Tumor protein p53 plays an important role in cell regulation and conserving the genomic stability, which is achieved by means of several mechanisms:

• Activating DNA repair proteins when DNA has sustained damage.
• Arresting growth by holding the cell cycle at the G1/S regulation point on DNA damage recognition.
• Initiating apoptosis if DNA damage is irreparable.
• Serving as a critical component for the senescence response to short telomeres.