Chromatin remodeling agents for cancer therapy.

Alterations in chromatin structure profoundly influence gene expression during normal cellular homeostasis and malignant transformation. Methylation of cytosines within CpG islands located in promoter and proximal coding regions facilitates recruitment of chromatin-remodeling proteins, which inhibits gene expression. Posttranslational modifications, such as acetylation, methylation, and phosphorylation, of core histone proteins 'mark' regions of chromatin for recognition by multiprotein complexes, which promote either chromatin relaxation and gene expression or chromatin compaction and repression of gene expression.

Infertile spermatozoa in a human carrier of robertsonian translocation 14;22.

Objective: To present the ultrastructural, functional, and chromosomal analyses of spermatozoa from an infertile man with normal phenotype and chromosomal translocation 14;22.

Design: Case report.

Setting: Regional Reference Center for Male Infertility in Siena, Italy.