Histone Deacetylase 6: At the Interface of Cancer and Neurodegeneration

Abstract

With the recognition in the early 1960s that histones can be post-translationally modified, the list of different post-translational modifications of histones and their biological consequences has continued to expand. In addition, the idea of the ‘histone code’ hypothesis, later introduced by David Allis and colleagues, further broaden the horizon of chromatin biology. Currently, there is a wealth of knowledge about the transition between the active and the repressive state of chromatin, and modifications of histones remains at the center of chromatin biology. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) in particular are of great importance for the therapeutic success of cancer treatment. Focusing primarily on HDAC6, herein we have briefly highlighted its unique involvement in cancer and also apparently in neurodegeneration.

Plain language summary

Cancer (uncontrolled cell proliferation) and neurodegenerative diseases (loss of neurons/protein aggregation) are two distinct pathological conditions that share/overlap certain molecular determinants. Histone deacetylase 6 appears to be one such determinant for which researchers have made significant progress by accumulating sufficient evidence for its clinical translation in these aforementioned disease conditions.

Tweetable abstract

Be it cancer or neurodegeneration, understanding the dynamics of histone modifications continues to be of great interest, and histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) now apparently is at the forefront.

Keywords::

• cancer
• epigenetics
• histone deacetylase
• neurodegeneration
• therapy

Author contributions

Writing, original draft: J Pu, A Sharma, J Hou & IGH Schmidt-Wolf. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge support received from the Deutsche Krebshilfe (Bonn, Germany) and the China Scholarship Council (CSC).

Financial disclosure

The authors have no financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Competing interests disclosure

The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Writing disclosure

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.