DFG support for cooperation project to study E2F1 methylation by SETD6
Lysine methylation of non-histone proteins catalyzed by Protein lysine methyl-transferases (PKMTs) has emerged as an important modification that impacts diverse cellular processes. Preliminary studies from the labs of Prof. Albert Jeltsch (University Stuttgart) and Dr. Dan Levy (Ben Gurion University, Israel), strongly suggest that the PKMT SETD6 methylates K117 of the transcription factor E2F1. Moreover, bioinformatics analyses revealed that these proteins are mutated in many cancer types and both are highly relevant in prostate cancer. These data provide the ground for the hypothesis that SETD6 function and SETD6-mediated lysine methylation of E2F1 and additional key cellular proteins regulates prostate cancer progression which will be further investigated in this collaborative project.