ATRX (alpha-thalassemia mental retardation X-linked) is one of the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor genes in human cancers, especially in glioma, and recent findings indicate roles for ATRX in key molecular pathways, such as the regulation of chromatin state, gene expression, and DNA damage repair, placing ATRX as a central player in the maintenance of genome stability and function. This has led to new perspectives about the functional role of ATRX and its relationship with cancer. The protein encoded by this gene contains an ATPase/helicase domain, and thus it belongs to the SWI/SNF family of chromatin remodeling proteins. This protein is found to undergo cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation, which regulates its nuclear matrix and chromatin association, and suggests its involvement in the gene regulation at interphase and chromosomal segregation in mitosis. Mutations in this gene are associated with X-linked syndromes exhibiting cognitive disabilities as well as alpha-thalassemia (ATRX) syndrome. These mutations have been shown to cause diverse changes in the pattern of DNA methylation, which may provide a link between chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, and gene expression in developmental processes.