The role of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complex in the response to DNA double strand breaks.

Mammalian cells possess multiple closely related SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complexes. These complexes have been implicated in the cellular response to DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). Evidence suggests that SWI/SNF complexes contribute to successful repair via both the homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining pathways. In addition, repressing transcription near DSBs is dependent on SWI/SNF activity. Understanding these roles is important because SWI/SNF complexes are frequently dysregulated in cancer, and DNA DSB repair defects have the potential to be therapeutically exploited. In this graphical review, we summarise what is known about SWI/SNF contribution to DNA DSB responses in mammalian cells and provide an overview of the SWI/SNF-encoding gene alteration spectrum in human cancers.