MLL family histone methyltransferases in hematopoiesis and leukemia

Six histone H3, lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferases are co-expressed in many tissues, maintaining the H3K4me1/me2/ me3 enrichment found at enhancers and promoters, modifications that generally enhance gene expression. These enzymes include MLL1-MLL4 (Kmt2a-Kmt2d) and SETD1a/SETD1b (Kmt2e/Kmt2f). Several of these enzymes have been implicated in normal hematopoiesis and leukemia, but how they target and influence specific genes in specific cell types is largely unknown. The MLL1 gene undergoes many distinct chromosomal rearrangements to yield poor-prognosis leukemia.
Source: Experimental Hematology - Category: Hematology Authors: Source Type: research