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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

An Integrated Platform for Genome-wide Mapping of Chromatin States Using High-throughput ChIP-sequencing in Tumor Tissues
Published on: April 5, 2018
SWI/SNF: a chromatin-remodelling complex with a role in carcinogenesis
Gary M Halliday1, Vanessa L Bock, Fergal J Moloney
1Discipline of Dermatology, Bosch Institute, Sydney Cancer Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia. garyh@med.usyd.edu.au
Abstract:
SWI/SNF is a chromatin-remodelling complex that makes DNA that has been compacted into nucleosomes accessible to transcription factors and repair enzymes. It does this by displacing DNA from the core histone surface. SWI/SNF consists of at least nine subunits, including one of two alternative ATPase subunits, BRM or BRG-1, that provide the energy for remodelling. As it regulates access to DNA it controls many aspects of normal cellular function. Limited studies have recently linked loss of function of SWI/SNF subunits to cancer development, suggesting that it may be a tumor suppressor complex. As epigenetic repression regulates SWI/SNF component expression at least in some cases, restoration of function is therapeutically promising for cancer treatment. Considerably more research is required into deregulation of SWI/SNF in cancer and determination of how this affects tumor development. This is an exciting but poorly understood molecule that may have a role in carcinogenesis.
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