Chromatin Structure Profiling Identifies Crucial Regulators of Tumor Maintenance

Abstract

Cancer is primarily caused by mutations in genes encoding transcriptional regulators and signaling molecules. These mutations cooperate to deregulate the tight control over gene expression that is otherwise seen in normal cells. One consequence of this process is deregulated transcription factor (TF) activity. This forum article highlights novel strategies that use genome-wide chromatin structure profiling to identify the deregulated factors on which cancer cells depend, with the ultimate aim of targeting them.

Keywords: cancer; chromatin structure profiling; open chromatin; regulators of cancer biology; transcription factors.