Joseph Lab Profile

Research Focus: Epigenetic control of programmed cell death

Inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) function has been shown to exert anti-proliferative effects and induce apoptosis of many types of cancer cells. HDAC inhibitors may thus be promising drugs for chemotherapy treatment of cancers. In addition, inhibitors of HDACs are emerging as neuroprotective agents and consequently as potential drugs for neurodegenerative disorders. Yet little is known of putative specificity in expression and function of HDACs and the pattern of histone acetylation in normal proliferative cells, and transformed cells. We investigate the role for control of histone tail acetylation by HDACs in regulation of programmed cell death.