Journal article

Dysregulation of histone methyltransferases in breast cancer – Opportunities for new targeted therapies?

EM Michalak, JE Visvader

Molecular Oncology | WILEY | Published : 2016

Abstract

Histone methyltransferases (HMTs) catalyze the methylation of lysine and arginine residues on histone tails and non-histone targets. These important post-translational modifications are exquisitely regulated and affect chromatin compaction and transcriptional programs leading to diverse biological outcomes. There is accumulating evidence that genetic alterations of several HMTs impinge on oncogenic or tumor-suppressor functions and influence both cancer initiation and progression. HMTs therefore represent an opportunity for therapeutic targeting in those patients with tumors in which HMTs are dysregulated, to reverse the histone marks and transcriptional programs associated with aggressive t..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council


Funding Acknowledgements

The breast cancer laboratory is supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants no. 1016701, no. 1024852, no. 1086727; NHMRC IRIISS; the Victorian State Government through VCA funding of the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium and Operational Infrastructure Support; and the Australian Cancer Research Foundation. E.M.M. is supported by a National Breast Cancer Foundation Career Development Fellowship and J.E.V. by a NHMRC Australia Fellowship. We thank K. Hogg for critical reading of the manuscript and P. Maltezos for assistance with preparation of figures.