Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms are essential for governing gene transcription and are vital to proper tissue development and homeostasis. Conversely, deregulation of these mechanisms can lead to disease development and progression. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) form a critical family of enzymes that remodel chromatin by removing acetylation marks from histone tails, causing chromatin compaction and a repressive transcriptional environment. HDACs can also remove acetyl moieties from other protein targets, including a subset of transcription factors, resulting in their altered stability and/or activity. Together, these functions allow HDACs to affect diverse cellular processes and direct cell fate. Global and tissue-specific deletion of individual Hdac genes in genetic mouse models has revealed their in vivo requirements for normal embryonic development and adult tissue functions. In this chapter we will discuss the roles played by HDACs in epithelial cells of the skin, an accessible model system for studying cell fate decisions during development, homeostasis, and disease.
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