title: Covalent histone modifications--miswritten, misinterpreted and mis-erased in human cancers.
abstract: Post-translational modification of histones provides an important regulatory platform for processes such as gene transcription and DNA damage repair. It has become increasingly apparent that the misregulation of histone modification, which is caused by the deregulation of factors that mediate the modification installation, removal and/or interpretation, actively contributes to human cancer. In this Review, we summarize recent advances in understanding the interpretation of certain histone methylations by plant homeodomain finger-containing proteins, and how misreading, miswriting and mis-erasing of histone methylation marks can be associated with oncogenesis and progression. These observations provide us with a greater mechanistic understanding of epigenetic alterations in human cancers and might also help direct new therapeutic interventions in the future.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics, 1230 York Avenue, The Rockefeller University, BOX 78, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: C David
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Allis
authors.forename: Gang Greg
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006657:Histones / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008745:Methylation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational
chemical_list: D006657:Histones