The molecular landscape of histone lysine methyltransferases and demethylases in non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors. Histone methylation was reported to regulate the expression of a variety of genes in cancer. However, comprehensive understanding of the expression profiles of histone methyltransferases and demethylases in lung cancer is still lacking. Methods: We analyzed the expression profile of methyltransferases and demethylases in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using TCGA and cBioportal databases. The mutation, expression level, association with survival and clinical parameters of histone methyltransferases and demethylases were determined. Results: We found overall upregulation of histone regulators in NSCLC. Mutation and copy number alteration of histone methylation related genes both exist in NSCLC. The expression of certain histone methylation related genes were significantly associated with overall survival and clinical attributes. Conclusions: Our result suggests that alteration of histone methylation is strongly involved in NSCLC. Some histone methylation related genes might serve as potential prognosis predictor or therapeutic target for NSCLC. The significance of some histone methylation related genes was contrary to the literature and awaits further validation.