Metabolism and acetylation in innate immune cell function and fate

•Metabolic intermediates play critical roles as acetyl donors for acetylation and as co-factors for deacetylase enzymes.•The metabolic state of innate immune cells alters substrate availability and enzyme activity to regulate protein acetylation.•Acetylation regulates cellular metabolism by transcriptional mechanisms and direct modulation of metabolic proteins.•The metabolism-acetylation axis is critical in determining both macrophage and dendritic cell differentiation and function.