Abstract
The sirtuins are highly conserved enzyme homologues of the yeast Sir2, with activities of NAD+ dependent
deacetylase and/or mono ADP ribosyltransferase. A long line of evidence has implicated sirtuins in
regulating the aging process of yeast, worms, flies, and rodents. Moreover, much work has been published
on the important role of sirtuins in several age-related diseases such as diabetes type II, cancer, cardiovascular
diseases, and dyslipidemia. However, despite the many publications supporting a pro-longevity
role for sirtuins, there has been emerging debate about the direct role of Caenorhabditis elegans and
Drosophila melanogaster sirtuins in aging and in lifespan extension in response to dietary restriction. In
addition, until recently, the role of the seven mammalian sirtuins, SIRT1 to SIRT7, in regulating lifespan
was unclear. Here, we review the history of the scientific debate on the role of sirtuins in regulating lifespan,
especially in light of a recent publication showing a direct regulation of mammalian lifespan by a sirtuin
family member, SIRT6.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e0022 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-7 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2012 |
Bibliographical note
We thank members of the Cohen lab for their helpful comments on the manuscript. We also thank Avia Cohen for generating Figure 1. This study was supported by grants from the Israeli Academy of Sciences, Koret Foundation, I-Core, and the ERC: European Research Council for H.Y.C.Keywords
- Aging
