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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers
Published on: September 20, 2018
Histone deacetylases and repression of the gonadotropin genes
1Department of Biological Sciences, 14 Science Drive 4, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543. dbsmp@nus.edu.sg
Abstract:
The roles of chromatin modifications in transcription have been studied extensively; however, there remains a dearth of information explaining how extracellular signals induce changes in chromatin at a specific gene locus. The gonadotropins provide an example of genes that undergo significant fluctuations in their expression, and are regulated by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) through a membrane-bound receptor. GnRH displaces histone deacetylases (HDACs) from gonadotropin genes in immature mouse gonadotropes, and some of the pathways have been elucidated. This GnRH effect likely comprises a mechanism involved in altering reproductive potential and provides a model for studying the regulation of derepression. This paper reviews the role of HDACs in repression of the gonadotropin genes and the mechanisms through which GnRH overcomes their actions.
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