Histone-arginine methyltransferase CARM1

CARM1 (Histone-arginine methyltransferase CARM1) is a coactivator protein that catalyzes mono- and asymmetric dimethylation of arginine residues on histones and other regulatory proteins (UniProt: Q86X55). It functions in chromatin remodeling and transcriptional activation by methylating histone H3 at Arg-17, and collaborates with histone acetyltransferases and coactivators in diverse pathways including nuclear hormone signaling, inflammatory responses, and myogenic differentiation. CARM1 also modulates pre-mRNA splicing and mRNA stability through methylation of RNA-binding proteins, and regulates replication fork progression via PARP1 recruitment.

CARM1 is widely expressed and participates in multiple cellular processes spanning gene regulation, lipid metabolism, and DNA replication. No primary disease associations are documented in UniProt, though the protein's broad roles in transcriptional control suggest potential relevance to conditions involving dysregulated gene expression.

CARM1 is elevated in Alzheimer's Disease: proteomics analysis of post-mortem AD brain tissue versus age-matched controls shows increased CARM1 abundance with a mean log2 fold-change of +0.65 (Chaparral AD proteomics). This upregulation was detected across subcellular fractions in a TMT-labeled discovery proteomics experiment, suggesting potential involvement in AD-associated pathological processes, though the specific mechanistic contribution remains to be determined.