The Role of Post-translational Modifications in Chromatin and Cancer

Dear Colleagues,

The transmission, maintenance and expression of the genetic information in the cell is achieved through the processes of DNA replication, repair and transcription that converge on chromatin as a common substrate. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins in chromatin play a central role in the spatial and temporal co-ordination of chromatin metabolism allowing cells to express a specific transcriptional program while copying their DNA and ensuring the maintenance of genomic instability. These PTMs control the activity, stability and interaction of both histone and non-histone proteins being deposited and removed by several dedicated sets of enzymes. The dysregulation of these pathways can lead to cancer development by fostering uncontrolled proliferation or promoting the loss of cell identity. In addition, cell transformation can also elicit changes in the PTMs present on proteins on chromatin what can contribute to the acquisition of specific phenotypes by cancer cells. These enzymes are potential targets for cancer treatment and many advances have been made in the last years in the development of inhibitors that will specifically target PTMs altered in cancer cells through the inhibition of the enzymes that deposit or remove specific modifications.

For this Special Issue we look forward to receiving reviews or original works that delve deeper in the mechanisms through which PTMs control chromatin metabolism from replication to transcription and repair, how these processes contribute to the development of cancer and the recent advances in the development of therapies that target the enzymes in charge of the specific PTMs of proteins in chromatin.

Dr. Emilio Lecona
Guest Editor

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