The mitochondrial thiolase ACAT1 regulates monocyte/macrophage type I interferon via epigenetic control

Lipid-derived acetyl-CoA is shown to be the major carbon source for histone acetylation. However, there is no direct evidence demonstrating lipid metabolic pathway contribututions to this process. Mitochondrial acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) catalyzes the final step of ß-oxidation, the aerobic process catabolizing fatty acids (FA) into acetyl-CoA. To investigate this in the context of immunometabolism, we generated macrophage cell line lacking ACAT1. ¹³C-carbon tracing combined with mass spectrometry confirmed incorporation of FA-derived carbons into histone H3 and this incorporation was reduced in ACAT1 KO macrophage cells. RNA-seq identified a subset of genes downregulated in ACAT1 KO cells including STAT1/2 and interferon stimulated genes (ISGs). CHIP analysis demonstrated reduced acetyl-H3 binding to STAT1 promoter/enhancer regions. Increasing histone acetylation rescued STAT1/2 expression in ACAT1 KO cells. Concomitantly, ligand triggered IFNβ release was blunted in ACAT1 KO cells and rescued by reconstitution of ACAT1. Furthermore, ACAT1 promotes FA-mediated histone acetylation in an acetylcarnitine shuttle-dependent manner. In patients with obesity, levels of ACAT1 and histone acetylation are abnormally elevated. Thus, our study identified a novel link between ACAT1 mediated FA metabolism and epigenetic modification on STAT1/2 that uncovers a regulatory role of lipid metabolism in innate immune signaling and opens novel avenues for interventions in human diseases such as obesity.