(American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2013) Hubbard, B. P.; Gomes, A. P.; Dai, H.; Li, Jun; Case, A. W.; Considine, T.; Riera, T. V.; Lee, J. E.; E, S. Y.; Lamming, D. W.; Pentelute, Brad Lether; Schuman, E. R.; Stevens, L. A.; Ling, A. J. Y.; Armour, S. M.; Michan, S.; Zhao, H.; Jiang, Y.; Sweitzer, S. M.; Blum, C. A.; Disch, J. S.; Ng, P. Y.; Howitz, K. T.; Rolo, A. P.; Hamuro, Y.; Moss, J.; Perni, R. B.; Ellis, J. L.; Vlasuk, G. P.; Sinclair, David
A molecule that treats multiple age-related diseases would have a major impact on global health and economics. The SIRT1 deacetylase has drawn attention in this regard as a target for drug design. Yet controversy exists around the mechanism of sirtuin-activating compounds (STACs). We found that specific hydrophobic motifs found in SIRT1 substrates such as PGC-1α and FOXO3a facilitate SIRT1 activation by STACs. A single amino acid in SIRT1, Glu230, located in a structured N-terminal domain, was critical for activation by all previously reported STAC scaffolds and a new class of chemically distinct activators. In primary cells reconstituted with activation-defective SIRT1, the metabolic effects of STACs were blocked. Thus, SIRT1 can be directly activated through an allosteric mechanism common to chemically diverse STACs.
