Double bolt regulation of Rad51 by p53 - A role for transcriptional repression

The regulation of homologous recombination (HR) by p53 has been currently associated with its nontransactivating function; now the transcriptional repression of the Rad51 gene by p53 has been elucidated. This extra control by p53 involves the transcriptional downregulation of Rad51 protein, which in turn accounts for the reduction of functional Rad51 foci. Down regulation of Rad51 protein might be relevant, considering that Rad51 is a rate-limiting factor in HR. Moreover, impaired Rad51-repression by p53 mutant proteins may contribute to malignant transformation.