MOF(males absent on the first)是果蝇体内特异催化组蛋白H4第16位赖氨酸(H4K16)乙酰化的一个关键催化亚基。hMOF与果蝇具有相同的催化功能,作为乙酰化H4K16的关键酶,hMOF参与了许多重要的细胞活动,而这些都与肿瘤的发生发展密切相关,去除hMOF基因之后不仅会引起大范围的H4K16乙酰化减少,也会造成一些基因转录的异常。hMOF在不同肿瘤中表达不同,有的表现为抑癌基因的作用,有的则表现为致癌基因的作用。
MOF(males absent on the first), as a histone acetyhransferase, is responsible for histone H4K16 acetylation in Drosophila. hMOF(human males absent on the first) has the same function with MOF in Drosophila, involved in most cellular biological processes associated with tumorigenesis. The down-regulation of hMOF can cause a wide range of H4K16 acetylation decrease and abnormal gene transcription. The expression of hMOF is different in various kinds of tumors and also different specific mechanism of action. In this review, we provide a brief overview of MOF and its corresponding histone acetylation, introduce recent research findings that link MOF functions to tumorigenesis and speculate on the potential role that may be relevant to tumorigenic pathways.