New functions for chromatin remodelers

Large molecular motors consisting of up to a dozen different proteins regulate access to the genome, which is essential for the transcription of genes and for the repair of DNA damage. Susan Gasser and her team now reveal a new twist in the activity of such remodelers in the nucleus. In a recent paper in Molecular Cell they show that two related chromatin remodelers help transport broken DNA strands to specific sites in the nucleus for repair. Given the loss of genomic integrity that accompanies cancer and aging, it is not surprising to find that related remodelers are mutated early in the progression of human cancer.

Read the whole article on Physorg

More from Physorg