bims-mibica Biomed News
on Mitochondrial bioenergetics in cancer
Issue of 2022‒02‒20
forty-six papers selected by
Kelsey Fisher-Wellman, East Carolina University
  1. High Metabolic Dependence on Oxidative Phosphorylation Drives Sensitivity to Metformin Treatment in MLL/AF9 Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
  2. LONP-1 and ATFS-1 sustain deleterious heteroplasmy by promoting mtDNA replication in dysfunctional mitochondria.
  3. Lactate inhibits naked mole-rat cardiac mitochondrial respiration.
  4. Neuralized-like protein 4 (NEURL4) mediates ADP-ribosylation of mitochondrial proteins.
  5. Advancing Cancer Treatment by Targeting Glutamine Metabolism-A Roadmap.
  6. Multifaceted Analyses of Isolated Mitochondria Establish the Anticancer Drug 2-Hydroxyoleic Acid as an Inhibitor of Substrate Oxidation and an Activator of Complex IV-Dependent State 3 Respiration.
  7. Metabolic determination of cell fate through selective inheritance of mitochondria.
  8. Voltage Dependent Anion Channel 3 (VDAC3) protects mitochondria from oxidative stress.
  9. Multiparameter Optimization of Oxidative Phosphorylation Inhibitors for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer.
  10. Deglutarylation of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase by deacylating enzyme SIRT5 promotes lysine oxidation in mice.
  11. Skeletal muscle undergoes fiber type metabolic switch without myosin heavy chain switch in response to defective fatty acid oxidation.
  12. The ins and outs of the flavin mononucleotide cofactor of respiratory complex I.
  13. The Mitochondrial PHB2/OMA1/DELE1 Pathway Cooperates with Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress to Facilitate the Response to Chemotherapeutics in Ovarian Cancer.
  14. Nuclear genome-derived circular RNA circPUM1 localizes in mitochondria and regulates oxidative phosphorylation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
  15. Monensin inhibits anaplastic thyroid cancer via disrupting mitochondrial respiration and AMPK/mTOR signaling.
  16. Lysosomal cystine mobilization shapes the response of TORC1 and tissue growth to fasting.
  17. Expression of 3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA Carboxylase in Brain Tumors and Capability to Catabolize Leucine by Human Neural Cancer Cells.
  18. Mitochondrial energy metabolism regulates the nutrient import activity and endocytosis of APC transporters.
  19. TRPC3 shapes the ER-mitochondria Ca2+ transfer characterizing tumour-promoting senescence.
  20. Single-cell mtDNA heteroplasmy in colorectal cancer.
  21. Legionella takes aim at mitochondria.
  22. Targeting Glioblastoma via Selective Alteration of Mitochondrial Redox State.
  23. Metabolic Reprogramming in Response to Alterations of Mitochondrial DNA and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Gastric Adenocarcinoma.
  24. Metabolic control of adult neural stem cell self-renewal by the mitochondrial protease YME1L.
  25. Measurement of Futile Creatine Cycling Using Respirometry.
  26. MS4A15 acts as an oncogene in ovarian cancer through reprogramming energy metabolism.
  27. A "Weird" Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation as a Metabolic "Secret" of Cancer.
  28. Mitochondrion-targeted supramolecular "nano-boat" simultaneously inhibiting dual energy metabolism for tumor selective and synergistic chemo-radiotherapy.
  29. Mitochondrial fission links ECM mechanotransduction to metabolic redox homeostasis and metastatic chemotherapy resistance.
  30. A high-carbohydrate diet lowers the rate of adipose tissue mitochondrial respiration.
  31. Xrn1 is a deNADding enzyme modulating mitochondrial NAD-capped RNA.
  32. A late-stage assembly checkpoint of the human mitochondrial ribosome large subunit.
  33. Inhibition of mitochondrial LonP1 protease by allosteric blockade of ATP -binding and -hydrolysis via CDDO and its derivatives.
  34. Targeting Mitochondrial COX-2 Enhances Chemosensitivity via Drp1-Dependent Remodeling of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
  35. Assessing Mitochondrial DNA Release into the Cytosol and Subsequent Activation of Innate Immune-related Pathways in Mammalian Cells.
  36. Mitochondrial efficiency directs cell fate.
  37. High-Repetition-Rate Transient Absorption Spectroscopy of Respiratory Supercomplexes.
  38. Blockage of citrate export prevents TCA cycle fragmentation via Irg1 inactivation.
  39. Targeting cancer stem cells with antibiotics inducing mitochondrial dysfunction as an alternative anticancer therapy.
