JMJD6 Licenses ERα-Dependent Enhancer and Coding Gene Activation by Modulating the Recruitment of the CARM1/MED12 Co-activator Complex

Whereas the actions of enhancers in gene transcriptional regulation are well established, roles of JmjC domain-containing proteins in mediating enhancer activation remain poorly understood. Here we report that recruitment of the JmjC domain-containing protein 6 (JMJD6) to estrogen receptor alpha (ERα)-bound active enhancers is required for RNA polymerase II recruitment and enhancer RNA production on enhancers, resulting in transcriptional pause release of cognate estrogen target genes. JMJD6 was found to interact with MED12 in the mediator complex to regulate its recruitment. Unexpectedly, JMJD6 is necessary for MED12 to interact with CARM1, which methylates MED12 at multiple arginine sites and regulates its chromatin binding. Consistent with its role in transcriptional activation, JMJD6 is required for estrogen/ERα-induced breast cancer cell growth and tumorigenesis. Our data have uncovered a critical regulator of estrogen/ERα-induced enhancer, coding gene activation and breast cancer cell potency, providing a potential therapeutic target of ER-positive breast cancers.