HMGA proteins as therapeutic drug targets

Members of the HMGA (formerly known as HMGI/Y) family of non-histone chromatin proteins function as important accessory factors in many normal nuclear processes, including the modulation of chromosome structure, chromatin and nucleosome remodeling and the control of gene transcription. The HMGA proteins are also frequently associated with various malignancies. The aberrant expression or over-expression of these proteins is, for example, associated with many different types of tumors. The HMGA proteins also appear to be the host-supplied cofactors necessary for efficient integration of retroviruses, such as HIV, into the genome. The HMGA proteins appear, therefore, to be promising targets for therapeutic drugs aimed at alleviating these and other pathological conditions.