The intestinal short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) propionate and butyrate directly contribute to epigenetic regulation by supplying precursor molecules for histone lysine modifications. Nshanian et al. examine how propionate and butyrate supplementation affects gene regulation in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, revealing distinct effects for each. Comparing normal cells with cancer cells shows context-dependent responses that might inform metabolic interventions.
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Acknowledgements
S. T. and Y. J. C. were supported by Babraham Institute’s BBSRC Institute Development Grant BB/IDG2210/1 and BBSRC Institute Strategic Programmes Grant BB/Y006909/1.
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Cheong, Y.J., Trefely, S. Divergent roles for propionate and butyrate in colorectal cancer epigenetics. Nat Metab (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-024-01186-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-024-01186-6