Emerging roles of JMJD3 in cancer

Histone lysine methylation plays a key role in gene activation and repression. The trimethylation of histone H3 on lysine-27 (H3K27me3) is a critical epigenetic event that is controlled by Jumonji domain-containing protein-3 (JMJD3). JMJD3 is a histone demethylase that specifically removes methyl groups. Previous studies have suggested that JMJD3 has a dual role in cancer cells. JMJD3 stimulates the expression of proliferative-related genes and increases tumor cell growth, propagation, and migration in various cancers, including neural, prostate, ovary, skin, esophagus, leukemia, hepatic, head and neck, renal, lymphoma, and lung. In contrast, JMJD3 can suppress the propagation of tumor cells, and enhance their apoptosis in colorectal, breast, and pancreatic cancers. In this review, we summarized the recent advances of JMJD3 function in cancer cells.