According to in vitro models, DCAF1 silencing reduced proliferation and colony formation of MCF7 breast cancer and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines39,40, whereas high DCAF1 expression blocked the expression of tumor suppressor genes via H2A phosphorylation, and induced a proliferative gene expression signature together with FOXM1 (refs 38,40). The gene discussed is DCAF1; the disease is breast cancer.