November 17, 2014
Science writer Armstrong (A Matter of Life and Death: Inside the Hidden World of the Pathologist) conveys all the excitement and determination of the scientists who have relentlessly chipped away at the mystery of a workhorse gene known as p53, “the common denominator of cancers,” in hopes of improving cancer research and treatment. Armstrong writes that scientists “working on the front line” of p53 research “believe we are on the threshold of a golden age in cancer prevention and cure.” She makes accessible to the public a scientific mystery that she personally finds fascinating, speaking directly to many of the key players involved in p53 research and adeptly unwinding the difficulties confronting them since the gene’s discovery in 1979. Armstrong takes fascinating side trips along the way, relating how p53 was used in “nailing Big Tobacco”—by proving the link between smoking and cancer—and revealing its role in the relationship between cancer and aging. She succeeds in her goal to “stand clear of those ledgers full of data as far as possible and tell the story of some of the curious, obsessive, competitive minds that to unravel the deepest mysteries of cancer.”
December 15, 2014
The scientific history of the gene that regulates cancer in humans. "Because most molecules are smaller than the wavelength of light," writes Armstrong (A Matter of Life and Death: Conversations with Pathologists, 2008, etc.), most of what transpires in molecular biology is unseen. However, with the discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953, under the right conditions, scientists suddenly had something visible to work with, enabling them to decipher the components of human cells and how they interact with one another. Armstrong details the extensive research that has gone into one gene in particular, p53, which regulates the body's ability to fend off cancer. First concretely identified in 1979, the scientific interest in p53 waxed and waned as researchers around the world, working in isolated labs, analyzed this gene in a variety of scenarios. Without excessive jargon or detail, the author leads readers through years of experiments conducted by exemplary scientists in their respective fields. Armstrong chronicles the numerous disappointments and eureka moments when the research yielded unexpected and significant discoveries on how and why p53 plays such a huge role in regulating the production of cancerous tumors. As scientists continue to work with and manipulate this gene, they learn more about how it functions, which will help them create courses for cancer treatment that are highly personalized to an individual's genetic background. This would ease many of the side effects currently suffered by cancer patients, such as hair loss and nausea. Armstrong's narrative is informative and entertaining for those with a medical or scientific background or readers who have an interest in scientific breakthroughs, but it may be less appealing for more general readers. A well-written examination of the complex world of scientific research, focusing on a specific gene in the human body.
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November 15, 2014
P53 is the body's oncologist: a tumor suppressor. When it works, it halts tumor replication millions of times a day. When it doesn't work, havoc ensues. But P53 doesn't just create devastation in its absence, it can mutate in such a way that it promotes growths different from those formed when it is simply knocked out. Mutant P53 can act like an oncogene (tumor promoter), or help generate misfolded proteins called prions, a discovery leading to a Nobel Prize for mad cow disease researcher Stanley Prusiner. The route to all this knowledge was circuitous. Scientists first hailed P53 as an oncogene and ignored research calling it a suppressor; then welcomed it as a suppressor and disregarded research identifying it as an oncogene. VERDICT This is a short, workmanlike overview of milestones in research on a key regulatory gene. Although the author is a science writer and journalist, the book is not written in a manner destined to inspire a general audience. It leaps too quickly from one researcher to the next to allow for meaningful personal development, and the science is described with more patience than passion. Still, graduate students and cancer literature buffs will be absorbed.--Cynthia Fox, Brooklyn
Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 1, 2014
p53 is a sort of supergene that codes for a protein of great consequence in warding off cancer. Curiously, this gene can exhibit a split biological personality. Think Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde on a molecular level. The normal p53 gene's main task is thwarting tumor formation when cellular DNA is damaged. When the gene functions properly as a tumor suppressor, a cell can't become cancerous. But if p53 is corrupted by a mutation, unruly cells are able to move toward malignant transformation. Under normal circumstances, the gene is described as the guardian of the genome. When p53 mutates, it is a common denominator of cancers. p53's activity is influenced by a variety of factors, including cellular stress, a protein known as Mdm2, and carcinogens. Incorporating interviews with the many scientists involved in the discovery and understanding of p53, science writer Armstrong adroitly untangles the complex story of this impressive gene. p53-based therapies for cancer treatment and its use as a biomarker to screen for early malignancies loom as amazing possibilities.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)