World Wide Web Interest Group Shiv Grewal: Mirit Aladjem; Jay Chung; David Schrump Sponsored by the cell cycle Interest Group Co-chaired by Munira A. Basrai and Mirit I. Aladjem http://festival04.nih.gov/mini_symposia/epigenetics.html Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2004 10:30 am Balcony A Natcher conference center Epigenetics and Cell Cycle Control: From DNA Replication to Cancer Therapy - NIH research festival minisymposium Abstract: Differential gene expression is often established by altering the way the chromatin is packaged. Transcriptionally silent regions are packaged into heterochromatin, which is less accessible to transcription factors, whereas transcriptionally active regions of the genome are packaged into euchromatin, a form that is more accessible. The different states of chromatin packaging are determined by chemical modifications of chromatin binding proteins, known as epigenetic modifications. Such epigenetic modifications are heritable and can be transferred to the next generation through modifications of newly replicated DNA. Epigenetic alterations in the expression of genes that control growth, such as the silencing of tumor suppressor genes, is one of the hallmarks of cancer cells. This symposium will focus on the mechanisms and consequences of epigenetic modification on the timing of DNA replication, cell cycle progression and expression of tumor suppressor genes, and will highlight new developments in anti-cancer therapy using drugs that interfere with epigenetic modifications.

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