NDRG2 inhibition of glycolysis in liver tumor cells is regulated by SIRT1

BACKGROUND: N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is a tumor suppressor, highly expressed in normal tissues but downregulated in many cancers. However, it has been shown to be involved in regulating glycolytic enzymes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma and colorectal cancer, although the mechanism is still not clear, and the function of NDRG2 in liver tumor glycolysis is completely unknown. METHODS: Liver tumor tissues were obtained from resected tumors and confirmed by pathological review. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to assess the protein expression of NDRG2. NDRG2-overexpressed and knockdown HepG2/SMMC-7721 cell lines were infected by lentivirus and cultured, before measurement of glucose uptake, lactate production, lactase dehydrogenase activity, and oxygen consumption rate. NDRG2 and SIRT1 proteins were analyzed by western blot. RESULTS: Both the mRNA and protein levels of NDRG2 as a tumor suppressor were downregulated in the liver tumors and the survival rate of patients negatively correlated with the expression of NDRG2. In the NDRG2-overexpressed and knockdown cell lines, NDRG2 showed inhibition of glycolysis in liver tumor cells. Our experimental data suggested the expression of SIRT1 negatively correlated with that of NDRG2. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings enrich the understanding of the role of NDRG2 in tumor growth and of the mechanism by which NDRG2 regulates glycolysis. SIRT1, a deacetylase that plays an important role in glycolysis regulation, may be negatively regulated by NDRG2 in liver tumors.