Trichostatin A

Trichostatin A (TSA) is an antifungal antibiotic derived from Streptomyces that inhibits mammalian histone deacetylase (HDAC). TSA inhibits the eukaryotic cell cycle during the beginning of the growth stage. Trichostatin A (TSA) can be used to alter gene expression by interfering with the removal of acetyl groups from histones (histone deacetylases, HDAC) and therefore altering the ability of DNA transcription factors to access the DNA molecules inside chromatin. It is a member of a larger class of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDIs or HDACIs) that have a broad spectrum of epigenetic activities. Trichostatin A has also been shown to inhibit both G1- and G2-phases of the mammalian cell cycle and has been tested for use as a potential anticancer agent.