Nickel (Ni), a
heavy metal is prevalent in the atmosphere due to both natural and anthropogenic activities. Ni is a
carcinogen implicated in the development of lung and
nasal cancers in humans. Furthermore, Ni exposure is associated with a number of chronic
lung diseases in humans including
asthma,
chronic bronchitis,
emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary edema and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (
COPD). While Ni compounds are weak
mutagens, a number of studies have demonstrated the potential of Ni to alter the epigenome, suggesting epigenomic dysregulation as an important underlying cause for its pathogenicity. In the eukaryotic nucleus, the
DNA is organized in a three-dimensional (3D) space through assembly of higher order
chromatin structures. Such an organization is critically important for transcription and other
biological activities. Accumulating evidence suggests that by negatively affecting various cellular regulatory processes, Ni could potentially affect
chromatin organization. In this review, we discuss the role of Ni in altering the
chromatin architecture, which potentially plays a major role in Ni pathogenicity.