Robert Kingston

Robert Kingston has made foundational contributions to understanding ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling by the SWI/SNF (BAF) complex and its role as the most frequently mutated chromatin regulatory complex in cancer, with subunit mutations (SMARCB1, SMARCA4, ARID1A, PBRM1) found in over 20% of all human cancers. His biochemical reconstitution studies revealed how SWI/SNF complexes mobilize nucleosomes to control gene accessibility, and how cancer-associated mutations disrupt this activity. He elucidated the antagonistic relationship between SWI/SNF and Polycomb complexes, showing that SWI/SNF loss shifts the balance toward Polycomb-mediated gene silencing, explaining the EZH2 dependency of SWI/SNF-mutant cancers and the basis for EZH2 inhibitor therapy.