Association between SIRT2 gene polymorphism and height in healthy, elderly Japanese subjects

Abstract

T he silent information regulator factor 2 (SIR2; a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide–dependent histone deacetylase) protein is related to life span extension in a diverse range of species. In mammals there are 7 sirtuins, all possessing a highly conserved central nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide–binding site and common catalytic domain. Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is the mammalian ortholog of the yeast HST2, one of the four SIR2 paralogs. Similar to SIR2, HST2 is upregulated by caloric restriction and oxidative stress and extends life span. SITR2 acts as an important regulator of cell differentiation through modulation of forkhead transcription factor 1 acetylation/phosphorylation. Forkhead transcription factor 1 is a homolog of daf-16, a key regulator of the insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling pathway, and is necessary for increasing life span. An association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and SIRT2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been reported, but an association of the SIRT2 gene with longevity and other phenotypes has not been reported. We focused on the biological pleiotropic roles of SIRT2 and investigated their association with various laboratory and anthropometric data in elderly Japanese subjects.