  40. Muscle mitochondrial remodeling by intermittent glucocorticoid drugs requires an intact circadian clock and muscle PGC1α.
  41. Specialized Intercellular Communications via Tunnelling Nanotubes in Acute and Chronic Leukemia.
  42. Comprehensive and unbiased multiparameter high-throughput screening by compaRe finds effective and subtle drug responses in AML models.
  43. ATF-4 and hydrogen sulfide signalling mediate longevity in response to inhibition of translation or mTORC1.
  44. A Deep Dive into VDAC1 Conformational Diversity Using All-Atom Simulations Provides New Insights into the Structural Origin of the Closed States.
  45. Multi-omics reveals mitochondrial metabolism proteins susceptible for drug discovery in AML.
  46. Tumor Metabolism Is Affected by Obesity in Preclinical Models of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
  1. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jan 19. pii: 486. [Epub ahead of print]14(3):
    High Metabolic Dependence on Oxidative Phosphorylation Drives Sensitivity to Metformin Treatment in MLL/AF9 Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
    Longlong Liu, Pradeep Kumar Patnana, Xiaoqing Xie, Daria Frank, Subbaiah Chary Nimmagadda, Annegret Rosemann, Marie Liebmann, Luisa Klotz, Bertram Opalka, Cyrus Khandanpour.
      Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a group of hematological cancers with metabolic heterogeneity. Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) has been reported to play an important role in the function of leukemic stem cells and chemotherapy-resistant cells and are associated with inferior prognosis in AML patients. However, the relationship between metabolic phenotype and genetic mutations are yet to be explored. In the present study, we demonstrate that AML cell lines have high metabolic heterogeneity, and AML cells with MLL/AF9 have upregulated mitochondrial activity and mainly depend on OXPHOS for energy production. Furthermore, we show that metformin repressed the proliferation of MLL/AF9 AML cells by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration. Together, this study demonstrates that AML cells with an MLL/AF9 genotype have a high dependency on OXPHOS and could be therapeutically targeted by metformin.
    Keywords:  MLL/AF9; OXPHOS; heterogeneity; metformin
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14030486
  2. Nat Cell Biol. 2022 Feb;24(2): 181-193
    LONP-1 and ATFS-1 sustain deleterious heteroplasmy by promoting mtDNA replication in dysfunctional mitochondria.
    Qiyuan Yang, Pengpeng Liu, Nadine S Anderson, Tomer Shpilka, YunGuang Du, Nandhitha Uma Naresh, Rui Li, Lihua Julie Zhu, Kevin Luk, Josh Lavelle, Rilee D Zeinert, Peter Chien, Scot A Wolfe, Cole M Haynes.
      The accumulation of deleterious mitochondrial DNA (∆mtDNA) causes inherited mitochondrial diseases and ageing-associated decline in mitochondrial functions such as oxidative phosphorylation. Following mitochondrial perturbations, the bZIP protein ATFS-1 induces a transcriptional programme to restore mitochondrial function. Paradoxically, ATFS-1 is also required to maintain ∆mtDNAs in heteroplasmic worms. The mechanism by which ATFS-1 promotes ∆mtDNA accumulation relative to wild-type mtDNAs is unclear. Here we show that ATFS-1 accumulates in dysfunctional mitochondria. ATFS-1 is absent in healthy mitochondria owing to degradation by the mtDNA-bound protease LONP-1, which results in the nearly exclusive association between ATFS-1 and ∆mtDNAs in heteroplasmic worms. Moreover, we demonstrate that mitochondrial ATFS-1 promotes the binding of the mtDNA replicative polymerase (POLG) to ∆mtDNAs. Interestingly, inhibition of the mtDNA-bound protease LONP-1 increased ATFS-1 and POLG binding to wild-type mtDNAs. LONP-1 inhibition in Caenorhabditis elegans and human cybrid cells improved the heteroplasmy ratio and restored oxidative phosphorylation. Our findings suggest that ATFS-1 promotes mtDNA replication in dysfunctional mitochondria by promoting POLG-mtDNA binding, which is antagonized by LONP-1.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-021-00840-5
  3. J Comp Physiol B. 2022 Feb 18.
    Lactate inhibits naked mole-rat cardiac mitochondrial respiration.
    Kenny W Huynh, Matthew E Pamenter.
