Cloning of the Setd1b gene of Mus musculus, a novel histone methyl transferase target in the epigenetic therapy of cancers

  • Morishita, Masayo (School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Cho, Minju (School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Ryu, Juhee (School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Mevius, Damiaan E.H.F. (School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Di Luccio, Eric (School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2010.10.14
  • Accepted : 2010.11.22
  • Published : 2010.12.31

Abstract

The epigenetic therapy of cancers is emerging as an effective and valuable approach to both chemotherapy and the chemoprevention of cancer. The utilization of epigenetic targets that include histone methyltransferase (HMTase), Histone deacetylatase, and DNA methyltransferase, are emerging as key therapeutic targets. SET containing proteins such as the HMTase Setd1b has been found significantly amplified in cancerous cells. In order to shed some light on the histone methyl transferase family, we cloned the Setd1b gene from Mus musculus and build a collection of vectors for recombinant protein expression in E.coli that will pave the way for further structural biology studies. We prospect the role of the Setd1b pathway in cancer therapy and detail its unique value for designing novel anti-cancer epigenetic-drugs.

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