Topic summary
Sir2
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Sirtuin 1.
Yeast homolog
Sir2 (whose homolog in mammals is known as SIRT1) was the first of the sirtuin genes to be found. It was found in budding yeast, and, since then, members of this highly conserved family have been found in nearly all organisms studied. Sirtuins are hypothesized to play a key role in an organism's response to stresses (such as heat or starvation) and to be responsible for the lifespan-extending effects of calorie restriction.