Hannah Woodward

• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences
• The regulation of the tumour suppressor p53 by ribosome biogenesis

When the protein p53, which is affected in 50% of cancers, can no longer function, cell growth is unregulated leading to cancer. It has recently been shown that p53 activity is linked to ribosome production. Ribosomes are essential machines in the cell that synthesise protein. The number of ribosomes dictates the growth rate of the cell and the synthesis of ribosomes is increased in cancer cells. Furthermore, several genetic diseases (including Treacher Collins syndrome) result from defects in ribosome production leading to increased levels of p53. Here we propose to investigate the mechanism linking ribosome production to p53 regulation.

Funding source: Newcastle University