Skip to main content

Role of SIRT1 in Epigenetics

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics

Abstract

Epigenetic markers are of great significance in biological systems closely related to genome stability, gene transcription, metabolic regulation, and human diseases. Sirtuins are specially named NAD+-dependent class III histone deacetylases that can catalyze the deacylation of modified lysines, which exist as a major group of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) on both nucleic and cytoplasmic proteins. Among the seven sirtuin enzymes 1–7, sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) can catalyze the deacetylation reaction on both histones and many important nonhistone proteins, serving as a key conjunction between epigenetics, metabolism, and human health. In this chapter, we will begin with the basic introduction of SIRT1 biochemistry and its enzymatic mechanism, followed by the discussion on in vitro deacetylation assays. The biological functions of SIRT1 will be categorized into three main groups based on its substrates. Directly involved in many important cellular procedures, SIRT1 builds up the connection between epigenetics and metabolism. Since SIRT1 is important to human health, its activation and inhibition can be one of the potential treatment targets for diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration. Our analysis is aiming to provide some new aspects into the biochemistry and chemical biology of SIRT1.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 579.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 799.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

AA:

Amino acid residues

AADPR:

O-Acetyl ADP ribose

AcK:

Acetyllysine

ATM:

Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated

BESTO:

β-Cell-specific SIRT1 overexpressing

CTIP2:

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor-interacting protein 2

DNMT:

DNA methyltransferase

DSBs:

DNA double-strand breaks

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

ERRs:

Estrogen receptor-related receptors

FH:

Facultative heterochromatin

FOXA2:

Forkhead box protein A2

Gal4:

Yeast transcription activator protein Gal4

H3K9Ac, H3K14Ac, H4K16Ac, etc.:

(H3 at lysine 9 site, 14 site, 16 site, etc.)

HDACs:

Histone deacetylases

hMOF:

Histone acetyltransferase human MOF

NAD+:

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidative form

ncAA:

Noncanonical amino acid incorporation

NCL:

Native chemical ligation

PDX1:

Pancreas duodenum homeobox 1

PTM:

Posttranslational modification

SIR:

Yeast-silencing information regulator

SIRT1:

Sirtuin 1

SMILE:

Small heterodimer partner-interacting leucine zipper protein

SPPS:

Solid-phase peptide synthesis

SUMO:

Small ubiquitin-like modifier protein

SUV39H1:

Suppressor of variegation 3-9 homologue 1

TIP5:

Transcription termination factor I-interacting protein 5

TIP60:

Tat-interactive protein

TLE1:

Transducin-like enhancer of split-1

UCP2:

Uncoupling protein 2

References

  • Avalos JL, Celic I, Muhammad S, Cosgrove MS, Boeke JD, Wolberger C (2002) Structure of a Sir2 enzyme bound to an acetylated p53 peptide. Mol Cell 10:523–535

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Avalos JL, Bever KM, Wolberger C (2005) Mechanism of sirtuin inhibition by nicotinamide: altering the NAD+ cosubstrate specificity of a Sir2 enzyme. Mol Cell 17:855–868

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bordone L, Motta MC, Picard F, Robinson A, Jhala US, Apfeld J, Mcdonagh T, Lemieux M, Mcburney M, Szilvasi A (2005) Sirt1 regulates insulin secretion by repressing UCP2 in pancreatic β cells. PLoS Biol 4:e31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouras T, Fu M, Sauve AA, Wang F, Quong AA, Perkins ND, Hay RT, Gu W, Pestell RG (2005) SIRT1 deacetylation and repression of p300 involves lysine residues 1020/1024 within the cell cycle regulatory domain 1. J Biol Chem 280:10264–10276

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Braunstein M, Rose AB, Holmes SG, Allis C, Broach JR (1993) Transcriptional silencing in yeast is associated with reduced nucleosome acetylation. Genes Dev 7:592–604

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • De Ruijter AJ, Van Gennip AH, Caron HN, Stephan K, Van Kuilenburg AB (2003) Histone deacetylases (HDACs): characterization of the classical HDAC family. Biochem J 370:737–749

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dobbin MM, Madabhushi R, Pan L, Chen Y, Kim D, Gao J, Ahanonu B, Pao P-C, Qiu Y, Zhao Y (2013) SIRT1 collaborates with ATM and HDAC1 to maintain genomic stability in neurons. Nat Neurosci 16:1008–1015

