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Theranostics 2020; 10(21):9458-9476. doi:10.7150/thno.44688 This issue Cite

Research Paper

Loss of SIRT4 promotes the self-renewal of Breast Cancer Stem Cells

Lutao Du¹, Xiaoyan Liu¹, Yidan Ren¹, Juan Li¹, Peilong Li¹, Qinlian Jiao^1,2, Peng Meng³, Fang Wang⁴, Yuli Wang¹, Yun-shan Wang^1✉, Chuanxin Wang^1✉

1. Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 247 Beiyuan Street, Jinan, Shandong, 250033, China.
2. International Biotechnology R&D Center, Shandong University School of Ocean, 180 Wenhua Xi Road, Weihai, Shandong 264209, China.
3. The Medical Department of IVD Division, 3D Medicines, Inc., Pujiang Hi‑tech Park, Shanghai 201114, China.
4. Institute of basic medicine, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 247 Beiyuan Street, Jinan, Shandong, 250033, China.

✉ Corresponding authors: Yun-shan Wang, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 247 Beiyuan Street, Jinan, Shandong, 250033, China. E-mail: wangyunshansdedu.cn; Phone Number: 86-531-85875118; Chuanxin Wang, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 247 Beiyuan Street, Jinan, Shandong, 250033, China. E-mail: cxwangedu.cn; Phone Number: 86-531-85875118. More

Abstract

Rationale: It has been proposed that cancer stem/progenitor cells (or tumor-initiating cells, TICs) account for breast cancer initiation and progression. Sirtuins are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent class-III histone deacetylases and mediate various basic biological processes, including metabolic homeostasis. However, interplay and cross-regulation among the sirtuin family are not fully understood. As one of the least studied sirtuin family members, the mitochondrial sirtuin SIRT4 is a tumor suppressor gene in various cancers. However, its role in cancer stemness, as well as initiation and progression of breast cancer, remains unknown.

Methods: The expression of SIRT4 in breast cancer was analyzed using the TCGA breast cancer database and 3 GSEA data. Normal breast epithelial cells MCF10A and breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, BT549, MDA-MB-468 were used to establish SIRT4 gene knockdown and corresponding overexpression cells. Identified MTT cytotoxicity assays, cell invasion and motility assay, sorting of SP, confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, mouse mammary stem cell analysis, glutamine and glucose production, clonogenic and sphere-formation assay, mass spectrometric metabolomics analysis and ChIP-seq to further explore SIRT4 biological role in breast cancer.

Results: We elucidated a novel role for SIRT4 in the negative regulation of mammary gland development and stemness, which is related to the mammary tumorigenesis. We also uncovered an inverse correlation between SIRT4 and SIRT1. Most importantly, SIRT4 negatively regulates SIRT1 expression via repressing glutamine metabolism. Besides, we identified H4K16ac and BRCA1 as new prime targets of SIRT4 in breast cancer.

Conclusions: These results demonstrate that SIRT4 exerts its tumor-suppressive activity via modulating SIRT1 expression in breast cancer and provide a novel cross-talk between mitochondrial and nuclear sirtuins.

Keywords: SIRT4, SIRT1, breast cancer, cancer stemness, glutamine metabolism

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