组蛋白去乙酰化酶（HDACs）是一类由18个成员组成的家族，参与表观遗传调控基因表达。除组蛋白外，一些HDACs也能去乙酰化转录因子和特定的细胞质蛋白。单核细胞作为先天免疫系统的一部分，维持组织稳态，帮助抵御感染和癌症。在这些细胞中，HDACs参与多种过程，包括增殖、迁移、分化、炎症反应、感染和肿瘤发生。本文系统地阐述了大多数HDAC扮演的角色。具体而言，一些HDACs会诱导炎症反应，并在宿主防御中发挥主要作用。相反，其他HDACs会重编单核细胞和巨噬细胞，使其成为免疫抑制型。两者之间的合理平衡有助于单核细胞对不同的生理/病理刺激做出正确反应。然而，特定HDACs的异常表达或活性与自身免疫性疾病以及其他慢性炎症性疾病、感染或癌症有关。本文批判性地评述了一些HDAC在这些病理中的作用，并表明至今为止，在发现有效的HDAC靶向疗法方面取得的进展还很少。然而，鉴于它们明显的潜力，我们认为开发以单核细胞为靶点、有选择地靶向HDAC亚型的药物是值得努力的，以找到治疗涉及先天免疫系统参与的疾病的有效方法。 © 2021. 本文作者，独家授权给Springer Nature Switzerland AG。

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a family of 18 members that participate in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. In addition to histones, some HDACs also deacetylate transcription factors and specific cytoplasmic proteins.Monocytes, as part of the innate immune system, maintain tissue homeostasis and help fight infections and cancer. In these cells, HDACs are involved in multiple processes including proliferation, migration, differentiation, inflammatory response, infections, and tumorigenesis. Here, a systematic description of the role that most HDACs play in these functions is reviewed. Specifically, some HDACs induce a pro-inflammatory response and play major roles in host defense. Conversely, other HDACs reprogram monocytes and macrophages towards an immunosuppressive phenotype. The right balance between both types helps monocytes to respond correctly to the different physiological/pathological stimuli. However, aberrant expressions or activities of specific HDACs are associated with autoimmune diseases along with other chronic inflammatory diseases, infections, or cancer.This paper critically reviews the interesting and extensive knowledge regarding the role of some HDACs in these pathologies. It also shows that as yet, very little progress has been made toward the goal of finding effective HDAC-targeted therapies. However, given their obvious potential, we conclude that it is worth the effort to develop monocyte-specific drugs that selectively target HDAC subtypes with the aim of finding effective treatments for diseases in which our innate immune system is involved.© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.