Experimental approaches to study histone deacetylation in Caenorhabditis elegans

Histones, being basic in nature, form the core of a nucleosome which governs DNA compaction and regulate the expression of genetic information. These undergo various modifications at their flanking tail region. One such important epigenetic modifications include deacetylation. To study histone deacetylation various experimental models and approaches have been developed till date. However, one of the best in vivo models to study this modification is a soil-dwelling nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. This tiny, transparent worm shares around 70% genetic homology with humans which becomes a key feature in employing it as a model system. This chapter highlights major experimental approaches for studying histone deacetylation using C. elegans.