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Germline histone H3.3 amino acid substitutions, including H3.3G34R/V, cause severe neurodevelopmental syndromes. To understand how these mutations impact brain development, we generated H3.3G34R/V/W knock-in mice and identified strikingly distinct developmental defects for each mutation. H3.3G34R-mutants exhibited progressive microcephaly and neurodegeneration, with abnormal accumulation of disease-associated microglia and concurrent neuronal depletion. G34R severely decreased H3K36me2 on the mutant H3.3 tail, impairing recruitment of DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A and its redistribution on chromatin. These changes were concurrent with sustained expression of complement and other innate immune genes possibly through loss of non-CG (CH) methylation and silencing of neuronal gene promoters through aberrant CG methylation. Complement expression in G34R brains may lead to neuroinflammation possibly accounting for progressive neurodegeneration. Our study reveals that H3.3G34-substitutions have differential impact on the epigenome, which underlie the diverse phenotypes observed, and uncovers potential roles for H3K36me2 and DNMT3A-dependent CH-methylation in modulating synaptic pruning and neuroinflammation in post-natal brains., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Acetate is a major nutrient that supports acetyl-coenzyme A (Ac-CoA) metabolism and thus lipogenesis and protein acetylation. However, its source is unclear. Here, we report that pyruvate, the end product of glycolysis and key node in central carbon metabolism, quantitatively generates acetate in mammals. This phenomenon becomes more pronounced in the context of nutritional excess, such as during hyperactive glucose metabolism. Conversion of pyruvate to acetate occurs through two mechanisms: (1) coupling to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and (2) neomorphic enzyme activity from keto acid dehydrogenases that enable function as pyruvate decarboxylases. Further, we demonstrate that de novo acetate production sustains Ac-CoA pools and cell proliferation in limited metabolic environments, such as during mitochondrial dysfunction or ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) deficiency. By virtue of de novo acetate production being coupled to mitochondrial metabolism, there are numerous possible regulatory mechanisms and links to pathophysiology., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)