Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of the NAD+-dependent Histone Deacetylase SIRT1

Sir2 (silent information regulator 2) is an NAD+-dependent histone deacetylase that contributes to longevity in yeast. SIRT1, a mammalian Sir2 ortholog, deacetylates histones and various transcription factors, including p53, FOXO proteins, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ. We found that its subcellular localization varied in different tissues of the adult mouse. Some subsets of neurons predominantly expressed SIRT1 in the cytoplasm, but ependymal cells expressed it in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. On the other hand, spermatocytes expressed SIRT1 only in the nucleus. Cardiomyocytes in the day 12.5 mouse embryo expressed SIRT1 exclusively in the nucleus, but in the adult heart, they expressed…