Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 mediates aerobic glycolysis via suppression of sirtuin 3 in pancreatic cancer

AIM: To uncover the roles of tumor-promoting gene ZEB1 in aerobic glycolysis regulation and shed light on the underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS: Endogenous zinc finger E-box binding homeobox-1 (ZEB1) was silenced using a lentivirus-mediated method, and the impact of ZEB1 and methyl-CpG binding domain protein 1 (MBD1) on aerobic glycolysis was measured using seahorse cellular flux analyzers, reactive oxygen species quantification, and mitochondrial membrane potential measurement. The interaction between ZEB1 and MBD1 was assessed by co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence assays. The impact of ZEB1 and MBD1 interaction on sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) expression was confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and dual-luciferase and chromatin-immunoprecipitation assays. RESULTS: ZEB1 was a positive regulator of aerobic glycolysis in pancreatic cancer. ZEB1 transcriptionally silenced expression of SIRT3, a mitochondrial-localized tumor suppressor, through interaction with MBD1. CONCLUSION: ZEB1 silenced SIRT3 expression via interaction with MBD1 to promote aerobic glycolysis in pancreatic cancer.