Polymorphism at codon 72 of the p53 gene in human acute myelogenous leukemia.

A common polymorphism at codon 72 of the p53 gene in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) was analyzed by single-strand conformation polymorphism assay and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of immunoprecipitated 35S-labeled P53 protein. No association between this polymorphism and a marked predisposition to AML was found. The half-lives of these two polymorphic forms of P53 were equivalent in normal phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes, while the P53 Pro72 isoform was found to be twice as stable as the Arg72 isoform in Daudi cells.