KMTs are integral to chromatin remodeling, a dynamic process that alters the structure of chromatin to regulate access to DNA. Methylation of lysine residues on histone tails can lead to either the condensation or relaxation of chromatin. For example, trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) is associated with active transcription, while trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is linked to gene silencing. Thus, KMTs help in defining the epigenetic landscape of a cell, influencing which genes are expressed or repressed.
