To investigate the effects of human wild type p53 expression on the proliferation of cervical carcinoma cells, a plasmid, pM07 hp53, which contains a full-fength cDNA of the humao wild type p53 (wt p53) gene, was transfected into a cell line (TMCC 1) derived from an endocervical type, human papilloma virus positive adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. The exoge nous wt p53 expression induced growth suppression, morpho logical changes, and loss of anchorage independent growth of the tumor cells. As the wt p53 gene apparently plays a negative role in growth regulation of cervical carcinoma cells, this gene may possibly be of some use for treating subjects with a cervical carcinoma.