Analysis of Checkpoint Responses to Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors

Cell cycle checkpoints respond to a wide range of stresses to prevent compromise to the integrity of the cell. The best studied checkpoints are those induced by genotoxic agents that cause DNA damage. Histone deacetylase inhibitors not only increase the acetylation state of chromatin histones, but they also perturb the cell cycle, causing both G1 and G2 phase arrests, the latter by initiating a checkpoint response. In this chapter we will describe the analysis of the histone deacetylase inhibitor-sensitive G2 checkpoint using synchronized cell populations.