The human BRG1 (brahma-related gene 1) protein is a component of the SWI/SNF family of the ATP-dependent chromatin remodelling complexes. We show here that expression of the BRG1 protein, but not of an ATPase-deficient BRG1 protein, in BRG1-deficient SW13 cells alters the organisation of actin filaments. BRG1 expression induces the formation of thick actin filament bundles resembling stress-fib...

Radiotherapy treats cancer by inducing DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) in tumor cells using ionizing radiation. However, DNA repair in tumor cells often leads to radioresistance and unsuccessful outcome. Inhibition of DNA repair by targeting repair proteins can increase radiosensitivity of tumor cells. The BRG1 chromatin remodeling enzyme assists DSB repair by stimulating γ-H2AX formation and BR...

OBJECTIVES Brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in cellular processes. However, little is known regarding their roles in thoracic aortic aneurysms. We investigated BRG1 expression in thoracic aortic aneurysms and the roles of BRG1 and the lncRNA HIF 1 alpha-antisense RNA 1 in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of aortic smooth muscle cells...

Tumor lymphangiogenesis is an important early event in tumorigenesis, one that promotes lymphatic metastasis. BRG1 (also known as SMARCA4) is a central component of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex. In a previous work, we have reported that decreased BRG1 could promote colon cancer cell migration and invasion, and that the BRG1 expression level is negatively correlated with lymphatic me...

Mutations in the SMARCA4/BRG1 gene resulting in complete loss of its protein (BRG1) occur frequently in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Currently, no single therapeutic agent has been identified as synthetically lethal with SMARCA4/BRG1 loss. We identify AURKA activity as essential in NSCLC cells lacking SMARCA4/BRG1. In these cells, RNAi-mediated depletion or chemical inhibition of A...

Brahma related gene product 1 (BRG1) is an ATPase that drives the catalytic activity of a subset of the mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling enzymes. BRG1 is overexpressed in most human breast cancer tumors without evidence of mutation and is required for breast cancer cell proliferation. We demonstrate that knockdown of BRG1 sensitized triple negative breast cancer cells to chemotherapeutic ...

Brg1, a core subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, is essential for development and homeostasis of various organs. However, the functional role of Brg1 in intestinal development and homeostasis, and the underlying molecular mechanism, remain unknown. We found that deletion of Brg1 in the mouse intestine resulted in growth impairment and early death associated with abnormal crypt-...

The occurrence of inactivating mutations in SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling genes in common cancers has attracted a great deal of interest. However, mechanistic strategies to target tumor cells carrying such mutations are yet to be developed. This study proposes a synthetic-lethality therapy for treating cancers deficient in the SWI/SNF catalytic (ATPase) subunit, BRG1/SMARCA4. The strategy relies...

Cytoprotective gene heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) could be induced by nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of Brahma-related gene 1 (Brg1), a catalytic subunit of SWI2/SNF2-like chromatin remodeling complexes, in Nrf2/HO-1 pathway activation during hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (HIR). Our results showed that hepatic Brg1 w...

The chromatin remodeler complex SWI/SNF plays an important role in physiological and pathological processes. Brahma related gene 1(BRG1), a catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF complex, is known to be mutated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its role in HCC remains unclear. Here, we investigate the role of BRG1 on cell growth and invasiveness as well as its effect on the expression of pu...