PR domain zinc finger protein 2 (PRDM2) (PRDM2)

PR domain zinc finger protein 2 (PRDM2), also known as RIZ1, is a nuclear protein that plays a critical role in chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation (UniProt Q13029). It belongs to the PRDM family, characterized by a PR domain with histone methyltransferase activity specifically targeting lysine 9 of histone H3 (H3K9me1), a modification associated with gene silencing (NCBI Gene 7799). RIZ1 is widely recognized as a tumor suppressor, and its expression is frequently silenced in various human malignancies, including breast, liver, colon, and lung cancers, primarily through promoter hypermethylation (PMID: 10866308). The PRDM2 gene produces two main isoforms: RIZ1, which contains the methyltransferase PR domain, and RIZ2, which lacks it; an imbalance between these two isoforms is often implicated in oncogenesis (PMID: 22431511). While direct small-molecule activators of RIZ1 are not yet in clinical use, therapeutic strategies often involve the use of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors like 5-azacytidine to restore its expression in silenced cancer cells (PMC3325787). Understanding the balance between RIZ1 and RIZ2 is crucial for developing targeted epigenetic therapies in oncology.

Other names

Retinoblastoma protein-interacting zinc finger protein 1RIZ1RIZ2KMT8MTE-ZFHUMHOCHY

Restoration of RIZ1 expression through DNA methyltransferase inhibition and promoter demethylation