Sirtuins, Metabolism, and Cancer

More than a decade ago, sirtuins were discovered as a highly conserved family of NAD+-dependent enzymes that extend lifespan in lower organisms. In mammals, sirtuins are key regulators of stress responses and metabolism, influencing a range of diseases, including diabetes, neurodegeneration, and cancer. In recent years, new functions of sirtuins have been characterized, uncovering the underlying mechanisms of their multifaceted role in metabolism. Here, we specifically review recent progress on the role of sirtuins in DNA repair and energy metabolism, further discussing the implication of sirtuins in the biology of cancer

Subcellular one carbon metabolism in cancer, aging and epigenetics

The crosstalk between metabolism and epigenetics is an emerging field that is gaining importance in different areas such as cancer and aging, where changes in metabolism significantly impacts the cellular epigenome, in turn dictating changes in chromatin as an adaptive mechanism to bring back metabolic homeostasis. A key metabolic pathway influencing an organism’s epigenetic state is one-carbon metabolism (OCM), which includes the folate and methionine cycles. Together, these cycles generate S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), the universal methyl donor essential for DNA and histone methylation. SAM serves as the sole methyl group donor for DNA and histone methyltransferases, making it a crucial metabolite for chromatin modifications. In this review, we will discuss how SAM and its byproduct, S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), along with the enzymes and cofactors involved in OCM, may function in the different cellular compartments, particularly in the nucleus, to directly regulate the epigenome in aging and cancer

SIRT6 Is Required for Normal Retinal Function

The retina is one of the major energy consuming tissues within the body. In this context, synaptic transmission between light-excited rod and cone photoreceptors and downstream ON-bipolar neurons is a highly demanding energy consuming process. Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), a NAD-dependent deacylase, plays a key role in regulating glucose metabolism. In this study, we demonstrate that SIRT6 is highly expressed in the retina, controlling levels of histone H3K9 and H3K56 acetylation. Notably, despite apparent normal histology, SIRT6 deficiency caused major retinal transmission defects concomitant to changes in expression of glycolytic genes and glutamate receptors, as well as elevated levels of apoptosis in inner retina cells. Our results identify SIRT6 as a critical modulator of retinal function, likely through its effects on chromatin

The histone deacetylase SIRT6, a critical modulator of metabolism and tumorigenesis

Efficient glucose metabolism is critical for maintaining cel-lular viability. Under normal nutrient and oxygen condi-tions, glucose is converted to pyruvate, entering the mitochondria for oxidative phosphorylation and ATP pro-duction. Under hypoxia or nutrient stress, metabolism is switched to glycolysis, increasing lactate production and reducing mitochondrial respiration, a switch known to play an important role in cancer cells, as defined by Otto Warburg decades ago. Little is known whether chromatin plays a role in carbohydrate flux. The yeast Sir2 protein is an NAD-dependent histone deacetylase that senses the metabolic status of the cell and functions as a chromatin silencer to promote lifespan and genomic stability. Recently, we discovered that the mammalian SIRT6 is a chromatin factor that influences glucose metabolism an

Sirt6 regulates TNFα secretion via hydrolysis of long chain fatty acyl lysine

The Sir2 family of enzymes or sirtuins are known as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent deacetylases1 and have been implicated in the regulation of transcription, genome stability, metabolism, and lifespan2, 3. However, four of the seven mammalian sirtuins have very weak deacetylase activity in vitro. Here we show that human Sirt6 efficiently removes long chain fatty acyl groups, such as myristoyl, from lysine residues. The crystal structure of Sirt6 reveals a large hydrophobic pocket that can accommodate long chain fatty acyl groups. We demonstrate further that Sirt6 promotes the secretion of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) by removing the fatty acyl modification on K19 and K20 of TNFα. Protein lysine fatty acylation has been known to occur in mammalian cells, but the function and regulatory mechanisms of this modification were unknown. Our data suggest that protein lysine fatty acylation is a novel mechanism that regulates protein secretion. The discovery of Sirt6 as an enzyme that controls protein lysine fatty acylation provides new opportunities to investigate the physiological function of the previously ignored protein posttranslational modification

The Histone Deacetylase SIRT6 Restrains Transcription Elongation via Promoter-Proximal Pausing.

Transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes occurs at promoter-proximal regions wherein transcriptionally engaged RNA polymerase II (Pol II) pauses before proceeding toward productive elongation. The role of chromatin in pausing remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the histone deacetylase SIRT6 binds to Pol II and prevents the release of the negative elongation factor (NELF), thus stabilizing Pol II promoter-proximal pausing. Genetic depletion of SIRT6 or its chromatin deficiency upon glucose deprivation causes intragenic enrichment of acetylated histone H3 at lysines 9 (H3K9ac) and 56 (H3K56ac), activation of cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9)-that phosphorylates NELF and the carboxyl terminal domain of Pol II-and enrichment of the positive transcription elongation factors MYC, BRD4, PAF1, and the super elongation factors AFF4 and ELL2. These events lead to increased expression of genes involved in metabolism, protein synthesis, and embryonic development. Our results identified SIRT6 as a Pol II promoter-proximal pausing-dedicated histone deacetylase

Identification of and Molecular Basis for SIRT6 Loss-of-Function Point Mutations in Cancer

