Carnosine influences transcription via epigenetic regulation as demonstrated by enhanced histone acetylation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 promoter in glioblastoma cells

Carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine) affects a plethora of signaling pathways and genes in different biological systems. Although known as a radical scavenger, not all of these effects can simply be ascribed to its chemical nature. As previous experiments pointed towards the possibility that carnosine affects epigenetic regulation via histone acetylation, we investigated this hypothesis using the glioblastoma cell lines U87 and T98G in which carnosine’s anti-neoplastic effect is accompanied by increased expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4. Viability and expression of PDK4 was analyzed after incubation in carnosine and different histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) using cell-based assays and qRT-PCR. In addition, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments were performed and the global influence of carnosine on histone H3 acetylation was analyzed by Western blot. Carnosine as well as the HDACi used increased expression of PDK4. In addition, all compounds reduced cell viability, although differences were observed with regard to magnitude and required concentrations. ChIP analysis revealed increased acetylation of histone H3 in the PDK4 promoter of U87 and T98G cells (~ 1.3- and ~ 1.7-fold, respectively) 6 h after the addition of carnosine (50 mM) followed by increased expression of PDK4 mRNA. Western blots did not detect a general increase of H3 acetylation at a genome-wide scale under the influence of carnosine. Our experiments for the first time demonstrate that carnosine influences epigenetic regulation via increased histone acetylation.