Jumonji domain-containing protein 6 protein and its role in cancer

The jumonji domain-containing protein 6 (JMJD6) is a Fe(II)- and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenase that catalyses lysine hydroxylation and arginine demethylation of histone and non-histone peptides. Recently, the intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity of JMJD6 has also been reported. The JMJD6 has been implicated in embryonic development, cellular proliferation and migration, self-tolerance induction in the thymus, and adipocyte differentiation. Not surprisingly, abnormal expression of JMJD6 may contribute to the development of many diseases, such as neuropathic pain, foot-and-mouth disease, gestational diabetes mellitus, hepatitis C and various types of cancer. In the present review, we summarized the structure and functions of JMJD6, with particular emphasis on the role of JMJD6 in cancer progression.