Distribution of histone deacetylases in post-mortem brain and spinal cord of ALS patients and controls

Transcriptional dysregulation has been shown both in human sporadic ALS and in the G93A mouse model (Olsen et al., 2001; Malaspina and de Belleroche, 2004; Ishigaki et al., 2002; Yoshihara et al., 2002). Histone deacetylases (HDAC) catalyze the deacetylation of lysine residues in the amino terminals of the highly conserved core histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4. The posttranscriptional acetylation of lysine residues in the amino terminals of the core histones leads to a neutralization of the positive charge, and opening of the DNA conformation which allows access of transcription factors to target genes. Therefore,…