Although known to induce cellular senescence, an important tumour suppressor mechanism, mutation of CDKN1A — the gene encoding p21 (also known as WAF1 or CIP1) — is rare in human cancers. Now, a study reports a previously unappreciated oncogenic effect of p21 overexpression that shapes cancer genome evolution through induction of replication stress.
- Vasily S. Romanov
- K. Lenhard Rudolph