Abstract: The invention relates to compositions, methods, and gene therapy reagents to promote or to inhibit angiogenesis in the treatment of peripheral vascular or cardiovascular diseases, utilizing a chimeric molecule comprising an angiogenic factor linked to a targeting molecule that specifically binds to a vascular endothelium.

Abstract: Many genes are identified as being p53-regulated which were not heretofore known to be p53-regulated. This includes both genes whose expression is induced and genes whose expression is repressed by the expression of wild-type p53. Monitoring expression of these genes is used to provide indications of p53 status in a cell. Such monitoring can also be used to screen for useful anti-cancer therapeutics, as well as for substances which are carcinogenic. Defects in p53 can be bypassed by supplying p53 induced genes to cells. Defects in p53 can also be bypassed by supplying antisense constructs to p53-repressed genes.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of diagnosing cancer by determining the expression level or gene amplification of p53 and dm2, whereby an elevated level of either p53 or dm2 or both p53 and dm2 indicates a cancer diagnosis. Furthermore, the invention provides a method of predicting the progress of cancer by determining the expression level or gene amplification of p53 and dm2, whereby an elevated level of either p53 or dm2 or both p53 and dm2 indicated a poor prognosis.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel chimeric transactivating proteins comprising a functional portion of a DNA binding protein and a functional portion of a transcriptional activator protein. The chimeric transactivating proteins of the invention offer a variety of advantages, including the specific activation of expression of genes engineered to comprise transactivator responsive elements, thereby achieving exceptionally high levels of gene expression. Furthermore, in various embodiments of the invention, the transactivator proteins may be used to increase expression of some genes while repressing the expression of others, thus permitting a greater degree of control of gene expression patterns than other currently available systems. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the function of the chimeric transactivator proteins may be induced, for example, by chemical agents (e.g. IPTG) or changes in temperature.

Abstract: A panel of probes detects and distinguishes between sets of human p53 gene or protein mutations that frequently occur or are selected for in pre-cancer and cancer cells Each set of mutations gives rise to a phenotype that is different from that of wild-type p53 and of at least one other set of p53 mutations.

Abstract: A panel of probes that detect and distinguish between sets of human p53 gene or protein mutations that frequently occur or are selected for in pre-cancer and cancer cells, each set giving rise to a phenotype that is different from that of wild-type p53 and of at least one other set of p53 mutants.