Over-expression of sirtuins (NAD+-dependent protein deacetylases) has been reported to increase lifespan in budding yeast, Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster1-3. Studies of gene effects on ageing are vulnerable to confounding effects of genetic background4. We re-examined the reported effects of sirtuin over-expression on ageing and found that standardisation of genetic background and use of appropriate controls abolished the apparent effects in both C. elegans and Drosophila. In C. elegans, outcrossing of a line with high level sir-2.1 over-expression1 abrogated the longevity increase, but not sir-2.1 over-expression. Instead, longevity co-segregated with a second-site mutation affecting sensory neurons. Outcrossing of a line with low copy number sir-2.1 over-expression2 also abrogated longevity. A Drosophila strain with ubiquitous over-expression of dSir2 using the UAS-GAL4 system was long-lived relative to wild-type controls, as previously reported3, but not relative to the appropriate transgenic controls, and nor was a new line with stronger over-expression of dSir2. These findings underscore the importance of controlling for genetic background and the mutagenic effects of transgene insertions in studies of genetic effects on lifespan. The life extending effect of dietary restriction (DR) on ageing in Drosophila has also been reported to be dSir2 dependent3. We found that DR increased fly lifespan independently of dSir2. Our findings do not rule out a role for sirtuins in determination of metazoan lifespan, but they do cast doubt on the robustness of the previously reported effects on lifespan in C. elegans and Drosophila.

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Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the X chromosomal gene Methyl-CpG-binding Protein 2 (MECP2) (1). RTT treatment so far is symptomatic. Mecp2 disruption in mice phenocopies major features of the syndrome (2) that can be reversed upon re-expression of Mecp2 (3. It has recently been reported that transplantation of wild type (WT) bone marrow (BMT) into lethally irradiated Mecp2tm1.1Jae/y mice prevented neurologic decline and early death by restoring microglial phagocytic activity against apoptotic targets (4). Based on this report, clinical trials of BMT for patients with RTT have been initiated (5). We aimed to replicate and extend the BMT experiments in three different RTT mouse models but found that despite robust microglial engraftment, BMT from WT donors did not rescue early death or ameliorate neurologic deficits. Furthermore, early and specific genetic expression of Mecp2 in microglia did not rescue Mecp2-deficient mice. In conclusion our experiments do not support BMT as therapy for RTT.

Rett syndrome (RS) is a debilitating neurological disorder affecting mostly girls with heterozygous mutations in the gene encoding the methyl-CpG-binding protein MeCP2 on the X chromosome. Because restoration of MeCP2 expression in a mouse model reverses neurologic deficits in adult animals, reactivation of the wild-type copy of MeCP2 on the inactive X chromosome (Xi) presents a therapeutic opportunity in RS. To identify genes involved in MeCP2 silencing, we screened a library of 60,000 shRNAs using a cell line with a MeCP2 reporter on the Xi and found 30 genes clustered in seven functional groups. More than half encoded proteins with known enzymatic activity, and six were members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)/TGF-β pathway. shRNAs directed against each of these six genes down-regulated X-inactive specific transcript (XIST), a key player in X-chromosome inactivation that encodes an RNA that coats the silent X chromosome, and modulation of regulators of this pathway both in cell culture and in mice demonstrated robust regulation of XIST. Moreover, we show that Rnf12, an X-encoded ubiquitin ligase important for initiation of X-chromosome inactivation and XIST transcription in ES cells, also plays a role in maintenance of the inactive state through regulation of BMP/TGF-β signaling. Our results identify pharmacologically suitable targets for reactivation of MeCP2 on the Xi and a genetic circuitry that maintains XIST expression and X-chromosome inactivation in differentiated cells.XIST | X inactivation | MeCP2 | Rett syndrome | BMP/TGF-β

Sirtuins are a family of NAD+-dependent protein deacetylases that play critical roles in epigenetic regulation, stress responses, and cellular aging in eukaryotic cells. In an effort to identify small molecule inhibitors of sirtuins for potential use as chemotherapeutics as well as tools to modulate sirtuin activity, we previously identified a nonselective sirtuin inhibitor called cambinol (IC50 ≈ 50 μM for SIRT1 and SIRT2) with in vitro and in vivo antilymphoma activity. In the current study, we used saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR experiments with recombinant SIRT1 and 20 to map parts of the inhibitor that interacted with the protein. Our ongoing efforts to optimize cambinol analogues for potency and selectivity have resulted in the identification of isoform selective analogues: 17 with >7.8-fold selectivity for SIRT1, 24 with >15.4-fold selectivity for SIRT2, and 8 with 6.8- and 5.3-fold selectivity for SIRT3 versus SIRT1 and SIRT2, respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity studies with these compounds as well as EX527, a potent and selective SIRT1 inhibitor, suggest that antilymphoma activity of this compound class may be predominantly due to SIRT2 inhibition.

SIRT1 is an NAD

SIRT1 is a mammalian NAD+-dependent histone deacetylase implicated in metabolism, development, aging and tumorigenesis. Prior studies that examined the effect of enterocyte-specific overexpression and global deletion of SIRT1 on polyp formation in the intestines of APC+/min mice, a commonly used model for intestinal tumorigenesis, yielded conflicting results, supporting either tumor-suppressive or tumor-promoting roles for SIRT1, respectively. In order to resolve the controversy emerging from these prior in vivo studies, in the present report we examined the effect of SIRT1 deficiency confined to the intestines, avoiding the systemic perturbations such as growth retardation seen with global SIRT1 deletion. We crossed APC+/min mice with mice bearing enterocyte-specific inactivation of SIRT1 and examined polyp development in the progeny. We found that SIRT1-inactivation reduced total polyp surface (9.3 mm2 vs. 23.3 mm2, p = 0.01), average polyp size (0.24 mm2 vs. 0.51 mm2, p = 0.005) and the number of polyps >0.5 mm in diameter (14 vs. 23, p = 0.04), indicating that SIRT1 affects both the number and size of tumors. Additionally, tumors in SIRT1-deficient mice exhibited markedly increased numbers of cells undergoing apoptosis, suggesting that SIRT1 contributes to tumor growth by enabling survival of tumor cells. Our results indicate that SIRT1 acts as a tumor promoter in the APC+/min mouse model of intestinal tumorigenesis.

Members of the sirtuin family including the founding protein Sir2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been linked to lifespan extension in simple organisms. This finding prompted evaluation of the role of Sir2 orthologues in many aging associated conditions including neurodegeneration, type II diabetes and cancer. These studies have demonstrated that genetic and pharmacologic manipulation of sirtuin activity have beneficial effects in a surprisingly broad spectrum of aging-associated conditions suggesting that the Sir2 family of enzymes presents an attractive target for the development of pharmacological agents. While the initial model favored pharmacological activators of sirtuins as calorie restriction mimetics, it now appears that either activation or inhibition of sirtuins may be desirable for ameliorating disease depending on the pathological condition and the target tissue. In this chapter we review the development of pharmacological small molecule activators and inhibitors of the sirtuin family of enzymes.