ATP-citrate lyase promotes axonal transport across species

Microtubule (MT)-based transport is an evolutionary conserved process finely tuned by posttranslational modifications. Among them, α-tubulin acetylation, primarily catalyzed by a vesicular pool of α-tubulin N-acetyltransferase 1 (Atat1), promotes the recruitment and processivity of molecular motors along MT tracks. However, the mechanism that controls Atat1 activity remains poorly understood. Here, we show that ATP-citrate lyase (Acly) is enriched in vesicles and provide Acetyl-Coenzyme-A (Acetyl-CoA) to Atat1. In addition, we showed that Acly expression is reduced upon loss of Elongator activity, further connecting Elongator to Atat1 in a pathway regulating α-tubulin acetylation and MT-dependent transport in projection neurons, across species. Remarkably, comparable defects occur in fibroblasts from Familial Dysautonomia (FD) patients bearing an autosomal recessive mutation in the gene coding for the Elongator subunit ELP1. Our data may thus shine light on the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying FD.