Aberrant cytoplasmic localization of ARID1B activates ERK signaling and promotes oncogenesis

(mis)-Targeting of SWI/SNF complex(es) in cancer

The ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex SWI/SNF (also called BAF) is critical for the regulation of gene expression. During the evolution from yeast to mammals, the BAF complex has evolved an enormous complexity that contains a high number of subunits encoded by various genes. Emerging studies highlight the frequent involvement of altered mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complexes in human cancers. Here, we discuss the recent advances in determining the structure of SWI/SNF complexes, highlight the mechanisms by which mutations affecting these complexes promote cancer, and describe the promising emerging opportunities for targeted therapies.

Structures and nucleic acid-binding preferences of the eukaryotic ARID domain

The DNA-binding AT-rich interactive domain (ARID) exists in a wide range of proteins throughout eukaryotic kingdoms. ARID domain-containing proteins are involved in manifold biological processes, such as transcriptional regulation, cell cycle control and chromatin remodeling. Their individual domain composition allows for a sub-classification within higher mammals. ARID is categorized as binder of double-stranded AT-rich DNA, while recent work has suggested ARIDs as capable of binding other DNA motifs and also recognizing RNA. Despite a broad variability on the primary sequence level, ARIDs show a highly conserved fold, which consists of six α-helices and two loop regions. Interestingly, this minimal core domain is often found extended by helices at the N- and/or C-terminus with potential roles in target specificity and, subsequently function. While high-resolution structural information from various types of ARIDs has accumulated over two decades now, there is limited access to ARID-DNA complex structures. We thus find ourselves left at the beginning of understanding ARID domain target specificities and the role of accompanying domains. Here, we systematically summarize ARID domain conservation and compare the various types with a focus on their structural differences and DNA-binding preferences, including the context of multiple other motifs within ARID domain containing proteins.

First person – Srinivas Animireddy

First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Srinivas Animireddy is first author on ‘Aberrant cytoplasmic localization of ARID1B activates ERK signaling and promotes oncogenesis’, published in JCS. Srinivas conducted the research described in this article while a PhD student in Dr Murali Dharan Bashyam's lab at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Hyderabad, India. He is now a postdoc in the lab of Dr Blaine Bartholomew at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, TX, investigating the role of chromatin remodelers in development and diseases.