KUMJ | VOL. 10 | NO. 2 | ISSUE 38 | APR-JUN, 2012
Sirtuins: The Future Insight
Suvarna BS
Abstract: Sirtuins are evolutionary conserved NAD+ dependent acetyl-lysine deacetylases
and ADP ribosyltransferases dual-function enzymes involved in the regulation
of metabolism and lifespan. Sirtuins represent a promising new class of III NAD
dependent histone deacetylases that regulate a number of physiological processes,
originally identified in yeast. Sirtuins regulate various normal and abnormal
cellular and metabolic processes, including tumorgenesis, neurodegeneration and
processes associated with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Several age-related diseases
such as Alzheimer’s disease and longevity have also been linked to the functions of
sirtuins. Because of these associations, the identification of small molecules sirtuin
modulators has been of significant interest.
Keyword : Sirtuins, SirT1-7, histone deacetylases, epigenetics