11 Facts About CDKN2A

CDKN2A, known as cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A, is a gene which in humans is located at chromosome 9, band p21.

Somatic mutations of CDKN2A are common in the majority of human cancers, with estimates that CDKN2A is the second most commonly inactivated gene in cancer after p53.

Germline mutations of CDKN2A are associated with familial melanoma, glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer.

The CDKN2A gene contains one of 27 SNPs associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease.

CDKN2A gene is located on the chromosome 9p21 locus, which is intriguing for several reasons.

Furthermore, changes in CDKN2A status are highly variable depending on the type of cancer.

CDKN2A is made up of four sections of exons – exon 1ß, exon 1a, exon 2, and exon 3.

For those who carry the hereditary mutated gene CDKN2A, acquiring skin cancer is a lot easier.

Multi-locus genetic risk score study based on a combination of 27 loci, including the CDKN2A gene, identified individuals at increased risk for both incident and recurrent coronary artery disease events, as well as an enhanced clinical benefit from statin therapy.

Activation of the CDKN2A locus promotes the cellular senescence tumor suppressor mechanism, which is a permanent form of growth arrest.

Notably, a recent survey of cellular senescence induced by multiple treatments to several cell lines does not identify CDKN2A as belonging to a "core signature" of senescence markers.