Study resolves decades-old mystery about the most commonly mutated gene in cancer

The most commonly mutated gene in cancer has tantalized scientists for decades about the message of its mutations.  Although mutations can occur at more than 1,100 sites within the TP53 gene, they arise with greatest frequency at a handful of points dubbed “hot spots.”  Does this imbalance suggest that hotspot mutations are especially conducive to cancer or that they’re particularly disabling to TP53?  What does the plethora of mutations at hot spots tell scientists about the role of TP53 within cells and about the ability of certain mutations to disrupt that role? Read the story.