The sirtuins proteins have been referred to colloquially as “longevity” proteins. They are highly conserved enzymes, deacetylases, that have been demonstrated to influence the lifespan of yeast, nematode worms and fruitflies, the common laboratory subjects of the molecular biology laboratory.

In the last few decades understanding their function has stimulated interest in how they might be modulated in humans to perhaps increase the healthy human lifespan. Researchers at the Bar-Ilan University, Israel, and their colleagues have demonstrated that SIRT6 regulates the lifespan of male mice, which brings us tantalisingly close to therapeutic implications for humans.

• The sirtuin SIRT6 regulates lifespan in male mice,
  Y. Kanfi, S. Naiman, G. Amir, V. Peshti, G. Zinman, L. Nahum, Z. Bar-Joseph, H. Y. Cohen,
  Nature 2012.
  DOI: 10.1038/nature10815