Researchers link a common variant of the powerful anticancer gene p53 to increased inflammatory responses following DNA damage

The results may help explain why African Americans, who more frequently possess this variant, tend to be more susceptible to certain kinds of inflammation-related diseases and cancers, such as type II diabetes and colorectal cancer. Scientists studied the DNA variation, or polymorphism, located at amino acid 72, or codon 72, in the p53 gene - human beings can have either the proline or arginine amino acid at this location. The proline variant is more common in African Americans and other human populations originating from regions near the equator. The researchers suggest that the proline version may be more common in individuals living near the equator because it may help people fight the greater number of immune challenges presented by viruses and bacteria that thrive in the warmer temperatures near the equator.