ING Proteins: Tumour Suppressors or Oncoproteins.

The INhibitor of Growth family was defined in the mid-1990s by the identification of a tumour suppressor, ING1, and subsequent expansion of the family based essentially on sequence similarities. However, later work and more recent investigations demonstrate that at least a few ING proteins are actually required for normal proliferation of eukaryotic cells, from yeast to human. ING proteins are also part of a larger family of chromatin-associated factors marked by a plant homeodomain (PHD), which mediates interactions with methylated lysine residues. Herein, we discuss the role of ING proteins and their various roles in chromatin signalling in the context of cancer development and progression.