EZH2 is a lysine specific methyltransferase, acting mainly as a gene silencer. EZH2 performs this role by the addition of methyl groups to lysine 27 of histone H3, a modification leading to chromatin condensation (1). EZH2 over expression may promote cancer due to increase in histone methylation which silence the expression of tumor suppressor genes (2). EZH2 inhibitor EPZ-6438 and GSK126 is under clinical research, presenting good small molecule tools for EZH2 study (3,4). EZH2 antibody detects EZH2 enzyme and presents a good tool to study this protein.

Reference:

• 1. Cao R et al. Role of histone H3 lysine 27 methylation in Polycomb-group silencing (2002) Science 298(5595):1039–43.
• 2. Suvà ML et al. EZH2 is essential for glioblastoma cancer stem cell maintenance. (2009) Cancer Res. 69(24):9211–8.
• 3. McCabe MT, et al. EZH2 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for lymphoma with EZH2-activating mutations. (2012) Nature. 492(7427):108-12.
• 4. Knutson SK, et al. Durable tumor regression in genetically altered malignant rhabdoid tumors by inhibition of methyltransferase EZH2. (2013) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 110(19):7922-7.