Correction: A Screen Identifies the Oncogenic Micro-RNA miR-378a-5p as a Negative Regulator of Oncogene-Induced Senescence.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Maternal expression of the histone demethylase Kdm4a is crucial for pre-implantation development.

Regulation of chromatin composition through post-translational modifications of histones contributes to transcriptional regulation and is essential for many cellular processes, including differentiation and development. KDM4A (JMJD2A) is a lysine demethylase with specificity towards di- and tri-methylated lysine 9 and lysine 36 of histone H3 (H3K9me2/me3 and H3K36me2/me3). Here, we report that as a maternal factor plays a key role in embryo survival and is vital for female fertility.

Continual removal of H3K9 promoter methylation by Jmjd2 demethylases is vital for ESC self-renewal and early development.

Chromatin-associated proteins are essential for the specification and maintenance of cell identity. They exert these functions through modulating and maintaining transcriptional patterns. To elucidate the functions of the Jmjd2 family of H3K9/H3K36 histone demethylases, we generated conditional Jmjd2a/Kdm4a, Jmjd2b/Kdm4b and Jmjd2c/Kdm4c/Gasc1 single, double and triple knockout mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

A screen identifies the oncogenic micro-RNA miR-378a-5p as a negative regulator of oncogene-induced senescence.

Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) can occur in response to hyperactive oncogenic signals and is believed to be a fail-safe mechanism protecting against tumorigenesis. To identify new factors involved in OIS, we performed a screen for microRNAs that can overcome or inhibit OIS in human diploid fibroblasts. This screen led to the identification of miR-378a-5p and in addition several other miRNAs that have previously been shown to play a role in senescence.

Molecular mechanisms and potential functions of histone demethylases.

Histone modifications are thought to regulate chromatin structure, transcription and other nuclear processes. Histone methylation was originally believed to be an irreversible modification that could only be removed by histone eviction or by dilution during DNA replication. However, the isolation of two families of enzymes that can demethylate histones has changed this notion.