HDAC4 in cancer: A multitasking platform to drive not only epigenetic modifications

Emma Cuttini; Camilla Goi; Ester Pellarin; Riccardo Vida; Claudio Brancolini

doi:10.3389/fmolb.2023.1116660

HDAC4 in cancer: A multitasking platform to drive not only epigenetic modifications

Front Mol Biosci. 2023 Jan 24:10:1116660. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1116660. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Emma Cuttini¹, Camilla Goi¹, Ester Pellarin¹, Riccardo Vida¹, Claudio Brancolini^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Scuola Superiore Universitaria di Toppo Wassermann, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy.
² Laboratory of Epigenomics, Department of Medicine, Università degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy.

Abstract

Controlling access to genomic information and maintaining its stability are key aspects of cell life. Histone acetylation is a reversible epigenetic modification that allows access to DNA and the assembly of protein complexes that regulate mainly transcription but also other activities. Enzymes known as histone deacetylases (HDACs) are involved in the removal of the acetyl-group or in some cases of small hydrophobic moieties from histones but also from the non-histone substrate. The main achievement of HDACs on histones is to repress transcription and promote the formation of more compact chromatin. There are 18 different HDACs encoded in the human genome. Here we will discuss HDAC4, a member of the class IIa family, and its possible contribution to cancer development.

Keywords: H3K27ac; HDACs; MEF2; enhancers; sarcomas; senescence.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was supported from AIRC under IG 2021-ID. 26200 project—P.I. CB, PRIN (2017JL8SRX) “Class IIa HDACs as therapeutic targets in human diseases: New roles and new selective inhibitors” to CB and Interreg Italia-Osterreich ITAT1054 EPIC to CB.