Peer-review started: September 7, 2018
First decision: October 23, 2018
Revised: October 29, 2018
Accepted: January 5, 2019
Article in press: January 6, 2019
Published online: January 16, 2019
Sirtuins (SIRTs) are NAD+-dependent histone deacetylases and play a role in virtually all cell biological processes. As SIRTs functions vary according to their subtypes, they can either activate or inhibit signaling pathways upon different conditions or tissues. Recent studies have focused on metabolic effects performed by SIRTs in several cell types since specific metabolic pathways (e.g., aerobic glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, β-oxidation, glutaminolysis) are used to determine the cell fate. However, few efforts have been made to understand the role of SIRTs on B lymphocytes metabolism and function. These cells are associated with humoral immune responses by secreting larger amounts of antibodies after differentiating into antibody-secreting cells. Besides, both the SIRTs and B lymphocytes are potential targets to treat several immune-mediated disorders, including cancer. Here, we provide an outlook of recent studies regarding the role of SIRTs in general cellular metabolism and B lymphocytes functions, pointing out the future perspectives of this field.
Core tip: Current studies have focused on understanding which intracellular molecules coordinate the metabolic flux within the cells. In addition to metabolism, sirtuins play a role in virtually all cell biological processes, but they have not been properly described in B lymphocytes function and metabolism, despite the importance of these immune cells in health and disease. Here we discuss studies that associate sirtuins and B lymphocytes, highlight the gaps found in the literature and point out the future research directions.