The short chain fatty acid (SCFA) buyrate is a product of colonic fermentation of dietary
fibers. It is the main source of energy for normal colonocytes, but cannot be metabolized by
most tumor cells. Butyrate also functions as a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor to
control cell proliferation and apoptosis. In consequence, butyrate and its derived drugs are
used in cancer therapy. Here we show that aggressive tumor cells that retain the capacity of
metabolizing butyrate are positively selected in their microenvironment. In the mouse …