The pcDNA3-HA-p53 plasmid and pcDNA3 negative control empty vector were generously provided by Dr. Marin (Gonzalez-Cano et al., 2013 (link)). The pGPU6/GFP/Neo plasmid used for constructing the p53 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) vector was purchased from GenePharma (China). The p53 shRNA target sequence was TACCACCATCCACTACAACTA and the new plasmid was named Si-p53. A random DNA sequence (Si-control) was used as a negative control. Cells were seeded in six-well plates at 1 × 106/well and incubated overnight. pcDNA3-HA-p53, pcDNA3, Si-p53 and Si-control plasmids were transfected using TurboFect Transfection Reagent (Thermo Scientific) according to the manufacturer’s protocol. After incubation for 48 h at 37°C, cells were harvested and the expression of TAp73 and ΔNp73 was assessed by western blot analysis.