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fatoba ST, Tognetti S, Berto M, Leo E, Mulvey CM, Godovac-Zimmermann J, Pommier Y, Okorokov AL (2013) Human SIRT1 regulates DNA binding and stability of the Mcm10 DNA replication factor via deacetylation. Nucleic Acids Res 41:4065–4079

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman JL, Baeza J, Denu JM (2013) Activation of the protein deacetylase SIRT6 by long-chain fatty acids and widespread deacylation by mammalian sirtuins. J Biol Chem 288:31350–31356

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Finkel T, Deng C-X, Mostoslavsky R (2009) Recent progress in the biology and physiology of sirtuins. Nature 460:587–591

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Finnin MS, Donigian JR, Pavletich NP (2001) Structure of the histone deacetylase SIRT2. Nat Struct Mol Biol 8:621–625

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frye RA (2000) Phylogenetic classification of prokaryotic and eukaryotic Sir2-like proteins. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 273:793–798

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh HS, Spencer JV, Ng B, MW M, PD R (2007) Sirt1 interacts with transducin-like enhancer of split-1 to inhibit nuclear factor κB-mediated transcription. Biochem J 408:105–111

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giguere V (2008) Transcriptional control of energy homeostasis by the estrogen-related receptors. Endocr Rev 29:677–696

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gotta M, Strahl-Bolsinger S, Renauld H, Laroche T, Kennedy BK, Grunstein M, Gasser SM (1997) Localization of Sir2p: the nucleolus as a compartment for silent information regulators. EMBO J 16:3243–3255

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gräff J, Tsai L-H (2013) Histone acetylation: molecular mnemonics on the chromatin. Nat Rev Neurosci 14:97–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guarente L (2000) Sir2 links chromatin silencing, metabolism, and aging. Genes Dev 14:1021–1026

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guarente L (2013) Calorie restriction and sirtuins revisited. Genes Dev 27:2072–2085

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haigis MC, Sinclair DA (2010) Mammalian sirtuins: biological insights and disease relevance. Annu Rev Pathol 5:253

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hawse WF, Hoff KG, Fatkins DG, Daines A, Zubkova OV, Schramm VL, Zheng W, Wolberger C (2008) Structural insights into intermediate steps in the Sir2 deacetylation reaction. Structure 16:1368–1377

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Herskovits AZ, Guarente L (2013) Sirtuin deacetylases in neurodegenerative diseases of aging. Cell Res 23:746–758

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Howitz KT, Bitterman KJ, Cohen HY, Lamming DW, Lavu S, Wood JG, Zipkin RE, Chung P, Kisielewski A, Zhang L-L (2003) Small molecule activators of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan. Nature 425:191–196

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu WW, Wu B, Liu WR (2016) Sirtuins 1 and 2 are universal histone deacetylases. ACS Chem Biol 11:792–799

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu J, Jing H, Lin H (2014) Sirtuin inhibitors as anticancer agents. Future Med Chem 6:945–966

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes KJ, Meares GP, Hansen PA, Corbett JA (2011) FoxO1 and SIRT1 regulate β-cell responses to nitric oxide. J Biol Chem 286:8338–8348

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Imai S-I, Armstrong CM, Kaeberlein M, Guarente L (2000a) Transcriptional silencing and longevity protein Sir2 is an NAD-dependent histone deacetylase. Nature 403:795–800

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Imai S, Johnson FB, Marciniak RA, McVey M, Park PU, Guarente L (2000b) Sir2: an NAD-dependent histone deacetylase that connects chromatin silencing, metabolism, and aging. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 65:297–302

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jing H, Lin H (2015) Sirtuins in epigenetic regulation. Chem Rev 115:2350–2375

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuno A, Hori YS, Hosoda R, Tanno M, Miura T, Shimamoto K, Horio Y (2013) Resveratrol improves cardiomyopathy in dystrophin-deficient mice through SIRT1 protein-mediated modulation of p300 protein. J Biol Chem 288:5963–5972

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Landry J, Sutton A, Tafrov ST, Heller RC, Stebbins J, Pillus L, Sternglanz R (2000) The silencing protein SIR2 and its homologs are NAD-dependent protein deacetylases. Proc Natl Acad Sci 97:5807–5811

