TP53 and cancer: Recent studies by Russo and colleagues have also revealed that in the absence of p53, overexpression of RPL3 in cancer cells induces cell cycle arrest or apoptosis by upregulating p21 [11], and in the presence of the chemotherapeutic drug fluorouracil (5-FU), RPL3 triggers mitochondrial apoptosis through the overproduction of Bax and inhibition of Bcl2 as well as the prevention of nuclear translocation of NF-κB via the upregulation of IκB [12,13].