Mutation of the TP53 gene is the most frequent  genetic alteration in human cancers. Tumor supressive function of p53 have been linked to its ability to control cell division, cell death and cellular senescence. However growing evidence indicates that the metabolic functions of p53 play important roles in cancer progression. Our team has been studying the metabolic functions of the p53 pathway for many years and highlited previously unknown functions of several key components of this molecular cascade in pyruvate, amino-acid and nucleotide metabolism. Beyond cancer development, I will illustrate how deregulation of theses metabolic networks impacts on normal physiological responses in the liver and leads to inborn metabolic disorders.

Invited by Béatrice Romagnolo.