{"entity":{"id":"paper-anthony-nichols-nat-genet-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Impaired H3K36 methylation defines a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas","aka":[],"tldr":"Paper by Anthony C. Nichols indexed on Europe PMC as PubMed record 28067913, in Nature Genetics (2017), one of the most cited records naming an author with this name at Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre, London Health Sciences Centre.","summary":"Human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are deadly and common cancers. Recent genomic studies implicate multiple genetic pathways, including cell signaling, cell cycle and immune evasion, in their development. Here we analyze public data sets and uncover a previously unappreciated role of epigenome deregulation in the genesis of 13% of HPV-negative HNSCCs. Specifically, we identify novel recurrent mutations encoding p.Lys36Met (K36M) alterations in multiple H3 histone genes. histones. We further validate the presence of these alterations in multiple independent HNSCC data sets and show that, along with previously described NSD1 mutations, they correspond to a specific DNA methylation cluster. The K36M substitution and NSD1 defects converge on altering methylation of histone H3 at K36 (H3K36), subsequently blocking cellular differentiation and promoting oncogenesis. Our data further indicate limited redundancy for NSD family members in HPV-negative HNSCCs and suggest a potential role for impaired H3K36 methylation in their development. Further investigation of drugs targeting chromatin regulators is warranted in HPV-negative HNSCCs driven by aberrant H3K36 methylation.\n\nIndexed on Europe PMC as PubMed record 28067913 (DOI 10.1038/ng.3757). Its author list gives \"Nichols AC\" with the affiliation \"Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada\", which names Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre, London Health Sciences Centre; that is how the record was matched to Anthony C. Nichols, and no figure has been checked by an editor.","asOf":"2026-09-22","links":[{"label":"Nat Genet 2017","url":"https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3757"},{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28067913/"},{"label":"Europe PMC","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/28067913"}],"tags":["europepmc-ingest"],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":["anthony-nichols"],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":["nature-genetics"],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"journal":"Nature Genetics","year":2017,"doi":"10.1038/ng.3757","pmid":"28067913","authors":"Papillon-Cavanagh S, Lu C, Gayden T, et al.","paperType":"observational","findings":[],"whatItMeans":"One of the most cited papers Europe PMC returns for Anthony C. Nichols at Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre, London Health Sciences Centre, so it is a natural starting point for reading their work. The record was linked automatically from the author list and affiliation; read the abstract above and the paper itself before relying on any figure.","caveats":["Matched to the person by surname, initials and an affiliation string naming the institution on the Europe PMC record; the summary reproduces the record's abstract and no figure has been verified against the full paper.","Two authors sharing a surname, initials and institution cannot be told apart by this method; the person's profile links are the place to confirm authorship."]},"route":"/key-papers/paper-anthony-nichols-nat-genet-2017/","neighbours":{"person":[{"id":"anthony-nichols","kind":"person","name":"Anthony C. Nichols","route":"/people/anthony-nichols/"}],"journal":[{"id":"nature-genetics","kind":"journal","name":"Nature Genetics","route":"/journals/nature-genetics/"}]}}