Inhibition of SIRT1 Impairs the Accumulation and Transcriptional Activity of HIF-1α Protein under Hypoxic Conditions

Sirtuins and hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIF) have well-established roles in regulating cellular responses to metabolic and oxidative stress. Recent reports have linked these two protein families by demonstrating that sirtuins can regulate the activity of HIF-1 and HIF-2. Here we investigated the role of SIRT1, a NAD+-dependent deacetylase, in the regulation of HIF-1 activity in hypoxic conditions. Our results show that in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, hypoxia did not alter SIRT1 mRNA or protein expression, whereas it predictably led to the accumulation of HIF-1 alpha and the up-regulation of its target genes. In hypoxic models in vitro and in in vivo models of systemic hypoxia and xenograft tumor growth, knockdown of SIRT1 protein with shRNA or inhibition of its activity with small molecule inhibitors impaired the accumulation of HIF-1 alpha protein and the transcriptional increase of its target genes. In addition, endogenous SIRT1 and HIF-1 alpha proteins co-immunoprecipitated and loss of SIRT1 activity led to a hyperacetylation of HIF-1 alpha. Taken together, our data suggest that HIF-1 alpha and SIRT1 proteins interact in HCC cells and that HIF-1 alpha is a target of SIRT1 deacetylase activity. Moreover, SIRT1 is necessary for HIF-1 alpha protein accumulation and activation of HIF-1 target genes under hypoxic conditions.