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee IH, Cao L, Mostoslavsky R, Lombard DB, Liu J, Bruns NE, Tsokos M, Alt FW, Finkel T (2008) A role for the NAD-dependent deacetylase Sirt1 in the regulation of autophagy. Proc Natl Acad Sci 105:3374–3379

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin S-J, Defossez P-A, Guarente L (2000) Requirement of NAD and SIR2 for life-span extension by calorie restriction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Science 289:2126–2128

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Dentin R, Chen D, Hedrick S, Ravnskjaer K, Schenk S, Milne J, Meyers DJ, Cole P, Yates III, J(2008) A fasting inducible switch modulates gluconeogenesis via activator/coactivator exchange. Nature 456:269–273

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lombardi PM, Cole KE, Dowling DP, Christianson DW (2011) Structure, mechanism, and inhibition of histone deacetylases and related metalloenzymes. Curr Opin Struct Biol 21:735–743

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mao B, Zhao G, Lv X, Chen H-Z, Xue Z, Yang B, Liu D-P, Liang C-C (2011) Sirt1 deacetylates c-Myc and promotes c-Myc/Max association. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 43:1573–1581

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Michishita E, Park JY, Burneskis JM, Barrett JC, Horikawa I (2005) Evolutionarily conserved and nonconserved cellular localizations and functions of human SIRT proteins. Mol Biol Cell 16:4623–4635

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Min S-W, Cho S-H, Zhou Y, Schroeder S, Haroutunian V, Seeley WW, Huang EJ, Shen Y, Masliah E, Mukherjee C (2010) Acetylation of tau inhibits its degradation and contributes to tauopathy. Neuron 67:953–966

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moynihan KA, Grimm AA, Plueger MM, Bernal-Mizrachi E, Ford E, Cras-Méneur C, Permutt MA, Imai S-I (2005) Increased dosage of mammalian Sir2 in pancreatic β cells enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in mice. Cell Metab 2:105–117

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nair SK, Burley SK (2003) X-ray structures of Myc-Max and Mad-Max recognizing DNA: molecular bases of regulation by proto-oncogenic transcription factors. Cell 112:193–205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oberdoerffer P, Michan S, McVay M, Mostoslavsky R, Vann J, Park S-K, Hartlerode A, Stegmuller J, Hafner A, Loerch P (2008) SIRT1 redistribution on chromatin promotes genomic stability but alters gene expression during aging. Cell 135:907–918

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peng L, Yuan Z, Ling H, Fukasawa K, Robertson K, Olashaw N, Koomen J, Chen J, Lane WS, Seto E (2011) SIRT1 deacetylates the DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) protein and alters its activities. Mol Cell Biol 31:4720–4734

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peng L, Ling H, Yuan Z, Fang B, Bloom G, Fukasawa K, Koomen J, Chen J, Lane WS, Seto E (2012) SIRT1 negatively regulates the activities, functions, and protein levels of hMOF and TIP60. Mol Cell Biol 32:2823–2836

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Porcu M, Chiarugi A (2005) The emerging therapeutic potential of sirtuin-interacting drugs: from cell death to lifespan extension. Trends Pharmacol Sci 26:94–103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ramsey KM, Mills KF, Satoh A, Imai SI (2008) Age-associated loss of Sirt1-mediated enhancement of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in beta cell-specific Sirt1-overexpressing (BESTO) mice. Aging Cell 7:78–88

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rauh D, Fischer F, Gertz M, Lakshminarasimhan M, Bergbrede T, Aladini F, Kambach C, Becker CF, Zerweck J, Schutkowski M (2013) An acetylome peptide microarray reveals specificities and deacetylation substrates for all human sirtuin isoforms. Nat Commun 4:2327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rine J, Herskowitz I (1987) Four genes responsible for a position effect on expression from HML and HMR in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics 116:9–22

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Roth M, Chen W (2014) Sorting out functions of sirtuins in cancer. Oncogene 33:1609–1620

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauve AA, Celic I, Avalos J, Deng H, Boeke JD, Schramm VL (2001) Chemistry of gene silencing: the mechanism of NAD+-dependent deacetylation reactions. Biochemistry 40:15456–15463

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauve AA, Wolberger C, Schramm VL, Boeke JD (2006) The biochemistry of sirtuins. Annu Rev Biochem 75:435–465

