PR001705 (Project)

Description:Acetate metabolism is an important metabolic pathway in many cancers and is controlled by acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2), an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of acetate to acetyl-CoA. While the metabolic role of ACSS2 in cancer is well described, the consequences of blocking tumour acetate metabolism on the tumour microenvironment and anti-tumour immunity are unknown. We demonstrate that blocking ACSS2 switches cancer cells from acetate consumers to producers of acetate thereby freeing acetate for tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes to use as a fuel source. We show that acetate supplementation metabolically bolsters T-cell effector functions and proliferation. Targeting ACSS2 with CRISPR-Cas9 guides or a small molecule inhibitor promotes an anti-tumour immune response and enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy in preclinical breast cancer models. We propose a novel paradigm for targeting acetate metabolism in cancer in which inhibition of ACSS2 dually acts to impair tumour cell metabolism and potentiate anti-tumour immunity.