Arsenic-induced metabolic shift triggered by the loss of miR-199a-5p through Sp1-dependent DNA methylation

Inorganic arsenic is an environmental carcinogen that poses a major global public health risk. A high percentage of drinking water from wells in the U.S. contains higher-than-normal levels of arsenic, suggesting an increased risk of arsenic-induced deleterious effects. In addition to primary preventive measures, therapeutic strategies need to effectively address and integrate multiple molecular mechanisms underlying arsenic-induced carcinogenesis. We previously showed that the loss of miR-199a-5p in arsenic-transformed cells is pivotal to promote arsenic-induced angiogenesis and tumor growth in lung epithelial cells. In this study, we further showed that subacute or chronic exposure to arsenic diminished miR-199a-5p levels largely due to DNA methylation, which was achieved by increased DNA methyltransferase-1 (DNMT1) activity, mediated by the formation of specific protein 1 (Sp1)/DNMT1 complex. In addition to the DNA hypermethylation, arsenic exposure also repressed miR-199a transcription through a transcriptional repressor Sp1. We further identified an association between miR-199a-5p repression and the arsenic-mediated energy metabolic shift, as reflected by mitochondria defects and a switch to glycolysis, in which a glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase 2 (PKM2) was a functional target of miR-199a-5p. Taken together, the repression of miR-199a-5p through both Sp1-dependent DNA methylation and Sp1 transcriptional repression promotes an arsenic-mediated metabolic shift from mitochondria respiration to aerobic glycolysis via PKM2. [Display omitted] •Sp-1-dependent DNA methylation contributes to arsenic-induced miR-199a-5p repression.•Loss of miR-199a-5p associates with an arsenic-mediated energy metabolic shift.•PKM2 is the key effector of miR-199a-5p to promote arsenic-induced glycolysis.•The study links the aberrant epigenetic changes to metabolic dysfunction in arsenic-mediated malignant transformation.