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sebastián C, Satterstrom FK, Haigis MC, Mostoslavsky R (2012) From sirtuin biology to human diseases: an update. J Biol Chem 287:42444–42452

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith JS, Boeke JD (1997) An unusual form of transcriptional silencing in yeast ribosomal DNA. Genes Dev 11:241–254

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Gent R, Di Sanza C, Van Den Broek NJ, Fleskens V, Veenstra A, Stout GJ, Brenkman AB (2014) SIRT1 mediates FOXA2 breakdown by deacetylation in a nutrient-dependent manner. PLoS One 9:e98438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaquero A (2009) The conserved role of sirtuins in chromatin regulation. Int J Dev Biol 53:303

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vaquero A, Scher M, Lee D, Erdjument-Bromage H, Tempst P, Reinberg D (2004) Human SirT1 interacts with histone H1 and promotes formation of facultative heterochromatin. Mol Cell 16:93–105

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vaquero A, Scher M, Erdjument-Bromage H, Tempst P, Serrano L, Reinberg D (2007) SIRT1 regulates the histone methyl-transferase SUV39H1 during heterochromatin formation. Nature 450:440–444

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Von Meyenn F, Porstmann T, Gasser E, Selevsek N, Schmidt A, Aebersold R, Stoffel M (2013) Glucagon-induced acetylation of Foxa2 regulates hepatic lipid metabolism. Cell Metab 17:436–447

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wan W, Tharp JM, Liu WR (2014) Pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase: an ordinary enzyme but an outstanding genetic code expansion tool. Biochim Biophys Acta (BBA) Proteins Proteomics 1844:1059–1070

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Chen J (2010) SIRT1 regulates autoacetylation and histone acetyltransferase activity of TIP60. J Biol Chem 285:11458–11464

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang R-H, Xu X, Kim H-S, Xiao Z, Deng C-X (2013) SIRT1 deacetylates FOXA2 and is critical for Pdx1 transcription and beta-cell formation. Int J Biol Sci 9:934–946

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z-P, Wang Y-H, Chu G-C, Shi J, Li Y-M (2015) The study of the chemical synthesis and preparation of histone with post-translational modifications. Curr Org Synth 12:150–162

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xie Y-B, Park J-H, Kim D-K, Hwang JH, Oh S, Park SB, Shong M, Lee I-K, Choi H-S (2009) Transcriptional corepressor SMILE recruits SIRT1 to inhibit nuclear receptor estrogen receptor-related receptor γ transactivation. J Biol Chem 284:28762–28774

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xie Y, Zhang J, Xu Y, Shao C (2012) SirT1 confers hypoxia-induced radioresistance via the modulation of c-Myc stabilization on hepatoma cells. J Radiat Res 53:44–50

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamori T, Dericco J, Naqvi A, Hoffman TA, Mattagajasingh I, Kasuno K, Jung S-B, Kim C-S, Irani K (2010) SIRT1 deacetylates APE1 and regulates cellular base excision repair. Nucleic Acids Res 38:832–845

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan J, Minter-Dykhouse K, Lou Z (2009) A c-Myc–SIRT1 feedback loop regulates cell growth and transformation. J Cell Biol 185:203–211

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J (2007) The direct involvement of SirT1 in insulin-induced insulin receptor substrate-2 tyrosine phosphorylation. J Biol Chem 282:34356–34364

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J, Lee S-M, Shannon S, Gao B, Chen W, Chen A, Divekar R, Mcburney MW, Braley-Mullen H, Zaghouani H (2009) The type III histone deacetylase Sirt1 is essential for maintenance of T cell tolerance in mice. J Clin Invest 119:3048–3058

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Y, Schmitz K-M, Mayer C, Yuan X, Akhtar A, Grummt I (2009) Reversible acetylation of the chromatin remodelling complex NoRC is required for non-coding RNA-dependent silencing. Nat Cell Biol 11:1010–1016

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Y, Zhang H, He B, Du J, Lin H, Cerione RA, Hao Q (2012) The bicyclic intermediate structure provides insights into the desuccinylation mechanism of human sirtuin 5 (SIRT5). J Biol Chem 287:28307–28314

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wenshe R. Liu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Wang, Z.A., Hsu, W., Liu, W.R. (2019). Role of SIRT1 in Epigenetics. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V. (eds) Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-55529-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-55530-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine

Publish with us

Policies and ethics