GammaH2AX and cancer

Nat Rev Cancer. 2008 Dec;8(12):957-67. doi: 10.1038/nrc2523. Epub 2008 Nov 13.

Abstract

Histone H2AX phosphorylation on a serine four residues from the carboxyl terminus (producing gammaH2AX) is a sensitive marker for DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). DSBs may lead to cancer but, paradoxically, are also used to kill cancer cells. Using gammaH2AX detection to determine the extent of DSB induction may help to detect precancerous cells, to stage cancers, to monitor the effectiveness of cancer therapies and to develop novel anticancer drugs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded*
  • DNA Damage*
  • Histones / biosynthesis
  • Histones / chemistry
  • Histones / genetics
  • Histones / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Mammals
  • Mice
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Neoplasms / physiopathology*
  • Neoplasms / prevention & control
  • Precancerous Conditions / diagnosis
  • Protein Conformation
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • H2AX protein, human
  • Histones