Global levels of H3K27me3 track with differentiation in vivo and are deregulated by MYC in prostate cancer.

ABSTRACT: Cancer cells and stem cells share a number of biological characteristics including abundant amounts of decondensed chromatin. However, the molecular correlates and the factors involved in altering chromatin structure in cancer cells are not well known. Here, we report that less differentiated stem-like cells in the basal compartment of human and mouse prostate contain lower levels of the polycomb heterochromatin marker H3K27me3 than more differentiated luminal cells. This link to differentiated normal cells is also found in a number of other human and rodent tissues characterized by hierarchical differentiation. In addition to MYC's traditional role as a gene-specific transcription factor, recent studies indicate that MYC also affects global chromatin structure where it is required to main

SUBMITTER: Pellakuru LG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3409442 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature