Targeting histone demethylases: A new avenue for the fight against cancer

In addition to genetic disorders, epigenetic alterations have been shown to be involved in cancer, through misregulation of histone modifications. Miswriting, misreading, and mis-erasing of histone acetylation as well as methylation marks can be actually associated with oncogenesis and tumor proliferation. Historically, methylation of Arg and Lys residues has been considered a stable, irreversible process due to the slow turnover of methyl groups in chromatin. The discovery in recent years of a large number of histone Lys demethylases (KDMs, belonging to either the amino oxidase or the JmjC family) totally changed this point of view and suggested a new role for dynamic histone methylation in biological processes. Since overexpression, alteration, or mutation of a number of KDMs has been found in many types of cancers, such enzymes could represent diagnostic tools as well as epigenetic targets to modulate for obtaining novel therapeutic weapons against cancer. The first little steps in this direction are described here. © The Author(s) 2011.