p53, sex, and aging: lessons from the fruit fly

The p53 tumor suppressor gene is activated by numerous cellular stressors, including hypoxia and DNA damage and may induce cell cycle arrest or apoptosis depending on the extent of the damage [1]. This capacity has earned p53 the title of ‘guardian of the genome' [2] and in 1993, p53 was voted ‘Molecule of the Year' by Science magazine [3]. Since then, the extensive study of p53 at both structural and functional levels has provided greater insight into its role in cancer biology [4]. The fact that p53 functions to suppress cancer means that it is essential. However, recent studies in a broad spectrum of model organisms, including mice, have shown that not all functions of p53 are beneficial to a long healthspan [5].