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The effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors on heterochromatin: implications for anticancer therapy?
Author(s) -
Taddei Angela,
Roche Danièle,
Bickmore Wendy A.,
Almouzni Geneviève
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
embo reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.584
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1469-3178
pISSN - 1469-221X
DOI - 10.1038/sj.embor.7400441
Subject(s) - histone deacetylase , hdac11 , histone , acetylation , biology , heterochromatin , histone deacetylase 5 , histone deacetylase 2 , hdac10 , cancer research , histone h2a , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , chromosome , gene
Histone acetylation regulates many chromosome functions, such as gene expression and chromosome segregation. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) induce growth arrest, differentiation and apoptosis of cancer cells ex vivo , as well as in vivo in tumour‐bearing animal models, and are now undergoing clinical trials as anti‐tumour agents. However, little attention has been paid to how HDACIs function in these biological settings and why different cells respond in different ways. Here, we discuss the consequences of inhibiting histone deacetylases in cycling versus non‐cycling cells, in light of the dynamics of histone acetylation patterns with a specific emphasis on heterochromatic regions of the genome.