Histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2), or transcriptional regulator homolog RPD3 L1, is highly homologous to the yeast transcription factor RPD3 (reduced potassium dependency 3) gene. As in yeast, human HDA2 is likely to be involved in regulating chromatin structure during transcription. It has been implicated to associate with YY1, a mammalian zinc-finger transcription factor, which negatively regulates transcription by tethering RPD3 to DNA as a cofactor. This process is highly conserved from yeast to human.
