Limited role of Sirt1 in cancer protection by dietary restriction

Dietary restriction (DR) has multiple beneficial effects, the two most prominently studied being an increased longevity and an increased cancer protection. Mammalian Sirt1 is a protein deacetylase that has been linked to DR. To explore the relation between Sirt1 and DR, we have examined here DR-induced cancer protection in mice overexpressing Sirt1 (2-3 fold) under its own regulatory elements (Sirt1-tg mice). In particular, we have subjected p53‑deficient mice, carrying or not the Sirt1-tg allele, to every-other-day fasting (EOD), which is a type of DR that significantly delays cancer onset. As expected, EOD extended the survival of p53-heterozygous (p53+/-) mice. However, the extension of survival of p53-heterozygous mice by EOD was the same in the presence or absence of the Sirt1-tg allele. These results suggest that Sirt1 has a limited role in mediating cancer protection by DR in mammals.