Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41518471›Full record

ArticleMolecular biology reports2026

Short-term hypoxia and nutrient deprivation stress induced shifts in p53 isoform expression in HepG2 tumourspheres.

Li Qing Keoh, Muhammad Danish Ahmad Tarmizi, Sakunie Sawai, Lixian Oh, Thamil Selvee Ramasamy

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Article in Molecular biology reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The Dynamic Alliance of p53 and Metabolism in the Tumor Microenvironment Shapes Tumor Evolution.BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Li Qing Keoh *Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Muhammad Danish Ahmad Tarmizi *Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Sakunie SawaiStem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Lixian OhDepartment of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Thamil Selvee RamasamyStem Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. selvee@ummc.edu.my.

Funding

Fundamental Research Grant Scheme of the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia FRGS/1/2024/SKK10/UM/02/10 (FP033-2024)Global 3Rs Award Program by IQ Consortium and AAALAC International IF063-2023
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe hypoxic, nutrient-deprived tumour microenvironment (TME), a hallmark of solid tumours, imposes cellular stress that can also paradoxically promote survival and resistance. While TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene in cancer, approximately 60% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases retain wild-type TP53 (WTp53), suggesting its isoforms as potential tumorigenic modulators that override canonical tumour-suppressive functions. Therefore, this study aims to delineate p53 isoform profiles in response to short-term hypoxia and nutrient deprivation, recapitulating key stressors in the tumour biology.

methodWe hereby established a 7-day HepG2 tumoursphere model by seeding 15,000 cells/well, which transitioned from normoxia (4 days) to a hypoxic (1% O

resultsThe formation of HepG2 tumoursphere at different seeding densities determined the diameter, viability and proliferation profiles, with 15,000 cells/well producing optimal, viable tumourspheres with the highest yield. HLS conditions significantly reduced tumoursphere size, proliferation capacity and viability. Strikingly, multiplex long-amplicon ddPCR revealed substantial upregulation of FLp53α/Δ40p53α, Δ40p53α and Δ133p53α/Δ160p53α mRNA transcripts. While FLp53α/Δ40p53α remained dominant, Δ40p53α and Δ133p53α/Δ160p53α progressively increased, altering the balance among the isoforms. This shift correlated with enhanced expression of the pro-proliferative and survival markers (PCNA and BCL2) and reduced expression of the pro-apoptotic marker (BAX) and cell cycle inhibitor (CDKN1A), suggesting a potential functional role of these isoforms in promoting tumour cell adaptation under stress.

conclusionThis study highlights stress-induced p53 isoform modulation as a potential survival mechanism in WTp53 HCC in response to TME stress, which warrants further exploration of isoform-specific p53 functions in understanding heterogeneity, resistance and cancer recurrence.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularLiver NeoplasmsTumor Suppressor Protein p53Cell HypoxiaCell ProliferationCell SurvivalGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHep G2 CellsHumansNutrientsProtein IsoformsStress, PhysiologicalTumor MicroenvironmentProtein IsoformsTP53 protein, humanTumor Suppressor Protein p53Hepatocellular carcinomaHepG2 tumourspheresHypoxiaNutrient deprivationp53 isoform

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.