The PIK3CA E542K and E545K mutations promote glycolysis and proliferation via induction of the β-catenin/SIRT3 signaling pathway in cervical cancer

BACKGROUND: The study aims to present the effect of PIK3CA E542K and E545K mutations on glucose metabolism and proliferation and identify their underlying mechanisms in cervical cancer. METHODS: The maximum standard uptake value (SUV(max)) of tumors was detected by(18)F-FDG PET/CT scan. In vitro, glycolysis analysis, extracellular acidification rate analysis, and ATP production were used to evaluate the impact of PIK3CA E542K and E545K mutations on glucose metabolism. The expression level of key glycolytic enzymes was evaluated by western blotting and immunohistochemical staining in cervical cancer cells and tumor tissues, respectively. Immunofluorescence analysis was used to observe the nuclear translocation of β-catenin. The target gene of β-catenin was analyzed by using luciferase reporter system. The glucose metabolic ability of the xenograft models was assessed by SUV(max) from microPET/CT scanning. RESULTS: Cervical cancer patients with mutant PIK3CA (E542K and E545K) exhibited a higher SUV(max) value than those with wild-type PIK3CA (P = 0.037), which was confirmed in xenograft models. In vitro, enhanced glucose metabolism and proliferation was observed in SiHa and MS751 cells with mutant PIK3CA. The mRNA and protein expression of key glycolytic enzymes was increased. AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin signaling was highly activated in SiHa and MS751 cells with mutant PIK3CA. Knocking down β-catenin expression decreased glucose uptake and lactate production. In addition, the nuclear accumulation of β-catenin was found in SiHa cells and tumors with mutant PIK3CA. Furthermore, β-catenin downregulated the expression of SIRT3 via suppressing the activity of the SIRT3 promotor, and the reduced glucose uptake and lactate production due to the downregulation of β-catenin can be reversed by the transfection of SIRT3 siRNA in SiHa cells with mutant PIK3CA. The negative correlation between β-catenin and SIRT3 was further confirmed in cervical cancer tissues. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence that the PI3K E542K and E545K/β-catenin/SIRT3 signaling axis regulates glucose metabolism and proliferation in cervical cancers with PIK3CA mutations, suggesting therapeutic targets in the treatment of cervical cancers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: FUSCC 050432–4-1212B. Registered 24 December 2012 (retrospectively registered). ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13045-018-0674-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.