SIRT1 regulates sphingolipid metabolism and neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells through c-Myc-SMPDL3B

• DOI: 10.7554/elife.67452
• Publication Date: 2021-05-27T12:00:40Z
• Authors: Wei Fan; Shuang Tang; Xiaojuan Fan; Yi Fang; Xiaojiang Xu; Leping Li; Jian Xu; Jian-Liang Li; Zefeng Wang; Xiaoling Li
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Transcription, Genetic; QH301-705.5; Science; Neurogenesis; sphingomyelin degradation; neural development; Cell Line; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; SIRT1; Neural Stem Cells; Sirtuin 1; Animals; Biology (General); Mice, Knockout; Sphingolipids; 0303 health sciences; Q; R; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells; Cell Biology; embryonic stem cells; Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 3; 3. Good health; Mice, Inbred C57BL; c-Myc; Medicine; embryogenesis; Signal Transduction

Sphingolipids are important structural components of cell membranes and prominent signaling molecules controlling cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Sphingolipids are particularly abundant in the brain, and defects in sphingolipid degradation are associated with several human neurodegenerative diseases. However, molecular mechanisms governing sphingolipid metabolism remain unclear. Here, we report that sphingolipid degradation is under transcriptional control of SIRT1, a highly conserved mammalian NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase, in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Deletion of SIRT1 results in accumulation of sphingomyelin in mESCs, primarily due to reduction of SMPDL3B, a GPI-anchored plasma membrane bound sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase. Mechanistically, SIRT1 regulates transcription of Smpdl3b through c-Myc. Functionally, SIRT1 deficiency-induced accumulation of sphingomyelin increases membrane fluidity and impairs neural differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Our findings discover a key regulatory mechanism for sphingolipid homeostasis and neural differentiation, further imply that pharmacological manipulation of SIRT1-mediated sphingomyelin degradation might be beneficial for treatment of human neurological diseases.