Abstract

Protein lysine deacetylases have a pivotal role in numerous biological processes and can be divided into the Rpd3/Hda1 and sirtuin families, each having members in diverse organisms including prokaryotes. In vertebrates, the Rpd3/Hda1 family contains 11 members, traditionally referred to as histone deacetylases (HDAC) 1–11, which are further grouped into classes I, II and IV. Whereas most class I HDACs are subunits of multiprotein nuclear complexes that are crucial for transcriptional repression and epigenetic landscaping, class II members regulate cytoplasmic processes or function as signal transducers that shuttle between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Little is known about class IV HDAC11, although its evolutionary conservation implies a fundamental role in various organisms.

Author affiliations

1. Molecular Oncology Group, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Center; and McGill Cancer Center, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, H3A 1A1, Canada.
   Email: xiang-jiao.yang@mcgill.ca
2. Molecular Oncology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA.
   Email: ed.seto@moffitt.org

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