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SUV39H1/KMT1A (suppressor of variegation 3-9 homolog 1; H3K9 histone
methyltransferase) is a SET-domain lysine methyltransferase that
catalyzes methylation of histone H3 lysine 9, particularly formation of
H3K9me3, a repressive chromatin mark associated with
heterochromatin and transcriptional silencing. SUV39H1 regulates chromatin
organization, genome stability, cellular differentiation, senescence and gene
expression. In several cancers, increased SUV39H1 activity can promote
epigenetic silencing of tumour-suppressive genes, stemness, proliferation and
treatment resistance, although its role can vary by tumour context. In such
settings, the cancer-associated direction is commonly up and
the desired anticancer modulation is down or methyltransferase
inhibition.
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