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p21

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Cancer

Synonyms

CAP20; CDKN1A; Cip1; Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A; mda-6; Sdi1; Waf1

Definition

Traditionally, the p21 protein has been defined as an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Inhibition of this group of enzymes by p21 leads to the cessation of cell proliferation. Additionally, p21 binds to and inhibits the activity of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen, a subunit of DNA polymerase), which results in the termination of DNA replication. Because both of these functions lead to cell cycle arrest, p21 is also called an inhibitor of the cell cycle.

Additional functions of p21 were discovered that are unrelated to its ability to inhibit cell proliferation. For example, p21 can regulate transcription; restrain apoptosis; impose on cytoskeletal dynamics and cell motility; interfere with cellular differentiation, senescence, and aging; act as cytoplasmic regulator of nuclear import; impinge on DNA repair; and affect the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells...

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References

  • Abbas T, Dutta A (2009) p21 in cancer: intricate networks and multiple activities. Nat Rev Cancer 9:400–414

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  • Jung YS, Qian Y, Chen X (2010) Examination of the expanding pathways for the regulation of p21 expression and activity. Cell Signal 22:1003–1012

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Axel H. Schönthal

Authors
  1. Axel H. Schönthal
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Axel H. Schönthal .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Schönthal, A.H. (2015). p21. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4327-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_4327-7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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