Chromatin Bottlenecks in Cancer

Abstract

Cancer accounts for ∼9 million deaths per year worldwide, predominantly affecting adults. Adult malignancies are usually examined after extensive clonal evolution and carry many mutations, obscuring the individual contributions of these alterations to oncogenesis. By contrast, pediatric cancers often contain few mutations, many of which cause defects in chromatin-associated proteins. We explore here the roles that chromatin plays in oncogenesis. We highlight how the developmental regulation of cell proliferation genes and the degradation of chromosome ends are two major bottlenecks in the evolution of malignant cells, and point to a third bottleneck where epigenomic dysfunction triggers expression of tumor-suppressor genes, limiting the development of aggressive and metastatic features in tumors. We also identify opportunities for chromatin-based therapies.

Keywords: cancer; chromatin; epigenome; nucleosome; oncogene; tumor suppressor.