Symphony of epigenetic and metabolic regulation—interaction between the histone methyltransferase EZH2 and metabolism of tumor

Abstract

AbstractIncreasing evidence has suggested that epigenetic and metabolic alterations in cancer cells are highly intertwined. As the master epigenetic regulator, enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) suppresses gene transcription mainly by catalyzing the trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) and exerts highly enzymatic activity in cancer cells. Cancer cells undergo the profound metabolic reprogramming and manifest the distinct metabolic profile. The emerging studies have explored that EZH2 is involved in altering the metabolic profiles of tumor cells by multiple pathways, which cover glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Meanwhile, the stability and methyltransferase activity of EZH2 can be also affected by the metabolic activity of tumor cells through various mechanisms, including post-translational modification. In this review, we have summarized the correlation between EZH2 and cellular metabolic activity during tumor progression and drug treatment. Finally, as a promising target, we proposed a novel strategy through a combination of EZH2 inhibitors with metabolic regulators for future cancer therapy.