Mutant p53 binds RNA to drive mitochondrial dysfunction

Often termed the guardian of the genome, p53 is responsible for maintenance of genomic stability, cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, senescence, and apoptosis. In cancer cells, deregulation of p53 often occurs through mutations in the DNA binding domain which lead to a loss of the transcriptional activity.

While 100’s of somatic mutations in the DNA binding domain are known, a small number of mutants are enriched in cancer, suggesting a gain-of-function role. Here we deploy an intein-based approach to localize µMap photoproximity labeling to p53 to define novel interactions contributing to the loss and gain of function roles of 5 separate hotspot mutants. These data revealed that G245S and R273H binds to RNA through its C-terminal domain.