癌基因可以改變?nèi)旧w的三維結(jié)構(gòu),，染色體結(jié)構(gòu)的改變又會(huì)影響其它基因的表達(dá),，從而促進(jìn)了癌細(xì)胞的生長(zhǎng)。
紐約威爾康奈爾醫(yī)學(xué)院的Mark Rubin團(tuán)隊(duì)在正常的前列腺細(xì)胞中過表達(dá)ERG,，來(lái)檢測(cè)這一變化對(duì)染色體相互作用和基因表達(dá)的影響,。ERG是一個(gè)轉(zhuǎn)錄因子，在前列腺癌中經(jīng)常檢測(cè)到ERG過表達(dá),。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),，過表達(dá)ERG能影響蛋白和DNA相互作用裝配成染色體的結(jié)構(gòu)，還會(huì)引起13號(hào)染色體和15號(hào)染色體之間的物質(zhì)交換,。這一結(jié)果提示：過度活躍的ERG可能會(huì)導(dǎo)致染色體組結(jié)構(gòu)的次級(jí)變化,。（生物谷 Bioon.com ）
doi:10.1038/485551d
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Cancer gene shifts chromatin
A cancer gene alters the three-dimensional structure of chromosomes, which could in turn affect the expression of other genes in ways that promote cancer development.
Mark Rubin at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and his team mapped chromosomal interactions and changes in gene expression in healthy prostate cells that overexpress a cancer gene called ERG. The researchers found that ERG overexpression correlated with remodelling of the structure of chromatin — the protein–DNA package that constitutes chromosomes. ERG overexpression was linked with an exchange of material between chromosomes 13 and 15. This suggests that ERG overactivation might lead to secondary changes in genomic structure.
