SummaryMitochondria are involved in a variety of cellular functions including ATP production, amino acid and lipid biogenesis and breakdown, signaling and apoptosis1-3. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and aging4. Although transcriptional mechanisms regulating mitochondrial abundance are known5, comparatively little is known about how mitochondrial function is regulated. We identify here the metabolite stearic acid (C18:0) and Transferrin Receptor (TfR1) as mitochondrial regulators. We elucidate a signaling pathway whereby C18:0 stearoylates TfR1, thereby inhibiting its activation of JNK signaling. This leads to reduced ubiquitination of mitofusin via HUWE1, thereby promoting mitochondrial fusion and function. We find that animal cells are poised to respond to both increases and decreases in C18:0 levels, with increased C18:0 dietary intake boosting mitochondrial fusion in vivo. Intriguingly, dietary C18:0 supplementation can counteract the mitochondrial dysfunction caused by genetic defects such as loss of the Parkinsons genes Pink or Parkin. This work identifies the metabolite C18:0 as a signaling molecule regulating mitochondrial function in response to diet.

BackgroundIDH mutations frequently occur in diffuse gliomas and result in a neo-enzymatic activity that results in reduction of α-ketoglutarate to D-2-hydroxyglutarate. In gliomas, the frequency of IDH1 mutations in codon 132 increases in the order R132L-R132S-R132G-R132C-R132H with R132H constituting more than 90% of all IDH1 mutations.ResultsWe determined the levels of D-2-hydroxyglutarate in glioma tissues with IDH1 mutations. D-2-hydroxyglutarate levels increased in the order of R132H-R132C-R132S/R132G/R132L. We expressed and purified IDH1 wild type and mutant protein for biochemical characterization. Enzyme kinetics of mutant IDH protein correlated well with D-2-hydroxyglutarate production in cells with R132H exhibiting the highest and R132L the lowest KM for α-ketoglutarate. Addition of D-2-hydroxyglutarate to the medium of cell lines revealed an inhibitory effect at higher concentrations. Migration of LN229 increased at lower D-2-hydroxyglutarate concentrations while higher concentrations showed no effect.ConclusionThese findings may suggest natural selection against the rare IDH1R132 mutations in human glioma due to toxicity caused by high levels of D-2-hydroxyglutarate.

A concise, stereoselective, and convergent total synthesis of the unnatural enantiomer of the neodolastane diterpenoid heptemerone B has been completed. Saponification of (-)-heptemerone afforded (-)-guanacastepene E. The absolute stereochemistry of (-)-heptemerone B was thus established as 5-(S), the same as (-)-guanacastepene E. The longest linear sequence of the synthesis comprises 17 (18) steps from simple known starting materials. Our general synthetic approach integrates a diverse set of reactions, including an intramolecular Heck reaction to create one quaternary stereocenter and a cuprate conjugate addition for the establishment of the other. The central seven-membered ring was closed with an uncommon electrochemical oxidation, whereas the five-membered ring was formed through ring-closing metathesis. The absolute configuration of the two key building blocks was established through an asymmetric reduction and an asymmetric ene reaction.