UC San Diego

Aging is defined by a progressive decline in cellular functions, and problems within cell accumulate over time leading to death. However, the SIR genes play key roles in protecting yeast cells from getting aged. Study has shown that double copy of Sir2 gene can increase the yeast lifespan while deletion of Sir2 gene greatly shorten the lifespan. Sir2 involves in multiple aging processes and carries different functions in different places. Here, we first introduce one of the most important enzymatic activity of Sir2 for being as a NAD-dependent Protein Deacetylase, which is used for changing the chromatin into silencing state. Then, we mention how this enzymatic activity helps Sir2 prevent yeast cell from aging by inhibiting the production of ERCs. Lastly, we demonstrate the involvement of Sir2 protein in the asymmetric cell division and how this mechanism helps yeast mother cell prevent its daughter cell from getting damaged.