In this study, we demonstrate that the hotspot mutation, p53-R273H, promotes cell migration, invasion in vitro and tumor metastasis in vivo. p53-R273H significantly represses expression of DLX2, a homeobox protein involved in cell proliferation and pattern formation.
Moreover, ATF3 appeared to suppress R175H- and R273H-mediated cancer cell migration and invasion as a consequence of preventing the transcription factor p63 from inactivation by mutp53.