Fig. 1
From: KDM1A microenvironment, its oncogenic potential, and therapeutic significance
Epigenetic modifications and their biological roles. Epigenetic modifications are highly dynamic, and different types of modifications have been identified: DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNA-mediated modifications. Histone modifications are extremely versatile, and proteins known as “writers,” “readers,” and “erasers” are involved in this process. The writers, such as histone methyltransferases (HMTs), histone acetyltransferases (HATs), and kinases, add specific marks on sequences of amino acids on histone tails. Readers, such as proteins containing a bromo-domain, chromo-domain, or tudor-domain, are able to read these specific marks, which are further removed by the erasers, i.e., histone demethylases (KDMs), histone deacetylases (HDACs), and phosphatases. These histone modifiers, together with other epigenetic regulators, play an important role in the regulation of diverse biological functions [7]