Demethylation of the Protein Phosphatase PP2A Promotes Demethylation of Histones to Enable Their Function as a Methyl Group Sink (Molecular Cell)

Ye et al. demonstrate that demethylation of PP2A in response to methionine starvation activates histone demethylation by increasing phosphorylation and chromatin binding of demethylase enzymes, which prepares the histones for remethylation that fuels cysteine synthesis. This regulatory mechanism also enables cells to preserve SAM by increasing SAH to limit SAM consumption by methyltransferases.