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An epigenetic tipping point in cancer comes under the microscope

Two studies show that some cancers are driven by genetic changes in the NSD3 protein that alter its enzymatic activity. Biochemical and structural characterization hints at a route to pharmacological reversal.
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  1. Martyna W. Sroka

    1. Martyna W. Sroka is at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, New York 11724, USA.

  2. Christopher R. Vakoc

    1. Christopher R. Vakoc is at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, New York 11724, USA.

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Gene expression is dynamic, but tightly regulated. Cells use a variety of mechanisms to control when and where individual genes are turned on and off. When those mechanisms falter, the resulting aberrant gene expression often leads to cancer. One way in which genes are controlled is through the addition of various chemical marks to DNA and DNA-associated proteins. Writing in Nature, Yuan et al.1 and Li et al.2 show that one of the enzymes that deposit such marks, NSD3, is mutated and hyperactive in some human cancers — a finding that suggests new avenues for treating people with the diseases.

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Nature 590, 399-400 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-00002-5

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