Lack of association between polymorphisms in the SIRT6 gene and longevity in a Chinese population

• Five tag SNPs in SIRT6 were determined.
• The study was conducted in unrelated Chinese LLIs and younger controls.
• All SNPs were not associated with longevity.

Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) has recently been demonstrated to play an important role in the regulation of longevity in mammals. We therefore aimed to determine whether common variations in the SIRT6 gene are associated with human longevity. Five tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across the SIRT6 gene and its 5 kb up-/downstream region, including rs350852, rs350844, rs352493, rs4807546 and rs3760905, have been successfully determined in 616 unrelated Chinese long-lived individuals (LLIs) (mean age: 102.4 ± 2.3 years) and 846 younger controls (mean age: 48.9 ± 10.6 years) from Hainan Island, China. The allele and genotype frequencies of the five SNPs showed no statistically significant difference between the LLIs and controls (all P > 0.05). The five SNPs were in strong linkage disequilibrium and defined seven common haplotypes. Likewise, no association between these haplotypes and longevity was observed (all P > 0.05). The present study reveals that common genetic variations in the SIRT6 gene are not associated with human longevity.