Human HDAC1 and HDAC2 function in the DNA-damage response to promote DNA nonhomologous end-joining

How changes in chromatin can modulate the repair pathway of DNA double-strand breaks is now investigated. The work shows that histone deacetylases HDAC1 and HDAC2 are recruited to sites of DNA damage, where they mediate the removal of H3K56 acetyl marks, and their activity is important for repair via non-homologous end-joining.