Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a key enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and plays an essential role in the oxidative stress response by producing NADPH, the main intracellular reductant. G6PD deficiency is the most common human enzyme defect, affecting more than 400 million people worldwide. Here, we show that G6PD is negatively regulated by acetylation on lysine 403 (K403), an evolutionarily conserved residue. The K403 acetylated G6PD is incapable of forming active dimers and displays a complete loss of activity. Knockdown of G6PD sensitizes cells to oxidative stress, and re-expression of wild-type G6PD, but not the K403 acetylation mimetic mutant, rescues cells from oxidative injury. Moreover, we show that cells sense extracellular oxidative stimuli to decrease G6PD acetylation in a SIRT2-dependent manner. The SIRT2-mediated deacetylation and activation of G6PD stimulates PPP to supply cytosolic NADPH to counteract oxidative damage and protect mouse erythrocytes. We also identified KAT9/ELP3 as a potential acetyltransferase of G6PD. Our study uncovers a previously unknown mechanism by which acetylation negatively regulates G6PD activity to maintain cellular NADPH homeostasis during oxidative stress.

The malate-aspartate shuttle is indispensable for the net transfer of cytosolic NADH into mitochondria to maintain a high rate of glycolysis and to support rapid tumor cell growth. The malate-aspartate shuttle is operated by two pairs of enzymes that localize to the mitochondria and cytoplasm, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminases (GOT), and malate dehydrogenases (MDH). Here, we show that mitochondrial GOT2 is acetylated and that deacetylation depends on mitochondrial SIRT3. We have identified that acetylation occurs at three lysine residues, K159, K185, and K404 (3K), and enhances the association between GOT2 and MDH2. The GOT2 acetylation at these three residues promotes the net transfer of cytosolic NADH into mitochondria and changes the mitochondrial NADH/NAD + redox state to support ATP production. Additionally, GOT2 3K acetylation stimulates NADPH production to suppress ROS and to protect cells from oxidative damage. Moreover, GOT2 3K acetylation promotes pancreatic cell proliferation and tumor growth in vivo. Finally, we show that GOT2 K159 acetylation is increased in human pancreatic tumors, which correlates with reduced SIRT3 expression. Our study uncovers a previously unknown mechanism by which GOT2 acetylation stimulates the malateaspartate NADH shuttle activity and oxidative protection.

Background: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is implicated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and IRE1␣ plays a critical role in ER stress. Results: Genetic ablation of Ire1␣ in intestinal epithelial cells leads to colitis in mice. Conclusion: IRE1␣ acts as an important defense molecule against IBD. Significance: The finding provides insight into the regulation of intestinal epithelium homeostasis by IRE1␣.

Tumor metastasis is an important biological characteristic, which involves multiple genetic changes and cumulation. This genome-wide information contributes to an improved understanding of molecular alterations during lymph node metastasis in HCC. It may help clinicians to predict metastasis of lymph nodes and assist researchers in identifying novel therapeutic targets for metastatic HCC patients.

Analysis of cell lineage is based on the use of genetic markers inherent to the lineage to be analysed. The breakpoints of unbalanced translocations, and the pattern of chromosomal loss/gain determined by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), have been previously used to demonstrate lineages in diffuse-type gastric carcinoma. Signet ring cell carcinoma was shown to progress to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, and early diffuse-type gastric carcinoma to advanced diffuse-type gastric carcinoma. The present study focuses on poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with a tubular component to clarify its derivation. CGH and array CGH were applied to DNA extracted from multiple portions of individual tumours and amplified by degenerate oligonucleotide-primed (DOP) PCR and the changes common to the samples in each tumour (stemline changes) were compared between the tumours with and those without a tubular component. Within individual tumours, the samples from the tubular component and those from the other components had common stemline changes and a very similar frequency pattern of chromosomal changes, indicating their common derivation. Frequent stemline changes were 8q+, 7p+, 3q+, 20q+, and 10p+, and these were different from those in the tumours without a tubular component. It was noticed that there were two subgroups in the tumours with a tubular component: one with 5p+, 6p+, 7p+, and 10p+, and the other without these changes. The latter had cytogenetic and clinicopathological features similar to those of the tumours without a tubular component. Analysis of the clonal evolution process by constructing dendrograms for each tumour gave results consistent with the notion that the latter subgroup may derive from signet ring cell carcinoma and the former from tubular adenocarcinoma.