Functional dissection of H3K4 methyltransferases reveals distinct catalytic and non-catalytic roles in C. elegans development.

ABSTRACT: The KMT2 class of histone methyltransferases regulates methylation of histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4), a conserved post-translational modification associated with active transcription. However, previous studies have highlighted catalytic-independent functions of KMT2 members and questioned the influence of H3K4 methylation on gene expression. Here, we address this by generating catalytically inactive mutants of SET-2 and SET-16, the two KMT2 members in Caenorhabditis elegans. Through chromatin analysis, we determined the effect of SET-2 and SET-16 catalytic activities on H3K4me3 deposition and identified shared and distinct targets. Gene expression profiling showed that simultaneous inactivation of SET-2 and SET-16 catalytic activities results in gene deregulation independent of H3K4me3 status a

SUBMITTER: Attianese B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12633793 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature