KDM4
A Novel Epigenetic Target for Cancer Therapy
An important mode of epigenetic regulation is facilitated through chromatin remodeling that results from modifications on histone proteins. The KDM4 proteins (KDM4A, B, C, and D) are a family of histone demethylases that catalyze the removal of methyl marks on histone H3, leading to transitions between transcriptionally silent and transcriptionally active chromatin states.
Overexpression of KDM4 can result in the disruption of crucial pathways leading to cancer, such as inhibition of apoptosis, uncontrolled gene expression, cell proliferation, genomic instability and metastasis. In addition, KDM4 plays an important role in the self-renewal of cancer stem cells.
KDM4 overexpression has been associated with many cancer types, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, prostate, and lymphomas. Thus, KDM4 has emerged as an epigenetic therapeutic target for Tachyon’s novel platform of anticancer drugs.