Monday, 26 Jul 2021 | 12:00 noon
Principal Investigator, Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Associated Fellow, Department of Biology, University of Padova, ITALY
At the crossroad between metabolism and epigenetics: acetyl- CoA impacts cell plasticity in health
and disease
(Host: S. Zacchigna)
Emerging evidence show that metabolites’ concentration impacts the epigenome: many metabolites are substrates of, or cofactors for several chromatin remodeling enzymes. For example, the central Krebs’ cycle metabolite acetyl-CoA is also the donor substrate for acetylation reactions and its availability dictates global levels of histone acetylation. My work shows that acetyl-CoA availability fluctuates in mammalian cells and organs, in response to diet, nutrient availability, oncogenic signaling among other inputs. This ultimately influences cell fate decisions and has consequences for tumorigenesis.