Famous for being a potent tumor-suppressor protein, p53 was originally identified as an oncogene (or, a gene that promotes tumor development).  What explains this dichotomy?  When p53 was initially identified, the researchers were actually studying a mutant form of p53 which had not only lost its tumor-suppressor properties but had also acquired the properties of an oncogene.  Today – even after 87,000 scientific papers have been published that mention p53 – we are still learning about this fascinating gene.  Here, researchers from Stanford University describe a mutant form of p53 with enhanced ability to suppress tumor development in the pancreas.

p53