Sirt1 Regulates Microtubule Dynamics Through Negative Regulation of Plk1 in Mitosis

ABSTRACT Although loss of Sirt1 leads to chromosome aneuploidy, which accounts for higher tumor susceptibility, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we demonstrate that Sirt1 directly regulates Plk1, of which activity is critical for mitotic progression and spindle dynamics. Depletion or inhibition of Sirt1 significantly perturbs the formation of the mitotic spindle, leading to defective chromosome segregation. Elevated depolymerization of the mitotic spindle following loss of Sirt1 was associated with the deregulation of Plk1 activity. Thus, we conclude that Sirt1 may contribute to a mitotic regulator that controls spindle dynamics through Plk1 activity, resulting in fine‐tuning of Plk1 dependent microtubule dynamics. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 1888–1897, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.