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Histone deacetylases (HDACs) modulate cell growth and differentiation by governing chromatin structure and repressing the activity of specific transcription factors. We showed previously that HDAC9 acts as a negative regulator of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and skeletal muscle differentiation. Here we report that HDAC4, which is expressed in prehypertrophic chondrocytes, regulates chondrocyte hypertrophy and endochondral bone formation by interacting with and inhibiting the activity of Runx2, a transcription factor necessary for chondrocyte hypertrophy. HDAC4-null mice display premature ossification of developing bones due to ectopic and early onset chondrocyte hypertrophy, mimicking the phenotype that results from constitutive Runx2 expression in chondrocytes. Conversely, overexpression of HDAC4 in proliferating chondrocytes in vivo inhibits chondrocyte hypertrophy and differentiation, mimicking a …