Advances in the Application of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors in Eye Disease

Histone acetylation is an important modification of proteins in cell biology, occurring as a post-translational modification (PTM). It participates in chromosome remodeling, which is maintained by histone acetyltransferase (HATs) and histone deacetylase (HDACs). HDAC inhibitors (HDACis) act specifically against several types of HDACs, causing increased acetylation of histone and non-histone proteins. HDACis induce cell cycle arrest, differentiation, apoptosis and migration. Several HDACis have been approved for clinical trials to treat cancer. HDACs have been detected extensively in eye tissue, indicating they have important roles in the occurrence and development of eye diseases. In this review, we summarize current knowledge concerning the roles of HDACis in eye diseases, aiming to make their applications possible in the clinical treatment of eye diseases in the future. Key words: epigenitics; acetylation; deacetylation; histone deacetylase inhibitors; eye disease