title: Maintaining cell identity: PRC2-mediated regulation of transcription and cancer.
abstract: Enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2), the catalytic subunit of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), has attracted broad research attention in the past few years because of its involvement in the development and maintenance of many types of cancer and the use of specific EZH2 inhibitors in clinical trials. Several observations show that PRC2 can have both oncogenic and tumour-suppressive functions. We propose that these apparently opposing roles of PRC2 in cancer are a consequence of the molecular function of the complex in maintaining, rather than specifying, the transcriptional repression state of its several thousand target genes.
authors.affiliation: Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) and the Centre for Epigenetics, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Itys
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Comet
authors.affiliation: Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK.
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Riising
authors.affiliation: Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) and the Centre for Epigenetics, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.|The Danish Stem Cell Center (Danstem), University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leblanc
authors.affiliation: Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) and the Centre for Epigenetics, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.|The Danish Stem Cell Center (Danstem), University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Helin
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D063151:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D063151:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2