Chromatin remodeling and androgen receptor-mediated transcription

Abstract

It has become apparent that the expression of human genes in chromatin is regulated by post-translational structural changes in histones, which form the major protein component of nucleosomes in chromatin. The process is generally referred to as chromatin epigenetics. Recently, it was demonstrated that histone amino-terminal tails, which extend from the core of nucleosomes out of chromatin, are methylated or acetylated at lysine residues with profound effects on gene structure and function. Since some of these changes are inherited from cells to daughter cells, lineages are established with stable histone modifications. In this way the regulation of androgen receptor-mediated transcription of target genes and the phenotype of androgen receptor-mediated prostate cancer progression are affected. The detail of this novel level of regulation is being pursued by many investigators and is summarized in this chapter. © 2009 Springer-Verlag New York.