The lysine deacetylase Sirtuin 1 modulates the localization and function of the Notch1 receptor in regulatory T cells

The ability to tune cellular functions in response to nutrient availability has important consequences for immune homeostasis. The activity of the receptor Notch in regulatory T (T_reg) cells, which suppress the functions of effector T cells, is indispensable for T_reg cell survival under conditions of diminished nutrient supply. Anti-apoptotic signaling induced by the Notch1 intracellular domain (NIC) originates from the cytoplasm and is spatially decoupled from the nuclear, largely transcriptional functions of NIC. We showed that Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1), which is an NAD⁺ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)-dependent lysine deacetylase that inhibits NIC-dependent gene transcription, stabilized NIC proximal to the plasma membrane to promote the survival and function of activated T_reg cells. Sirt1 was required for NIC-dependent protection from apoptosis in cell lines but not for the activity of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL. In addition, a variant NIC protein in which four lysines were mutated to arginines (NIC4KR) retained anti-apoptotic activity, but was not regulated by Sirt1, and reconstituted the functions of nonnuclear NIC in Notch1-deficient T_reg cells. Loss of Sirt1 compromised T_reg cell survival, resulting in antigen-induced T cell proliferation and inflammation in two mouse models. Thus, the Sirt1-Notch interaction may constitute an important checkpoint that tunes noncanonical Notch1 signaling.