Nutrient availability regulates SIRT1 through a forkhead-dependent pathway

Nutrient availability regulates life-span in a wide range of organisms. We demonstrate that in mammalian cells, acute nutrient withdrawal simultaneously augments expression of the SIRT1 deacetylase and activates the Forkhead transcription factor Foxo3a. Knockdown of Foxo3a expression inhibited the starvation-induced increase in SIRT1 expression. Stimulation of SIRT1 transcription by Foxo3a was mediated through two p53 binding sites present in the SIRT1 promoter, and a nutrient-sensitive physical interaction was observed between Foxo3a and p53. SIRT1 expression was not induced in starved p53-deficient mice. Thus, in mammalian cells, p53, Foxo3a, and SIRT1, three proteins separately implicated in aging, constitute a nutrient-sensing pathway.