Metabolic Regulation of Histone Acetyltransferases by Endogenous Acyl-CoA Cofactors

Abstract

The finding that chromatin modifications are sensitive to changes in cellular cofactor levels potentially links altered tumor cell metabolism and gene expression. However, the specific enzymes and metabolites that connect these two processes remain obscure. Characterizing these metabolic-epigenetic axes is critical to understanding how metabolism supports signaling in cancer, and developing therapeutic strategies to disrupt this process. Here, we describe achemical approach to define the metabolic regulation of lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) enzymes. Usinga novel chemoproteomic probe, we identify apreviously unreported interaction between palmitoyl coenzyme A (palmitoyl-CoA) and KAT enzymes. Further analysis reveals that palmitoyl-CoA is a potent inhibitor of KAT activity and that fatty acyl-CoA precursorsreduce cellular histone acetylation levels. These studies implicate fatty acyl-CoAs as endogenous regulators of histone acetylation, and suggest novel strategies for the investigation and metabolic modulation of epigenetic signaling.