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The role of multipotential progenitors and neural stem cells in the adult subventricular zone (SVZ) as cell-of-origin of glioblastoma has been suggested by studies on human tumors and transgenic mice. However, it is still unknown whether glial tumors are generated by all of the heterogeneous SVZ cell types or only by specific subpopulations of cells. It has been proposed that transformation could result from lack of apoptosis and increased self-renewal, but the definition of the properties leading to neoplastic transformation of SVZ cells are still elusive. This study addresses these questions in mice carrying the deletion of p53, a tumor-suppressor gene expressed in the SVZ. We show here that, although loss of p53 by itself is not sufficient for tumor formation, it provides a proliferative advantage to the slow- and fast-proliferating subventricular zone (SVZ) populations associated with their rapid differentiation. This results …