Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
09:12

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress

Published on: July 4, 2013

Breaching the boundaries that safeguard against repression

Vijay K Tiwari1, Stephen B Baylin

  • 1Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.

Molecular Cell
|June 2, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Loss of CTCF function impairs poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation, potentially leading to abnormal DNA methylation and gene silencing in cancer cells. This epigenetic change may drive cancer development.

Area of Science:

  • Epigenetics
  • Cancer Biology
  • Molecular Cell Biology

Background:

  • The CTCF protein is a key transcriptional regulator involved in genome organization.
  • Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is a post-translational modification crucial for DNA repair and gene regulation.
  • Aberrant DNA methylation and gene silencing are hallmarks of cancer development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional consequences of CTCF loss of function.
  • To explore the role of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in CTCF-mediated gene regulation.
  • To determine the link between CTCF, DNA methylation, and gene silencing in cancer cells.

Main Methods:

  • The study likely involved experiments assessing CTCF function and its impact on poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation.
  • Techniques to analyze DNA methylation patterns at gene promoters were probably employed.
  • Gene expression analysis was likely used to detect gene silencing.

Main Results:

  • CTCF loss of function was associated with defects in poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation.
  • These defects predisposed key genes to abnormal promoter DNA methylation.
  • Silencing of these genes was observed in cancer cells with impaired CTCF function.

Conclusions:

  • CTCF plays a critical role in preventing aberrant DNA methylation and gene silencing.
  • Defective poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation due to CTCF loss of function is a potential mechanism driving oncogenesis.
  • Targeting CTCF or poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation pathways could offer new therapeutic strategies for cancer.

More Related Videos

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses06:42

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

Published on: September 28, 2018

Methanol Independent Expression by Pichia Pastoris Employing De-repression Technologies05:30

Methanol Independent Expression by Pichia Pastoris Employing De-repression Technologies

Published on: January 23, 2019

Related Concept Videos

The Stanford Prison Experiment03:20

The Stanford Prison Experiment

The famous and controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted by social psychologist Philip Zimbardo and his colleagues at Stanford University, demonstrated the power of social roles, social norms, and scripts.
Repressed Memory01:16

Repressed Memory

Repressed memories are a psychological phenomenon where memories of traumatic events are unconsciously blocked from a person's awareness. This process occurs as a defense mechanism, protecting the mind from the emotional impact of distressing or painful experiences. For example, a person who has experienced childhood trauma may grow up with no conscious recollection of the event. In such cases, the memories are thought to be buried deep within the subconscious, inaccessible to the conscious...
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps02:24

Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps

Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps02:24

Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps

Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Impression Management Techniques III: Aligning Actions01:29

Impression Management Techniques III: Aligning Actions

Aligning actions are communicative strategies individuals employ to maintain social harmony and preserve personal identity in the face of potential disruptions to social norms. These actions are particularly important in managing social impressions when one's behavior might be seen as inappropriate, incompetent, or morally questionable.Types of Aligning ActionsThe three principal types of aligning actions are disclaimers, accounts, and apologies.DisclaimersDisclaimers are preventive; they are...
Censoring Survival Data01:09

Censoring Survival Data

Survival analysis is a statistical method used to analyze time-to-event data, often employed in fields such as medicine, engineering, and social sciences. One of the key challenges in survival analysis is dealing with incomplete data, a phenomenon known as "censoring." Censoring occurs when the event of interest (such as death, relapse, or system failure) has not occurred for some individuals by the end of the study period or is otherwise unobservable, and it might have many different reasons...