The genes encoding the histone acetyltransferases (HATs) CREBB-binding protein (CREBBP) and EP300 are commonly mutated in germinal-center-derived B cell lymphomas, and their inactivation is thought to contribute to lymphomagenesis.In this issue of Immunity, Meyer et al.
Histone acetyltransferase E1A-binding protein p300 (EP300), tumor protein p53 (TP53) and B-cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein (BAX) contribute to the regulation of the cell cycle and apoptosis, cellular processes that are often impaired in cancer cells.
These results identify CREBBP/EP300 mutations as a major pathogenetic mechanism shared by common forms of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with direct implications for the use of drugs targeting acetylation/deacetylation mechanisms.
A rearranged EP300 gene in the human B-cell lymphoma cell line RC-K8 encodes a disabled transcriptional co-activator that contributes to cell growth and oncogenicity.