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Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Deacetylation Assays to Unravel the Interplay between Sirtuins SIRT2 and Specific Protein-substrates
Published on: February 27, 2016
Sirtuin 2 Regulates Histone Glycation as a Semi-deglycase
Huapeng Li1,2, Yvonne Ritsema1,2, Zeng Lin1,2
1Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.
Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) acts as a semi-deglycase, removing acids from modified histones. This enzyme, with DJ-1, helps prevent cell damage from methylglyoxal (MGO) and glyoxal (GO) in cancer.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Methylglyoxal (MGO) and glyoxal (GO) are reactive carbonyl species implicated in cancer development.
- MGO/GO-induced histone glycation affects chromatin structure and cancer progression.
- Previous work identified DJ-1 and PAD4 as enzymes with glyoxalase/deglycase activities against MGO/GO-histone modifications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify novel regulators of histone glycation.
- To investigate the role of histone deacetylase SIRT2 in antagonizing MGO/GO-induced histone modifications.
- To elucidate the mechanism by which SIRT2 modulates histone glycation.
Main Methods:
- Biochemical assays to assess SIRT2's enzymatic activity on modified histone residues.
- Investigating the interaction and combined function of SIRT2 and DJ-1.
- Utilizing an enzymatically inactive DJ-1 mutant (DJ-1-C106A) in experiments.
Main Results:
- SIRT2 identified as a "semi-deglycase" removing lactic and glycolic acids from specific histone adducts.
- These adducts (ε-N-l-lactyllysine and hydroxyacetyllysine) are derived from MGO/GO-lysine modifications.
- SIRT2, with DJ-1-C106A, converts MGO/GO into lactate and glycolate, mitigating cytotoxicity.
Conclusions:
- SIRT2 is a newly discovered regulator of histone glycation.
- SIRT2 plays a protective role against MGO and GO cytotoxicity.
- The SIRT2-DJ-1 axis offers a potential therapeutic target for managing MGO/GO-related pathologies in cancer.
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