%0 Journal Article %T Identification of a cellularly active SIRT6 allosteric activator %J - %D 2018 %R https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-018-0150-0 %X SIRT6, a member of the SIRT deacetylase family, is responsible for deacetylation of histone H3 N¦Å-acetyl-lysines 9 (H3K9ac) and 56 (H3K56ac). As a tumor suppressor, SIRT6 has frequently been found to have low expression in various cancers. Here, we report the identification of MDL-800, a selective SIRT6 activator. MDL-800 increased the deacetylase activity of SIRT6 by up to 22-fold via binding to an allosteric site; this interaction led to a global decrease in H3K9ac and H3K56ac levels in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Consequently, MDL-800 inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells via SIRT6-driven cell-cycle arrest and was effective in a tumor xenograft model. Together, these data demonstrate that pharmacological activation of SIRT6 is a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of HCC. MDL-800 is a first-in-class small-molecule cellular SIRT6 activator that can be used to physiologically and pathologically investigate the roles of SIRT6 deacetylation %U https://www.nature.com/articles/s41589-018-0150-0