title: Acetylation as a transcriptional control mechanism-HDACs and HATs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most malignant tumors with a dismal prognosis. Although our understanding of the carcinogenesis of the disease increases continuously, no effective conservative therapeutic strategies exist. Therefore, novel targets have to be defined at the experimental level. Histone deacetylases (HDACs), especially the class I isoenzymes HDAC1, 2, and 3, are highly expressed in PDAC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article summarizes the expression and functions of HDAC isoenzymes in PDAC, with a special focus on their promoter-specific mode of action. Although we have gained some molecular insight into the HDAC function in PDAC, less is known about the relevance of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) in PDAC. As an example, we will summarize function of the HAT p300, for which promoter-specific functions were described recently. Increasing the molecular insights into the functions of the acetylating and deacetylating machineries in PDAC are important, since this will lead to novel rationally based therapeutic strategies in the future.
authors.affiliation: Klinikum rechts der Isar, II. Medizinische Klinik, Technische Universität München, Ismaninger Strasse 22, Munich, Germany. guenter.schneider@lrz.tum.de
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Oliver H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Krämer
authors.forename: Roland M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saur
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000818:Animals; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006655:Histone Deacetylases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases; D006655:Histone Deacetylases