Acetyl-CoA is a key intermediate in metabolism situated at the intersection of many metabolic pathways. The reliance of histone acetylation on acetyl-CoA enables gene expression to be coordinated with metabolic state. Previous studies have linked abundant histone acetylation to activation of genes involved in cell growth or tumorigenesis. However, under glucose starvation, the extent to which histone acetylation is important for gene expression remains poorly understood. Here, we use a yeast starvation model to unravel a dramatic alteration in global occupancy of histone acetylation following carbon starvation. We observe a shift in the location of histone acetylation marks from growth-promoting genes to genes required for gluconeogenesis and fat metabolism. This switch is mediated by both the histone deacetylase Rpd3 and the Gcn5p/SAGA acetyltransferase. Our findings reveal a striking specificity for histone acetylation in promoting pathways that generate acetyl-CoA for oxidation when intracellular acetyl-CoA is limiting . Overall design: RNA-seq to compare between two different conditions and three different strains.