The p53 tumor suppressor protein reduces point mutation frequency of a shuttle vector modi®ed by the chemical mutagens (+)7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene, a¯atoxin B 1 and meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid Chantal Courtemanche 1,2 and Alan Anderson* ,1,2 1 Centre de recherche en canceÂrologie de l'Universite Laval, Pavillon L'HoÃtel-Dieu de QueÂbec, Centre hospitalier universitaire de QueÂbec, QueÂbec G1R 2J6 Canada; and 2 DeÂpartement de biologie, Universite Laval, QueÂbec G1K 7P4 Canada p53 has been postulated to be the guardian of the genome. However, results supporting the prediction that point mutation frequencies are elevated in p53-de®cient cells either have not been forthcoming or have been equivocal. To analyse the e ect of p53 on point mutation frequency, we used the supF gene of the pYZ289 shuttle vector as a mutagenic target. pYZ289 was treated in vitro by ultraviolet irradiation, a¯atoxin B 1 , (+)7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene and meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid and then transfected into p53-de®cient cells with or without a p53 expression vector. p53 reduced the mutant frequency up to ®vefold when pYZ289 was treated with a¯atoxin B 1 , (+)7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene or meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid but not when it was ultraviolet-irradiated. The p53-dependent mutation frequency reduction was higher at a higher level of premutational lesions for a¯atoxin B 1 and (+)7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene and at a lower level of lesions for meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid. This suggests that the chemical mutagens produce, in a dose-dependent fashion, two kinds of DNA damage, one subject to p53-dependent mutation frequency reduction and the other not. These results indicate that p53 can reduce the point mutation frequency in a shuttle vector treated by chemical mutagens and suggest that p53 can act as guardian of the genome for at least some kinds of point mutations.