From Histones to Ribosomes: A Chromatin Regulator Tangoes with Translation

Histone lysine methylation is a critical regulator of chromatin-templated processes such as gene transcription and DNA repair, and is dynamically controlled by enzymes that write and erase this posttranslational modification. Although histone methylation has been well studied, the functions of nonhistone lysine methylation and its regulatory enzymes, particularly outside the nucleus, are poorly defined. In this issue of Cancer Discovery, Van Rechem and colleagues shed light on a new role for the lysine demethylase KDM4A as a regulator of protein translation and identify a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the KDM4A gene as a candidate biomarker for mTOR inhibitor therapy.