The Roles of Chromatin Remodeling Genes in Pancreatic-Biliary Malignancies

Crit Rev Oncog. 2017;22(5-6):471-479. doi: 10.1615/CritRevOncog.2017020587.

Abstract

Recent studies have definitively established that chromatin remodeling is a crucial epigenetic mechanism not only in physiological conditions but also in influencing cancer biology. It is a dynamic process in which the chromatin, the functional entity of DNA, can undergo specific modifications by obtaining transcriptional activation or transcriptional silencing. One of the most important recent discoveries in cancer genetics and genomics is that the genes involved in the establishment of chromatin structure, the so called chromatin remodelers, are frequently mutated in different types of human cancer. This review aims to summarize the main novelties related to this topic, describing also the contribution of such genes during oncogenesis. Particularly, we focus on the switch/sucrose non-fermentable complexes and on three of the most important chromatin remodeling genes in biliary and pancreatic cancer: ARID1A, PBRM1, and BAP1.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / pathology
  • Carcinogenesis / genetics*
  • Chromatin / genetics
  • Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly / genetics*
  • Epigenesis, Genetic / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology

Substances

  • Chromatin