DMMC Course: EPIGENETICS: FROM MECHANISMS TO MEDICINES

0840-0910 Tuesday 26 June 2007. O’Reilly Hall, University College Dublin.

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
Dr Steven Gray (Trinity College Dublin)

The interplay between the activities of histone acetyltransferases and histone deacetylases forms a central element in chromatin mediated re3gulation of gene expression. The histone deacetylases are a large family of proteins separated into three classes on the basis of their homology to yeast proteins. Their highly conserved histone deacetylase domain, and important roles within disease has made them attractive targets from a therapeutic perspective. Taking examples from both published literature and my own work, I will attempt to illustrate the therapeutic possibilities for targeting histone deacetylases in the treatment of disease.