The functions of the tumor suppressor p53, which is mutated in 50% of cancers, include DNA repair, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Recent evidences have suggested that p53 regulates also necrotic cell death, which is implicated in several pathologies, such as cerebral stroke and myocardial infarction. However, the role of p53 in the regulation of necrosis and its in vivo contribution remain unknown. Here, we examined the role of p53 in germ cell death (GCD), a pathway of necrotic cell death that regulates tissue homeostasis during Drosophila spermatogenesis. We found that p53 mutant testes exhibited a reduced GCD, as other mutants of the necrotic pathway. Furthermore inhibition of GCD promoted tumor-like formations in the adult testes. I will present further characterization of p53-dependent necrosis and discuss its importance as a tumor suppressive mechanism during development.
