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Sirtuin 3 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth through the glycogen synthase kinase-3β/BCL2-associated X protein-dependent apoptotic pathway

Oncogene volume 35, pages 631–641 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

SIRT3 is a class III histone deacetylase that has been implicated in a variety of cancers. The role of SIRT3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. In this study, we found that SIRT3 expression was frequently repressed in HCC and its downregulation was closely associated with tumor grade and size. Ectopic expression of SIRT3 inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in HCC cells, whereas depletion of SIRT3 in immortalized hepatocyte promoted cell growth and decreased epirubicin-induced apoptosis. Mechanistic studies revealed that SIRT3 deacetylated and activated glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), which subsequently induced expression and mitochondrial translocation of the pro-apoptotic protein BCL2-associated X protein (Bax) to promote apoptosis. GSK-3β inhibitor or gene silencing of BAX reversed SIRT3-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis. Furthermore, SIRT3 overexpression also suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Together, this study reveals a role of SIRT3/GSK-3β/Bax signaling pathway in the suppression of HCC growth, and also suggests that targeting this pathway may represent a potential therapeutic approach for HCC treatment.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81201282), the National Science and Technology Major Project (2013ZX10002002), the Chongqing Natural Science Foundation (cstc2012jjA10047) and the PhD program through the Ministry of Education of China (Program 20125503120004).

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Author notes

  1. C-L Song, H Tang and L-K Ran: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Second Affiliated Hospital and the Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Infectious Diseases Designated by the Chinese Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    C-L Song, H Tang, L-K Ran, X Chen, J-H Ren, N-N Tao, W-Y Li, A-L Huang & J Chen

  2. Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China

    B C B Ko

  3. State Key Laboratory of Chirosciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China

    B C B Ko

  4. Department of Infectious Diseases, The Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Z-Z Zhang

  5. The Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China

    A-L Huang

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  1. C-L Song
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Correspondence to A-L Huang or J Chen.

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Song, CL., Tang, H., Ran, LK. et al. Sirtuin 3 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth through the glycogen synthase kinase-3β/BCL2-associated X protein-dependent apoptotic pathway. Oncogene 35, 631–641 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2015.121

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/onc.2015.121

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