The histone methyltransferase SETDB1 is recurrently amplified in melanoma and accelerates its onset

Using a zebrafish model of melanoma, this study has searched for genes that can cooperate with mutated BRAF, a frequent oncogenic event in human melanomas. It is found that SETDB1 can accelerate melanoma formation in fish and resides in a region frequently amplified in human melanomas. SETDB1, a histone methylating enzyme, is also frequently overexpressed in human melanomas and functions at least in part by regulating the expression of HOX genes.