Study of the interactome of plant sirtuins in response to abiotic stress

Sirtuin proteins are best known for their diverse roles in human diseases and pathologies and for being (albeit recently debated) a target for resveratrol, one of the reported beneficial ingredients in red wine. Recent findings indicate neuroprotective roles for sirtuins in Alzheimers disease and compelling evidence is at hand for both promoting and suppressing tumorigenesis in a plethora of cancers. Sirtuins are evolutionary conserved and two genes are also present in plants. In contrast with the humungous number of reports on human sirtuins, the mode of action of plant sirtuins remains enigmatic till now. We know now that plant sirtuins are capable of deacetylating proteins in the cell. Deacetylation reliefs target proteins of a so-called “tag” that can be recognized by other proteins to either recruit them within various signaling networks or protect them from destructive proteases. In this project, we focus on the study of previously identified proteins that intimately interact with plant sirtuins. By revealing the functionality of these proteins we hope to finally unlock the mode of action of plant sirtuins and more specifically their involvement in plant responses against environmental stresses.