The pharmacological role of histone demethylase JMJD3 inhibitor GSK-J4 on glioma cells

Glioma is regarded as the most prevalent malignant carcinoma of the central nervous system, and lack of effective treatment. Thus, the development of new therapeutic strategies targeting glioma is of significant clinical importance. In the present study, histone H3K27 demethylase jumonji domain-containing protein 3 (JMJD3) was investigated as target for glioma treatment. The mRNA of JMJD3 was overexpressed in glioblastoma tissues compared to normal brain tissues (P<0.05). The content of JMJD3 was also higher in glioma cells than in human brain microvascular endothelial cell (hCMEC), and the corresponding level of H3K27me3 was decreased (P<0.05). The treatment with JMJD3 specific inhibitor GSK-J4 can increase the content of H3K27me3 in glioma cells, which means the activity of JMJD3 was inhibited. GSK-J4 can inhibit glioma cell proliferation in a concentration dependent and time-dependent manner (P<0.05). GSK-J4 also induced glioma cell apoptosis and inhibited cell migration (P<0.05). But there was no obvious effect of GSK-J4 on hCMEC cells. All together, these data suggest that GSK-J4 has important potential in the gliomas treatment.