Effects of histone methyltransferase inhibitor 3-Deazaneoplanocin (DZNep) on rhabdoid tumor cell lines

Rhabdoid tumors (RT) are highly aggressive pediatric tumors which arise in brain, heart, kidney, liver and other soft tissues. Although the prognosis of RT patients has improved, it still remains poor due to an initial response to conventional chemotherapy followed by resistance. Rhabdoid tumors are characterized by mutations in genes of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, most often biallelic inactivation of SNF5, the core subunit of this complex. It has been shown, that SNF5 acts as a direct inhibitor of the enhancer of zeste homologe (EZH2). EZH2 is a histone methyltransferase, which catalyses the trime…