Histone acetylation/deacetylation alters chromosome structure and affects transcription factor access to DNA, while the protein encoded by this gene belongs to class II of the histone deacetylase (a class of enzymes that remove acetyl groups (O=C-CH3) from an -N-acetyl lysine amino acid on a histone) family.
Histone deacetylases (EC , HDAC) are a class of enzymes that remove acetyl groups (O=C-CH3) from an -N-acetyl lysine amino acid on a histone, allowing the histones to wrap the DNA more tightly. I IIA IIB III IV 
