Potential relationship between Sirt3 and autophagy in ovarian cancer

Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) is an important member of the sirtuin protein family. It is a deacetylase that was previously reported to modulate the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and limit the extent of oxidative damage in cellular components. As an important member of the class III type of histone deacetylases, Sirt3 has also been documented to mediate nuclear gene expression, metabolic control, neuroprotection, cell cycle and proliferation. In ovarian cancer (OC), Sirt3 has been reported to regulate cellular metabolism, apoptosis and autophagy. Sirt3 can regulate autophagy through a variety of different molecular signaling pathways, including the p62, 5'AMP-activated protein kinase and mitochondrial ROS-superoxide dismutase pathways. However, autophagy downstream of Sirt3 and its association with OC remains poorly understood. In the present review, the known characteristics of Sirt3 and autophagy were outlined, and their potential functional roles were discussed. Following a comprehensive analysis of the current literature, Sirt3 and autophagy may either serve positive or negative roles in the regulation of OC. Therefore, it is important to identify the appropriate expression level of Sirt3 to control the activation of autophagy in OC cells. This strategy may prove to be a novel therapeutic method to reduce the mortality of patients with OC. Finally, potential research directions into the association between Sirt3 and other signaling pathways were provided.