Acetyl CoA Carboxylase 2 Is Dispensable for CD8(+) T Cell Responses

Differentiation of T cells is closely associated with dynamic changes in nutrient and energy metabolism. However, the extent to which specific metabolic pathways and molecular components are determinative of CD8(+) T cell fate remains unclear. It has been previously established in various tissues that acetyl CoA carboxylase 2 (ACC2) regulates fatty acid oxidation (FAO) by inhibiting carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), a rate-limiting enzyme of FAO in mitochondria. Here, we explore the cell-intrinsic role of ACC2 in T cell immunity in response to infections. We report here that ACC2 deficiency results in a marginal increase of cellular FAO in CD8(+) T cells, but does not appear to influence antigen-specific effector and memory CD8(+) T cell responses during infection with listeria or lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. These results suggest that ACC2 is dispensable for CD8(+) T cell responses.