#NatMetabPicks | In @cp-cell.bsky.social led by @lydiafinley.bsky.social ( @mskcancercenter.bsky.social ) 🧪
Citrate clearance is an essential function of the TCA cycle via the activity of aconitase 2.
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
The main function of the TCA cycle is to feed electrons into the respiratory chain.
..wait, what!? It also clears excess citrate, because otherwise you get severe kidney damage?
Great example that textbooks aren’t always the full story by Abby, @juliabrunner.bsky.social and @lydiafinley.bsky.social
@cp-cell.bsky.social is on 🔥 with #immunemetabolism! Zheng &co show that excessive glycolysis-driven pyrivate cause pyruvylation of STAT1 preventing #interferon signaling 👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.ce... & Finley &co show that ACO2 clears citrate preventing integrated stress response & kidney degeneration👇
Julia’s paper identifying Aspartate as a determinant cell-state specific engagement of the Malate-Aspartate-Shuttle is now out @cp-molcell.bsky.social!
Thank you, Natalie!!
Again, my gratitude goes out to Lydia @lydiafinley.bsky.social and the Finley lab and everyone who has supported me over the years. Especially, I want to thank Abby who’s the most dedicated, generous and kind person and who is/was a true delight to work with. She’ll do great things!
In mice, we found that the kidney – an organ that continuously acquires citrate from the circulation – uniquely relied on ACO2. The same was true for cells in culture that took up citrate from the environment.
We found that increasing pyruvate consumption also increased citrate production - activating forward flux through the TCA cycle. In contexts of increased citrate production, cells became dependent on citrate catabolizing enzyme ACO2 to detoxify citrate.
Since the TCA cycle can adopt alternative configurations (think reductive carboxylation, the CMS, .. ) we were struck by a question – when do cells actually engage the full set of the reactions that make up the “canonical” TCA cycle?
One more thing- here, together with amazing human being, friend & stellar physician scientist Abby Xie, we identify a new function of the TCA cycle, which is citrate clearance, now online at @cellpress.bsky.social: www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Thanks so much for all your help, Ben!!
My lab mates have not only massively improved my science but also have become close friends over the years (@paigearnold.bsky.social, @btjackson.bsky.social & @katrinaparas.bsky.social, and others). I’m also grateful to @hfspo.bsky.social & the Kravis-WiSE program for funding my postdoctoral work!
While I'm thrilled this work is finally out, this week I’ve been heartbroken by the news that we’ve lost a close friend and companion of my PhD years. I therefore want to express my sincerest gratitude to my friends at MSKCC & beyond and to my mentor Lydia @lydiafinley.bsky.social & the Finley lab.
Turning on aspartate demand in differentiated cells limited malate-aspartate shuttle flux and induced nutrient switching – reducing glucose usage and increasing glutamine usage to fuel their TCA cycle. TLDR: changing aspartate demands determines the degree to which cells can engage the MAS.
We further found that it is the availability of aspartate that determines use of the malate-aspartate shuttle: To toggle aspartate levels, we expressed not the only famous gpASNase1 (@lucasbsullivan.bsky.social) but also bacterial aspartate lyases (available soon on @addgene.bsky.social !).
The malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS) has long been recognized as a major electron shuttle and a central regulatory node of redox homeostasis. We found that MAS flux increases in differentiated cells, allowing these cells to ramp up glucose oxidation in the TCA cycle - a hallmark of differentiation.
A big chunk of my postdoctoral work on cell-state dependent metabolism is now out at @cp-molcell.bsky.social: www.cell.com/molecular-ce... 1/
☕Yashinskie, Zhu et al show that #p53 activation triggers increased synthesis and accumulation of phospholipids, with enhanced activation of #autophagy and lysosomal catabolism programmes and increased reliance on lipid headgroup recycling. @lydiafinley.bsky.social
bit.ly/4asbwO3
Critical role for a high-plasticity cell state in lung cancer @nature.com @mskcancercenter.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polyamine-dependent metabolic shielding regulates alternative splicing @nature.com @cicbiogune.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@natmetabolism.nature.com turns 7! From our first issue in 2019 to our latest in Dec 2025, many thanks to the #metabolism community for your trust, support, and for allowing us to showcase your exciting work. We hope to continue serving the community and publish on all things metabolism! 🧪
Metabolism: How pyruvate controls cell size
🔗 eLife Insight Articles delve into the real significance of the latest research. Read here: buff.ly/F3gMKka.
Candid photo of Zara Weinberg. She has short red hair, bangs and glasses. She is laughing.
The Leading Edge Fellows gathered this week to celebrate Zara Weinberg, a beloved member of our community. Our 7th cohort of Leading Edge Fellows (2026) will be named in her honor.
The Zara Weinberg Leading Edge Cohort application is now open! Due Feb 2.
www.leadingedgesymposium.org/apply/
Auszeichnung exzellenter österreichischer Wissenschaftler:innen in den USA: 3 Forschende erhalten heuer #ASciNA Awards für während ihrer Forschungsaufenthalte entstandene Publikationen: Wir gratulieren Caroline Moosmüller, Alexander Lercher u. Gabriele Wadlig! 👏 #BMFWF
www.fwf.ac.at/aktuelles/de...
Innate immune memory is wild 🧠
Alexander Lercher from Rockefeller dives into how cells remember past infections and prep for future ones. Type I interferon doing way more than just fighting viruses!
Full interview: buff.ly/5TKEJ9o
#CytokineSociety #ImmuneMemory #TypeIInterferon #CellsHaveMemoriesToo
Congrats!!! So happy for you :)
🚨 We're hiring! The Rendeiro Lab @cemm.oeaw.ac.at is looking for a data scientist or software engineer to work on open-source tools for spatial, histological & multimodal data.
Ad: www.nature.com/naturecareer...
More info: rendeiro.group
Extremely happy to be awarded the Sidney & Joan Pestka Post-graduate award!
Thank you @cytokinesociety.bsky.social and all my mentors, colleagues and collaborators throughout my career so far!
