Lipidomics reveals carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1C protects cancer cells from lipotoxicity and senescence

Lipotoxicity, caused by intracellular lipid accumulation, accelerates the degenerative process of cellular senescence, which has implications in cancer development and therapy. Previously, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1C(CPT1C), a mitochondrial enzyme that catalyzes carnitinylation of fatty acids, was found to be a critical regulator of cancer cell senescence. However, whether loss of CPT1C could induce senescence as a result of lipotoxicity remains unknown. An LC/MS-based lipidomic analysis of PANC-1,MDA-MB-231, HCT-116 and A549 cancer cells was conducted after siRNA depletion of CPT1C. Cellular lipotoxicity was further confirmed by lipotoxicity assays. Significant changes were found in the lipidome of CPT1C-depleted cells, including major alterations in fatty acid, diacylglycerol, triacylglycerol, oxidative lipids, cardiolipin, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylethanolamine ratio and sphingomyelin. This was coincident with changes in expressions of mRNAs involved in lipogenesis.Histological and biochemical analyses revealed higher lipid accumulation and increased malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species, signatures of lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress. Reduction of ATP synthesis, loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and down-regulation of expression of mitochondriogenesis gene m RNAs indicated mitochondrial dysfunction induced by lipotoxicity, which could further result in cellular senescence. Taken together, this study demonstrated CPT1C plays a critical role in the regulation of cancer cell lipotoxicity and cell senescence, suggesting that inhibition of CPT1C may serve as a new therapeutic strategy through induction of tumor lipotoxicity and senescence.

SIRT6 as a key event linking P53 and NRF2 counteracts APAP-induced hepatotoxicity through inhibiting oxidative stress and promoting hepatocyte proliferation

Acetaminophen(APAP)overdose is the leading cause of drug-induced liver injury,and its prognosis depends on the balance between hepatocyte death and regeneration.Sirtuin 6(SIRT6)has been reported to protect against oxidative stress-associated DNA damage.But whether SIRT6 regulates APAPinduced hepatotoxicity remains unclear.In this study,the protein expression of nuclear and total SIRT6 was up-regulated in mice liver at 6 and 48 h following APAP treatment,respectively.Sirt6 knockdown in AML12 cells aggravated APAP-induced hepatocyte death and oxidative stress,inhibited cell viability and proliferation,and downregulated CCNA1,CCND1 and CKD4 protein levels.Sirt6 knockdown signifi-cantly prevented APAP-induced NRF2 activation,reduced the transcriptional activities of GSTm andNQO1 and the m RNA levels of Nrf2,Ho-1,Gsta and Gstm.Furthermore,SIRT6 showed potential protein interaction with NRF2 as evidenced by co-immunoprecipitation(Co-IP)assay.Additionally,the protective effect of P53 against APAP-induced hepatocytes injury was Sirt6-dependent.The Sirt6 m RNA was significantly down-regulated in P53à/àmice.P53 activated the transcriptional activity of SIRT6 and exerted interaction with SIRT6.Our results demonstrate that SIRT6 protects against APAP hepatotoxicity through alleviating oxidative stress and promoting hepatocyte proliferation,and provide new insights in the function of SIRT6 as a crucial docking molecule linking P53 and NRF2.