Histone deacetylases and cancer

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) regulate the expression and activity of numerous proteins involved in both cancer initiation and cancer progression. By removal of acetyl groups from histones, HDACs create a non-permissive chromatin conformation that prevents the transcription of genes that encode proteins involved in tumorigenesis. In addition to histones, HDACs bind to and deacetylate a variety of other protein targets including transcription factors and other abundant cellular proteins implicated in control of cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms by which HDACs alter the expression and function of cancer-associated proteins and examines the general impact of HDAC activity in cancer.