Summary SIRT6 is a member of a highly conserved family of NAD+-dependent deacetylases with various roles in metabolism, stress resistance and lifespan. SIRT6 deficient mice develop normally but succumb to a lethal hypoglycemia early in life; however, the mechanism underlying this hypoglycemia remained unclear. Here, we demonstrate that SIRT6 functions as a histone H3K9 deacetylase to control the expression of multiple glycolytic genes. Specifically, SIRT6 appears to function as a co-repressor of the transcription factor Hif1α, a critical regulator of nutrient stress responses. Consistent with this notion, SIRT6 deficient cells exhibit increased Hif1α activity and show increased glucose uptake with up-regulation of glycolysis and diminished mitochondrial respiration. Our studies uncover a novel role for the chromatin factor SIRT6 as a master regulator of glucose homeostasis, and may provide the basis for novel therapeutic approaches against metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity.

Summary DNA damage is linked to multiple human diseases, such as cancer, neurodegeneration and senescence. Little is known about the role of chromatin accessibility in DNA repair. Here, we find that the histone deacetylase SIRT6 is one of the earliest factors recruited to sites of Double-Strand Breaks (DSBs). SIRT6 recruits the ISWI-chromatin remodeler SNF2H to DSBs, and deacetylates focally histone H3K56. Lack of SIRT6 and SNF2H impairs chromatin remodeling, increasing sensitivity to genotoxic damage and recruitment of downstream factors, such as 53BP1, BRCA1 and RPA. Remarkably, SIRT6 deficient mice exhibit lower levels of chromatin-associated SNF2H in specific tissues, a phenotype accompanied by increased DNA damage. We demonstrate that SIRT6 is critical for recruitment of a chromatin remodeler as an early step in the DNA damage response, indicating that proper unfolding of chromatin plays a rate-limiting role. We present a novel crosstalk between a histone modifier and a chromatin remodeler, regulating a coordinated response to prevent DNA damage.

In yeast and humans, interaction of a nuclear pore protein with promoters alters chromatin structure and allows RNA polymerase II to bind, poising them for faster reactivation for several generations.