hMOF is the major acetyltransferase of histone H4 lysine 16 (H4K16) in humans, but its biological function is not well understood. In this study, hMOF was found to be more frequently highly expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) than corresponding normal tissues (P < 0.001). In addition, up-regulation of H4K16 acetylation was also more frequent in NSCLC than normal tissues (P = 0.002). Furthermore, hMOF promotes the cell proliferation, migration and adhesion of NSCLC cell lines. Microarray analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays suggest that hMOF modulates proliferation and metastasis by regulating histone H4K16 acetylation at the promoter regions of downstream target genes. Moreover, hMOF promotes S phase entry via Skp2. These findings suggest that hMOF contributes to NSCLC tumorigenesis.
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