| abstract |
A human gene has been discovered which is genetically altered in human tumor cells. The genetic alteration is gene amplification and leads to a corresponding increase in gene products. Detecting that the gene, designated hMDM2, has become amplified or detecting increased expression of gene products is diagnostic of tumorigenesis. Human MDM2 protein binds to human p53 and allows the cell to escape from p53-regulated growth. Methods of identifying compounds which interfere with the binding of human MDM2 protein to human p53 protein involve measuring the amounts of the proteins bound, displaced, or prevented from binding, in the presence of test compounds. |