A new piece to the puzzle sheds light on how UHRF1 regulates gene activity
Wednesday, November 7, 2018 - 07:30
in Biology & Nature
Epigenetic changes often play an important role in cancer, because they cause the genetic material to be read incorrectly at certain locations. Genes that are especially critical are those that control the growth and death of cells. Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München have now discovered new details about the UHRF1 protein. UHRF1 catalyses particular steps that are required for marking DNA with epigenetic modifications that suppress parts of the genome. As reported in Molecular Cell, the molecule may serve as a target for drug therapies because it is produced at elevated levels in cancer cells.