Sirt1 mediates neuroprotection from mutant huntingtin by activation of the TORC1 and CREB transcriptional pathway.

Sirt1, a NAD-dependent protein deacetylase, has emerged as a key regulator of mammalian transcription in response to cellular metabolic status and stress. Here we show that Sirt1 has a neuroprotective role in models of Huntington's disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a glutamine repeat expansion in huntingtin protein (HTT). Brain-specific knockout of Sirt1 results in exacerbation of brain pathology in a mouse model of Huntington's disease, whereas overexpression of Sirt1 improves survival, neuropathology and the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in Huntington's disease mice.

Neuronal SIRT1 regulates endocrine and behavioral responses to calorie restriction.

Mammalian life span can be extended by both calorie restriction (CR) and mutations that diminish somatotropic signaling. Sirt1 is a mediator of many effects of CR in mammals, but any role in controlling somatotropic signaling has not been shown. Since the somatotropic axis is controlled by the brain, we created mice lacking Sirt1 specifically in the brain and examined the impacts of this manipulation on somatotropic signaling and the CR response.