title: Effects of histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid on skeletal myocyte development.
abstract: The tight interaction between genomic DNA and histones, which normally represses gene transcription, can be relaxed by histone acetylation. This loosening of the DNA-histone complex is important for selective gene activation during stem cell differentiation. Histone acetylation may be increased through the application of histone deacetylase inhibitors at the early stages of differentiation to modulate lineage commitment. We examined the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid on the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into skeletal myocytes. Our data demonstrated that valproic acid can act in concert with retinoic acid to enhance the commitment of stem cells into the skeletal myocyte lineage reinforcing the notion that histone acetylation is important for skeletal myogenesis. Thus, using a combination of small molecules to exploit different signaling pathways pertaining to specific gene programs will allow for modulation of lineage specification and stem cell differentiation in potential cell-based therapies.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada [2] Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Qiao
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foote
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Jihong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D014635:Valproic Acid