SIRT2 belongs to the sirtuin family of proteins, homologs to the yeast Sir2 protein. Proteins of the sirtuin family are characterized by a sirtuin core domain and grouped into four classes and take part in various processes, including transcriptional regulation, cell cycle progression, DNA-damage repair and aging. SIRT2 is a NAD-dependent deacetylase, which deacetylates the ’Lys-40’ of alpha-tubulin.