Histone deacetylases inhibitor trichostatin A modulates the extracellular release of APE1/Ref-1

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/Redox factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1) can be acetylated via post-translational modification. We investigated the effect of an inhibitor of histone deacetylases on the extracellular release of APE1/Ref-1 in HEK293 cells. Trichostatin A (TSA), an inhibitor of histone deacetylases, induced APE1/Ref-1 secretion without changing cell viability. In a fluorescence quantitative assay, the secreted APE1/Ref-1 was estimated to be about 10 ng/mL in response to TSA (1 μM). However, TSA did not induce the secretion of lysine-mutated APE1/Ref-1 (K6R/K7R). TSA also caused nuclear to cytoplasmic translocation of APE1/Ref-1. Taken together, these findings suggest that APE1/Ref-1 is a protein whose secretion is governed by lysine acetylation.