Histone lysine demethylases and their functions in cancer

Area of Science:

• Epigenetics
• Molecular Biology
• Oncology

Background:

• Histone lysine demethylases (KDMs) are crucial enzymes that remove methylation marks from histone tails.
• These epigenetic modifications regulate gene transcription, impacting development and cancer.
• KDMs can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, depending on the specific enzyme and cellular context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of eight KDM subfamilies.
• To highlight their key lysine targets.
• To present recent findings on their roles in cancer stem cells, tumor aggressiveness, and drug tolerance.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of KDM functions.
• Analysis of KDM roles in cancer biology.
• Focus on KDM subfamilies, targets, and cancer-related functions.

Main Results:

• KDMs exhibit context-dependent oncogenic or tumor-suppressive functions.
• They regulate gene transcription through histone and non-histone protein demethylation.
• Recent data link KDMs to cancer stem cell properties, tumor aggressiveness, and drug resistance.

Conclusions:

• KDMs are significant regulators of malignant tumors through diverse epigenetic mechanisms.
• Understanding KDM functions is vital for cancer research and therapeutic strategies.
• Further investigation into KDM roles in cancer stemness and drug tolerance is warranted.