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"Genomes are packaged as DNA-protein complexes called Chromatin. Histone proteins that form nucleosomes along with the DNA are the core components of chromatin and play a deterministic role in gene expression. Gene expression is controlled by various factors that relay the information to chromatin, alter histone modifications and remodel chromatin for transcription to occur. Genes are turned ON or OFF in response to various cues, including dietary or metabolic inputs. Histone modifications and chromatin structure are linked to the metabolic state of cells and their levels of proliferation. In this talk I will discuss two enzyme complexes that play a role in these connections. The first is pyruvate kinase M2 which drives aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells but also phosphorylates histone H3 on T11. The second is the Swi/Snf ATPase nucleosome remodeling complex which can move or evict nucleosomes from DNA. 20% of human cancers have mutations in Swi/Snf subunits indicating that it functions as a potent tumor suppressor.
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