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Targeting the SIRT6-TDO2/KYNA-mTOR axis rescues synaptic and cognitive deficits in fetal growth restriction offspring.

Overview

Authors: Shujuan Chang1, Wen Chen1, Wei Zhu1, Nana Liu1, Yuhang Wang1, Jianguo Li1, Jiuhong Kang1,2
  1. Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
  2. Department of Medicine, Jinggangshan University, Ji’an, China
Journal: Experimental & molecular medicine, volume 58, issue 6, pages 1987-2006
Dates: received 11 August 2025; accepted 16 March 2026; published online 11 June 2026; in print June 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY
Identifiers: DOI 10.1038/s12276-026-01739-7 · PMID 42277466 · PMCID PMC13324384 · OpenAlex W7164391025
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: data only
Categories: mouse (organism), cellular / molecular (subfield)
Methods: Statistics
Keywords: Epigenetics in the nervous system, Neurological disorders
MeSH: Cognitive Dysfunction*, Fetal Growth Retardation*, Sirtuins*, Synapses*, TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases*, Animals, Female, Hippocampus, Mice, Mice, Knockout, Neuronal Plasticity, Pregnancy, Signal Transduction (* major topic)
Topic: Sirtuins and Resveratrol in Medicine (Geriatrics and Gerontology, Medicine), according to OpenAlex
Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) (82230054, 82271723, 82071728, U25A2031)
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 110 references in the paper

Abstract

Fetal growth restriction (FGR), a major perinatal complication, is causally linked to lifelong cognitive deficits in offspring; however, its underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. Here, the SIRT6–TDO2/KYNA–mTOR axis is identified as a critical mediator of synaptic dysfunction and cognitive deficits in FGR offspring. Hippocampal excitatory neurons in FGR mice exhibit markedly reduced SIRT6 expression, and SIRT6 conditional knockout in CaMKIIα⁺ neurons (Sirt6 cKO) recapitulates FGR-induced synaptic and cognitive impairments. Mechanistically, SIRT6 governs synaptic plasticity and cognition via its histone deacetylase activity, independent of its ADP-ribosyltransferase function. SIRT6 deficiency increases histone H3K9 acetylation at the Tdo2 promoter, enhancing kynurenine pathway flux and leading to pathological accumulation of hippocampal kynurenic acid (KYNA). Elevated KYNA suppresses AKT/mTOR/p70S6K1 signaling, disrupting synaptic protein synthesis. Strikingly, pharmacological TDO2 blockade, neuronal TDO2 knockdown or mTOR activation reverses synaptic and cognitive deficits in Sirt6 cKO mice. Crucially, hippocampal SIRT6 overexpression in FGR mice normalizes KYNA levels, reactivates mTOR signaling, and restores synaptic plasticity and cognitive performance. These findings uncover a neurodevelopmental axis wherein neuronal SIRT6 deficiency dysregulates tryptophan metabolism to impair synaptic plasticity, identifying actionable targets for treating FGR-induced cognitive disorders.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Code

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Data

Datasets cited

Data availability

RNA-sequencing data have been deposited in the GEO database under the accession number GSE298372 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE298372). All other data are available within the Source Data file. Source data are provided with this paper.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.

Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 7 authors, 2 keywords, 13 MeSH terms, 1 funder, 110 references.

Cite

This paper

Chang, S., Chen, W., Zhu, W., Liu, N., Wang, Y., Li, J., & Kang, J. (2026). Targeting the SIRT6-TDO2/KYNA-mTOR axis rescues synaptic and cognitive deficits in fetal growth restriction offspring. Experimental & molecular medicine, 58(6), 1987-2006. https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-026-01739-7

BibTeX

@article{chang2026targeting,
author = {Chang, Shujuan and Chen, Wen and Zhu, Wei and Liu, Nana and Wang, Yuhang and Li, Jianguo and Kang, Jiuhong},
title = {{Targeting the SIRT6-TDO2/KYNA-mTOR axis rescues synaptic and cognitive deficits in fetal growth restriction offspring}},
journal = {Experimental \& molecular medicine},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
volume = {58},
number = {6},
pages = {1987--2006},
publisher = {Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology},
issn = {1226-3613},
doi = {10.1038/s12276-026-01739-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-026-01739-7},
pmid = {42277466},
pmcid = {PMC13324384}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Chang, Shujuan
AU - Chen, Wen
AU - Zhu, Wei
AU - Liu, Nana
AU - Wang, Yuhang
AU - Li, Jianguo
AU - Kang, Jiuhong
TI - Targeting the SIRT6-TDO2/KYNA-mTOR axis rescues synaptic and cognitive deficits in fetal growth restriction offspring
T2 - Experimental & molecular medicine
J2 - Exp Mol Med
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/11
VL - 58
IS - 6
SP - 1987
EP - 2006
SN - 1226-3613
PB - Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
DO - 10.1038/s12276-026-01739-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-026-01739-7
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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"publisher": "Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology",
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"language": "en",
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