Genome-wide gene expression profiling with RNA-seq following VPA treatment in HEK293 cells

Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor induces epigenetic changes through histone hyperacetylation which could affect gene expression. To determine the effects of VPA on gene expression changes, we performed RNA-seq on untreated and VPA-treated HEK293T cells. Differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) induced by VPA exposure were enriched in signaling processes, regulation of ion transport and extracellular matrix organization, known to be associated with HDAC activities. Overall design: We performed RNA-seq in HEK293T cells. The experiments were performed in triplicates. Gene count and differential RNA-seq peak analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). DEGs were further used for Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analysis.