Sirt1 overexpression suppresses fluoride-induced p53 acetylation to alleviate fluoride toxicity in ameloblasts responsible for enamel formation

Low-dose fluoride is an effective caries prophylactic, but high-dose fluoride is an environmental health hazard that causes skeletal and dental fluorosis. Treatments to prevent fluorosis and the molecular pathways responsive to fluoride exposure remain to be elucidated. Previously we showed that fluoride activates SIRT1 as an adaptive response to protect cells. Here, we demonstrate that fluoride induced p53 acetylation (Ac-p53) [Lys379], which is a SIRT1 deacetylation target, in ameloblast-derived LS8 cells in vitro and in enamel organ in vivo. Here we assessed SIRT1 function on fluoride-induced Ac-p53 formation using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Sirt1 knockout (LS8 ^Sirt/KO ) cells or CRISPR/dCas9/SAM-mediated Sirt1 overexpressing (LS8 ^Sirt1/over ) cells. NaF (5 mM) induced Ac-p53 formation and increased cell cycle arrest via Cdkn1a/p21 expression in Wild-type (WT) cells. However, fluoride-induced Ac-p53 was suppressed by the SIRT1 activator resveratrol (50 µM). Without fluoride, Ac-p53 persisted in LS8 ^Sirt/KO cells, whereas it decreased in LS8 ^Sirt1/over . Fluoride-induced Ac-p53 formation was also suppressed in LS8 ^Sirt1/over cells. Compared to WT cells, fluoride-induced Cdkn1a/p21 expression was elevated in LS8 ^Sirt/KO and these cells were more susceptible to fluoride-induced growth inhibition. In contrast, LS8 ^Sirt1/over cells were significantly more resistant. In addition, fluoride-induced cytochrome-c release and caspase-3 activation were suppressed in LS8 ^Sirt1/over cells. Fluoride induced expression of the DNA double strand break marker γH2AX in WT cells and this was augmented in LS8 ^Sirt1/KO cells, but was attenuated in LS8 ^Sirt1/over cells. Our results suggest that SIRT1 deacetylates Ac-p53 to mitigate fluoride-induced cell growth inhibition, mitochondrial damage, DNA damage and apoptosis. This is the first report implicating Ac-p53 in fluoride toxicity.