SIRT1 stabilizes β-TrCP1 to inhibit Snail1 expression in maintaining intestinal epithelial integrity to alleviate colitis

Background and Aims Dysfunction of the intestinal epithelial barrier comprising the junctional complex of tight junctions and adherent junctions leads to increased intestinal permeability, which is a major cause of uncontrolled inflammation related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The NAD + -dependent deacetylase SIRT1 is implicated in inflammation and the pathological process of IBD. We aimed to elucidate the protective role and underlying mechanism of SIRT1 in cell-cell junction and intestinal epithelial integrity. Methods The correlation of SIRT1 expression and human IBD was analyzed by GEO or immunohistochemical analyses. BK5.mSIRT1 transgenic mice and WT mice were given dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and the manifestation of colitis-related phenotypes were analyzed. Intestinal permeability was measured by FITC-Dextran and cytokines expression was analyzed by QPCR. The expression of the cell junction-related proteins in DSS-treated or SIRT1-knockdown Caco2 or HCT116 cells was analyzed by Western blotting. The effects of Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) in DSS-induced mice colitis were investigated. Correlations of the SIRT1-β-TrCP1-Snail1-Occludin/Claudin-1/E-cadherin pathway with human IBD samples were analyzed. Results Reduced SIRT1 expression is associated with human IBD specimens. SIRT1 transgenic mice exhibit much-reduced manifestations of DSS-induced colitis. the activation of SIRT1 by NMN bolsters intestinal epithelial barrier function and ameliorates DSS-induced colitis in mice. Mechanistically, DSS down-regulates SiRT1 expression, leading to destabilization of β-TrCP1 and upregulation of Snail1, accompanied by reduced expression of E-cadherin, Occludin, and Claudin-1, consequently resulting in increased epithelial permeability and inflammation. The deregulated SIRT1-β-TrCP1-Snail1-Occludin/Claudin-1/E-cadherin pathway correlates with human IBD. Conclusion SIRT1 is pivotal in maintaining the intestinal epithelial barrier integrity via modulation of the β-TrCP1-Snail1-E-cadhein/Occludin/Claudin-1 pathway.