Are the conspicuous interdependences of fecundity, longevity and cognitive abilities in humans caused in part by p53?

Abstract

Recent discoveries indicate that the answers to the questions whether we will have children, and if so, how many; for how long we can expect to live; and how fast we are at solving complex intellectual problems, may not be independent of one another but correlated. Although the influence of the environment on fecundity, longevity and cognitive function is, for most of their parts, well documented, it is undisputed that genetic factors impact these issues as well. In the following I have tried to compile some evidence in support of the suggestion that the transcriptional regulator p53 could be one of the molecular underpinnings of the chain of causation that must underlie these correlations. © 2010 Landes Bioscience.