Editorial: Sirtuins and brain homeostasis

Abstract

Editorial on the Research Topic Sirtuins and brain homeostasisThe homeostatic functions of the human brain include but are not limited to maintaining daily physiological cycles, such as the sleep-wake cycle, controlling appetiteand thirst, regulating energy and glucose metabolism, regulating body temperature and blood pressure, controlling the production and release of hormones, and regulating cognitive processes (Grigorenko et al., 2016;Roh et al., 2016;González-García et al., 2021). Therefore, the preservation of brain homeostasisis crucial for maintaining the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions of a whole organism (Graceli et al., 2020). Epigenetic mechanisms that control gene expression/ activity without changing the DNA sequence play an important role in brain homeostasis. These mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modifications, nucleosome repositioning, higher-order chromatin remodeling, noncoding RNAs, and RNA and DNA editing (Mehler, 2008;Mansuy and Mohanna, 2011; Petralla et al., 2021). Sirtuins comprise a family of evolutionarily conserved enzymes that perform NAD + -dependent protein deacetylation/acetylation and are involved in the epigenetic machinery (Bosch-Presegué and Vaquero, 2015;Kosciuk et al., 2019). In mammals, seven isoforms of sirtuins (SIRT1-SIRT7) have been identified in different cellular compartments (i.e., nucleus, mitochondria, cytosol), and knowledge about their comprehensive operation is rapidly expanding (Grabowska et al., 2017;Avilkina et al., 2022).This special issue, consisting of original and review papers, has been prepared to showcase thelatest information about the role of sirtuins in the preservation of brain homeostasis in neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases and stroke, and in the context of behavioral responsiveness.A literature review clearly shows that sirtuins regulate various cell functions in the central nervous system (CNS) (Yan et al.). In the mature CNS, this applies to both neurons and glial cells (i.e., astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglial cells). Abnormal levels of sirtuins coexist with CNS disorders, resulting in clinically relevant progressive cognitive impairment and dysfunction of social and physical abilities. Thus, as epigenetic factors, sirtuins participate in processes such as oxidative stress, cell mitigation, apoptosis, and mitochondrial biogenesis, and altered sirtuin