Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Review
  • Published:

Chromatin remodeling: why it is important in cancer

Abstract

A typical human cell expresses only a few thousand of the more than 30 000 genes contained within our chromosomes. The chromosomal infrastructure is essential for gene control, determining both active and repressed states. It is important not only to turn the right genes on but also to turn the right genes off. Histones and chromatin components have key roles in this decision making process. Mistakes have severe consequences. If as few as three inappropriate genes are turned off, a normal cell can be converted into a cancer cell. This epigenetic silencing of genes underlies a new approach to cancer therapy. Advances in the biochemistry and genetics of chromatin remodeling reveal that gene inactivation depends on the recruitment of enzymes that control the display of DNA within the chromosome. Mistargeting of these enzymes leads to tumorigenesis, but inhibition of their activity presents a novel approach to therapy.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barton MC, Crowe AJ . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Berger SL . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Demeret C, Vassetzky Y, Mechali M . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Derro BJ, Archer TK . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Dilworth FJ, Chambon P . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Ferreira R, Naguibneva I, Pritchard LL, Ait-Si-Ali S, Harel- Belan A . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Germond JE, Hirt P, Oudet P, Gross-Bellard M, Chambon P . 1975 Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. USA 72: 1843–1847

  • Grange T, Cappabianca L, Flavin M, Sassi H, Thomassin H . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Hans F, Dimitrov S . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Hebbes TR, Thorne AW, Crane-Robinson C . 1988 EMBO J. 7: 1395–1402

  • Herskowitz I, Andrews B, Kruger W, Orgas J, Sil A, Coburn C, Peterson C . 1992 In Transcription Regulation Vol 2, eds S McKnight and K Yamamoto Cold Spring Harbor Press: New York pp. 949–974

  • Imhof A, Yang XJ, Ogryzko VV, Nakatani Y, Wolffe AP, Ge H . 1997 Curr. Biol. 7: 689–692

  • Kruger W, Peterson CL, Sil A, Coburn C, Arents G, Moudrianakis EN, Herskowitz I . 1995 Genes Dev. 9: 2770–2779

  • Lee DY, Hayes JJ, Pruss D, Wolffe AP . 1993 Cell 72: 73–84

  • Liu PQ, Rebar EJ, Zhang J, Liu Q, Jamieson AC, Liang Y, Qi H, Li PX, Chen B, Mendel MC, Zhong X, Lee YL, Eisenberg S, Spratt SK, Case CC, Wolffe AP . 2001 J. Biol. Chem. in press

  • Mahmoudi T, Verrijzer CP . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Minucci S, Nervi C, Lo Coco F, Pelicci PG . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Muchardt C, Yaniv M . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Nightingale KP, Wellinger RE, Sogo JM, Becker PB . 1998 EMBO J. 17: 2865–2876

  • Pandolfi PP . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Perlmann T, Wrange O . 1988 EMBO J. 7: 3073–3083

  • Richard-Foy H, Hager GL . 1987 EMBO J. 6: 2321–2328

  • Rietveld LEG, Caldenhoven E, Stunnenberg HG . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Robertson KD . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Robertson KD, Ait-Si-Ali S, Yokochi T, Wade PA, Jones PL, Wolffe AP . 2001 Nature Genet. 25: 338–342

  • Rountree MR, Bachman KE, Herman JG, Baylin SB . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Sogo JM, Stahl H, Koller T, Knippers R . 1986 J. Mol. Biol. 189: 189–204

  • Stallcup MR . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Tse C, Sera T, Wolffe AP, Hansen JC . 1998 Mol. Cell. Biol. 18: 4629–4638

  • Ura K, Hayes JJ, Wolffe AP . 1995 EMBO J. 14: 3752–3765

  • Ura K, Kurumizaka H, Dimitrov S, Almouzni G, Wolffe AP . 1997 EMBO J. 16: 2096–2107

  • Urnov FD, Wolffe AP . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Varga-Weisz P . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Vetesse-Dadey M, Grant PA, Hebbes TR, Crane-Robinson C, Allis CD, Workman JL . 1996 EMBO J. 15: 2508–2518

  • Wade P . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Waterborg JH . 2000 J.Biol.Chem. 275: 13007–13011

  • Wolffe AP . 1998 Chromatin: structure and function. 3rd Edition Academic Press

  • Wolffe AP, Brown DD . 1986 Cell 47: 217–227

  • Zhang HS, Dean DC . 2001 Oncogene this issue.

  • Zhang L, Spratt SK, Liu Q, Johnstone B, Qi H, Raschke EE, Jamieson AC, Rebar EJ, Wolffe AP, Case CC . 2000 J. Biol. Chem. 275: 33850–33860

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wolffe, A. Chromatin remodeling: why it is important in cancer. Oncogene 20, 2988–2990 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1204322

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1204322

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links