SummaryChromatin factors have emerged as the most frequently dysregulated family of proteins in cancer. We have previously identified the histone deacetylase SIRT6 as a key tumor suppressor, yet whether point mutations are selected for in cancer remains unclear. In this manuscript, we characterized naturally occurring patient-derived SIRT6 mutations. Strikingly, all the mutations significantly affected either stability or catalytic activity of SIRT6, indicating that these mutations were selected for in these tumors. Further, the mutant proteins failed to rescue sirt6 knockout (SIRT6 KO) cells, as measured by the levels of histone acetylation at glycolytic genes and their inability to rescue the tumorigenic potential of these cells. Notably, the main activity affected in the mutants was histone deacetylation rather than demyristoylation, pointing to the former as the main tumor-suppressive function for SIRT6. Our results identified cancer-associated point mutations in SIRT6, cementing its function as a tumor suppressor in human cancer

Elevated Humoral Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 at High Altitudes Revealed by an Anti-RBD “In-House” ELISA

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic with dramatic health and socioeconomic consequences. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) challenges health systems to quickly respond by developing new diagnostic strategies that contribute to identify infected individuals, monitor infections, perform contact-tracing, and limit the spread of the virus. In this brief report, we developed a highly sensitive, specific, and precise “In-House” ELISA to correctly discriminate previously SARS-CoV-2-infected and non-infected individuals and study population seroprevalence. Among 758 individuals evaluated for anti-SARS-CoV-2 serology in the province of Tucumán, Argentina, we found a weak correlation between antibodies elicited against the RBD, the receptor-binding domain of the Spike protein, and the nucleocapsid (N) antigens of this virus. Additionally, we detected mild levels of anti-RBD IgG antibodies in 33.6% of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, while only 19% showed sufficient antibody titers to be considered as plasma donors. No differences in IgG anti-RBD titers were found between women and men, neither in between different age groups ranging from 18 to 60. Surprisingly, individuals from a high altitude village displayed elevated and longer lasting anti-RBD titers compared to those from a lower altitude city. To our knowledge, this is the first report correlating altitude with increased humoral immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection.Fil: Tomas Grau, Rodrigo Hernán. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Investigaciones En Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud. Sistema Provincial de Salud. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Noa Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario; ArgentinaFil: Ploper, Diego. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Investigaciones En Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud. Sistema Provincial de Salud. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Noa Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Cesar Luis. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Investigaciones En Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud. Sistema Provincial de Salud. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Noa Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario; ArgentinaFil: Vera Pingitore, Esteban. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Investigaciones En Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud. Sistema Provincial de Salud. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Noa Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario; ArgentinaFil: Maldonado Galdeano, María Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Chaves, Analia Silvina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Investigaciones En Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud. Sistema Provincial de Salud. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Noa Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario; ArgentinaFil: Socias, Sergio Benjamin. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Investigaciones En Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud. Sistema Provincial de Salud. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Noa Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario; ArgentinaFil: Stagnetto, Agustín. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Investigaciones En Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud. Sistema Provincial de Salud. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Noa Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario; ArgentinaFil: Navarro, Silvia Adriana. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Investigaciones En Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud. Sistema Provincial de Salud. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Noa Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario; ArgentinaFil: Chahla, Rossana Elena. Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud; ArgentinaFil: Aguilar López, Mónica. Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucuman. Hospital de Dia Presidente Nestor Carlos Kirchner; ArgentinaFil: Llapur, Conrado Juan. Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud; ArgentinaFil: Aznar, Patricia. Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucuman. Hospital de Dia Presidente Nestor Carlos Kirchner; ArgentinaFil: Alcorta, María Elena. Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucuman. Hospital de Dia Presidente Nestor Carlos Kirchner; ArgentinaFil: Costas, Dardo. Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucuman. Hospital de Dia Presidente Nestor Carlos Kirchner; ArgentinaFil: Flores, Isolina. Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucuman. Hospital de Dia Presidente Nestor Carlos Kirchner; ArgentinaFil: Heinze, Dar. University of Boston. School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Apfelbaum, Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Mostoslavsky, Raul. Harvard Medical School; Estados UnidosFil: Mostoslavsky, Gustavo. Harvard Medical School; Estados UnidosFil: Cazorla, Silvia Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Perdigon, Gabriela del Valle. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Chehin, Rosana Nieves. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Investigaciones En Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Gobierno de la Provincia de Tucumán. Ministerio de Salud. Sistema Provincial de Salud. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet Noa Sur. Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Molecular y Celular Aplicada del Bicentenario; Argentin

Sox2 Suppresses Gastric Tumorigenesis in Mice

SummarySox2 expression marks gastric stem and progenitor cells, raising important questions regarding the genes regulated by Sox2 and the role of Sox2 itself during stomach homeostasis and disease. By using ChIP-seq analysis, we have found that the majority of Sox2 targets in gastric epithelial cells are tissue specific and related to functions such as endoderm development, Wnt signaling, and gastric cancer. Unexpectedly, we found that Sox2 itself is dispensable for gastric stem cell and epithelial self-renewal, yet Sox2+ cells are highly susceptible to tumorigenesis in an Apc/Wnt-driven mouse model. Moreover, Sox2 loss enhances, rather than impairs, tumor formation in Apc-deficient gastric cells in vivo and in vitro by inducing Tcf/Lef-dependent transcription and upregulating intestinal metaplasia-associated genes, providing a mechanistic basis for the observed phenotype. Together, these data identify Sox2 as a context-dependent tumor suppressor protein that is dispensable for normal tissue regeneration but restrains stomach adenoma formation through modulation of Wnt-responsive and intestinal genes