SWI/SNF family of chromatin remodeling complexes uses the energy of ATP to change the structure of DNA, playing key roles in DNA regulation and repair. It is estimated that up to 25% of all human cancers contain alterations in SWI/SNF, although the precise molecular mechanisms for their involvement in tumor progression are largely unknown. Despite the improvements achieved in the last decades on our knowledge of lung cancer molecular biology, it remains the major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and it is in urgent need for new therapeutic alternatives. We and others have described recurrent alterations in different SWI/SNF genes in nearly 20% of lung cancer patients, some of them with a significant association with worse prognosis, indicating an important role of SWI/SNF in this fatal disease. These alterations might be therapeutically exploited, as it has been shown in cellular and animal models with the use of EGFR inhibitors, DNA-damaging agents and several immunotherapy approaches. Therefore, a better knowledge of the molecular mechanisms regulated by SWI/SNF alterations in lung cancer might be translated into a therapeutic improvement of this frequently lethal disease. In this review, we summarize all the evidence of SWI/SNF alterations in lung cancer, the current knowledge about the potential mechanisms involved in their tumorigenic role, as well as the results that support a potential exploitation of these alterations to improve the treatment of lung cancer patients.
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June 2022
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The pore-forming BCL-2 family proteins mediate mitochondrial poration to initiate apoptosis through protei–protein and protein–lipid interactions. Structural biology has been used to elucidate their mechanisms of activation, dimerization, and interaction with membranes, and AlphaFold, which relies solely on sequence information, can accurately predict the activated states, from Moldoveanu and colleagues, pages 35 to 47.
Review Article|
May 19 2022
Role of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling genes in lung cancer development
Beatriz Monterde
;
Beatriz Monterde
Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, Universidad de Cantabria-CSIC, Santander, Spain
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Ignacio Varela
Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, Universidad de Cantabria-CSIC, Santander, Spain
Correspondence: Ignacio Varela (ignacio.varela@unican.es)
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Biochem Soc Trans (2022) 50 (3): 1143–1150.
Article history
Received:
January 17 2022
Revision Received:
April 26 2022
Accepted:
May 03 2022
Citation
Beatriz Monterde, Ignacio Varela; Role of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling genes in lung cancer development. Biochem Soc Trans 30 June 2022; 50 (3): 1143–1150. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20211084
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