Emerging role of sirtuins on tumorigenesis: possible link between aging and cancer

Aging is the strongest risk factor for cancer development, suggesting that molecular crosstalks between aging and tumorigenesis exist in many cellular pathways. Recently, Sirtuins (Sirt1-7), the mammalian homologues of aging-related sir2α in yeast, have been shown to modulate several major cellular pathways, such as DNA repair, inflammation, metabolism, cell death, and proliferation in response to diverse stresses, and may serve as a possible molecular link between aging and tumorignenesis. In addition, growing evidence suggests that sirtuins are directly implicated in the development of cancer, and they can act as either a tumor suppressor or promoter, depending on the cellular context and tumor types. While the functions of Sirt1 in tumorigenesis have been reported and reviewed in many studies, the connection between sirtuins 2-7 and the development of cancer is less established. Thus, this review will present the recent updates on the emerging roles of Sirt2-7 members in carcinogenesis. [BMB Reports 2013; 46(9): 429-438]