Myc goes global: new tricks for an old oncogene.
Myc, a transcription factor commonly deregulated in tumorigenesis, is thought to mediate its diverse cellular effects by altering the expression of specific target genes. However, it has been difficult to gain a precise understanding of how Myc drives cancer because Myc acts rather weakly at many of its target loci, and it has been reported to regulate as many as 10% to 15% of all cellular genes. A new perspective on this issue has been provided by a recent study that revealed Myc can regulate chromatin structure in a global fashion. These findings suggest actions for Myc that extend beyond the traditional concept of a targeted gene regulator.
Knoepfler
Paul S
PS
Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, Institute of Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Davis, California 95616, USA. knoepfler@ucdavis.edu
D000818:Animals; D016259:Genes, myc; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc