Sirt1, also known as the longevity gene, is an NAD+-dependent class III histone deacetylase that has been extensively studied in multiple areas of research including cellular metabolism, longevity, cancer, autoimmunity, and immunity. However, little is known about the function of Sirt1 in B cells. This study aimed to investigate the role of Sirt1 in the expression pattern of mRNAs in the resting B cells of mice. CD19+ B cell-specific inducible Sirt1 knockout (KO) mice were divided into tamoxifen-treated Sirt1 KO group (S19T) or control group (S19). mRNAs extracted from resting B cells of both groups were analyzed for differentially expressed genes (DEG) using microarray. DEG analysis showed significant differential expression of 20 genes, of which Hspa1a and Hspa1b showed the highest fold change (FC) in S19T compared with S19 (p value < 0.01 and FC > 3). Further, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis identified pathways associated with diseases, organismal systems, and antigen processing and presentation. Additionally, the pathways known to involve Hspa1a and Hspa1b were also activated in the S19T group. On the other hand, after in vitro stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, cell viability and IgM production were significantly decreased in Sirt1 KO B cells, while expressions of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 were increased. In summary, our study reveals that Sirt1 may maintain the quiescent state in resting B cells by suppressing the increase of Hspa1a and Hspa1b. This work provides a foundation for further studies on the functional roles of Sirt1 in B cells.
Keywords: Differentially expressed genes; Hspa1a; Hspa1b; Resting B cells; Sirt1.