SCD-dependent lipid metabolism licenses alternative macrophage activation and macrophage plasticity

Abstract

Lipid metabolic reprogramming accompanies macrophage activation, yet our understanding of why macrophages profoundly reshape their lipid composition remains unclear. Here, we identify stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) as a lipid-metabolic checkpoint required for the acquisition of the alternatively activated macrophage (AAM) cell state. We show that SCD maintains lipid desaturation balance by ensuring the conversion of newly synthesized saturated long-fatty acids (SFAs) into monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Critically, disruption of SCD resulted in the rapid accumulation of saturated phosphatidic acid (PA) and hyperactivation of mTORC1, which perturbed the acquisition of stable AAM epigenetic and transcriptional programs. Notably, inhibition of upstream lipogenic enzymes (e.g., ACC and FASN) did not impair AAM polarization, underscoring that an imbalance between newly synthesized saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, not the loss of de novo lipogenesis, determines AAM identity. Unexpectedly, the loss of SCD redirected IL-4-activated macrophages into an aberrant cell state poised for pro-inflammatory responses, indicating that disruption of this lipid metabolic checkpoint leads to misinterpretation of anti-inflammatory instructional cues. Rescue of SCD-deficient macrophages via mTORC1 inhibition confirmed a causal role for the SCD-PA-mTORC1 axis in controlling macrophage plasticity. Finally, we find that SCD deficiency and resultant PA accumulation attenuated Toxoplasma gondii-driven AAM polarization and reduced pathogen burden. Together, these data establish the SCD-PA lipid signaling axis as a critical metabolic regulator of macrophage plasticity with direct consequences for host defense.