The Controversy Around Sirtuins and Their Functions in Aging

Sirtuins are a class of evolutionarily conserved protein deacetylases and ADP-ribosyltransferases. Many of them have been closely associated with aging mechanisms and potential antiaging interventions based on research in this area have been investigated in the past decade. However, accompanying their rising fame, the debates on the functional roles of sirtuins in aging regulation and their involvement in age-associated diseases, such as cancer, heated up, not only in the scientific community, but also among the general public. In this chapter, we will discuss the controversies that received the most attentions in recent years, hoping to shed light on the potential applications of future sirtuin-based antiaging drug development.