SIRT6 regulates Ras-related protein R-Ras2 by lysine defatty-acylation

The Ras family of GTPases are important in cell signaling and frequently mutated in human tumors. Understanding their regulation is thus important for studying biology and human diseases. Here, we report that a novel posttranslational mechanism, reversible lysine fatty acylation, regulates R-Ras2, a member of the Ras family. SIRT6, a sirtuin with established tumor suppressor function, regulates the lysine fatty acylation of R-Ras2. In mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), Sirt6 knockout (KO) increased R-Ras2 lysine fatty acylation. Lysine fatty acylation promotes the plasma membrane localization of R-Ras2 and its interaction with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase PI3K, leading to activated Akt and increased cell proliferation. Our study establishes lysine fatty acylation as a previously unknown mechanism that regulates the Ras family of GTPases and provides an important mechanism by which SIRT6 functions as a tumor suppressor. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.25158.001