Description
The Sin3 histone deacetylase (HDAC) complex is a 1.2 MDa chromatin modifying complex that can repress transcription by binding to gene promoters and deacetylating histones. The Sin3/HDAC complex can affect cell cycle progression through multiple mechanisms and is among the targets of anticancer drugs, called HDAC inhibitors. We describe the identification of a new subunit of the Sin3 complex named family with sequence similarity 60 member A (FAM60A). We show that FAM60A/Sin3 complexes normally suppress the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell migration. This occurs through transcriptional repression of genes that encode components of the TGF-beta signaling pathway. This work reveals that FAM60A and the Sin3 complex are upstream repressors of TGF-beta signaling, EMT and cell migration and extends the known biological roles of the Sin3 complex. This experiment investigates the role of FAM60A in gene expression by comparing A549 lung cancer cells treated with or without siRNA against FAM60A.