      In aerobic conditions, the proton-motive force drives oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and the conversion of ADP to ATP. In hypoxic environments, OXPHOS is impaired, resulting in energy shortfalls and the accumulation of protons and lactate. This results in cellular acidification, which may impact the activity and/or integrity of mitochondrial enzymes and in turn negatively impact mitochondrial respiration and thus aerobic ATP production. Naked mole-rats (NMRs) are among the most hypoxia-tolerant mammals and putatively experience intermittent hypoxia in their underground burrows. However, if and how NMR cardiac mitochondria are impacted by lactate accumulation in hypoxia is unknown. We predicted that lactate alters mitochondrial respiration in NMR cardiac muscle. To test this, we used high-resolution respirometry to measure mitochondrial respiration in permeabilized cardiac muscle fibres from NMRs exposed to 4 h of in vivo normoxia (21% O2) or hypoxia (7% O2). We found that: (1) cardiac mitochondria cannot directly oxidize lactate, but surprisingly, (2) lactate inhibits mitochondrial respiration, and (3) decreases complex IV maximum respiratory capacity. Finally, (4) in vivo hypoxic exposure decreases the magnitude of lactate-mediated inhibition of mitochondrial respiration. Taken together, our results suggest that lactate may retard electron transport system function in NMR cardiac mitochondria, particularly in normoxia, and that NMR hearts may be primed for anaerobic metabolism.
    Keywords:  Electron transport system; Hypoxia; Lactate dehydrogenase; Oxidative phosphorylation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-022-01430-z
  4. J Cell Biol. 2022 03 07. pii: e202101021. [Epub ahead of print]221(3):
    Neuralized-like protein 4 (NEURL4) mediates ADP-ribosylation of mitochondrial proteins.
    Maria Dafne Cardamone, Yuan Gao, Julian Kwan, Vanessa Hayashi, Megan Sheeran, Junxiang Xu, Justin English, Joseph Orofino, Andrew Emili, Valentina Perissi.
      ADP-ribosylation is a reversible post-translational modification where an ADP-ribose moiety is covalently attached to target proteins by ADP-ribosyltransferases (ARTs). Although best known for its nuclear roles, ADP-ribosylation is increasingly recognized as a key regulatory strategy across cellular compartments. ADP-ribosylation of mitochondrial proteins has been widely reported, but the exact nature of mitochondrial ART enzymes is debated. We have identified neuralized-like protein 4 (NEURL4) as a mitochondrial ART enzyme and show that most ART activity associated with mitochondria is lost in the absence of NEURL4. The NEURL4-dependent ADP-ribosylome in mitochondrial extracts from HeLa cells includes numerous mitochondrial proteins previously shown to be ADP-ribosylated. In particular, we show that NEURL4 is required for the regulation of mtDNA integrity via poly-ADP-ribosylation of mtLIG3, the rate-limiting enzyme for base excision repair (BER). Collectively, our studies reveal that NEURL4 acts as the main mitochondrial ART enzyme under physiological conditions and provide novel insights in the regulation of mitochondria homeostasis through ADP-ribosylation.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202101021
  5. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jan 22. pii: 553. [Epub ahead of print]14(3):
    Advancing Cancer Treatment by Targeting Glutamine Metabolism-A Roadmap.
    Anna Halama, Karsten Suhre.
      Tumor growth and metastasis strongly depend on adapted cell metabolism. Cancer cells adjust their metabolic program to their specific energy needs and in response to an often challenging tumor microenvironment. Glutamine metabolism is one of the metabolic pathways that can be successfully targeted in cancer treatment. The dependence of many hematological and solid tumors on glutamine is associated with mitochondrial glutaminase (GLS) activity that enables channeling of glutamine into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, generation of ATP and NADPH, and regulation of glutathione homeostasis and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Small molecules that target glutamine metabolism through inhibition of GLS therefore simultaneously limit energy availability and increase oxidative stress. However, some cancers can reprogram their metabolism to evade this metabolic trap. Therefore, the effectiveness of treatment strategies that rely solely on glutamine inhibition is limited. In this review, we discuss the metabolic and molecular pathways that are linked to dysregulated glutamine metabolism in multiple cancer types. We further summarize and review current clinical trials of glutaminolysis inhibition in cancer patients. Finally, we put into perspective strategies that deploy a combined treatment targeting glutamine metabolism along with other molecular or metabolic pathways and discuss their potential for clinical applications.
    Keywords:  cancer; cancer treatment; drug resistance; glutamine metabolism; glutaminolysis inhibition; metabolism
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14030553
  6. Cells. 2022 Feb 07. pii: 578. [Epub ahead of print]11(3):
    Multifaceted Analyses of Isolated Mitochondria Establish the Anticancer Drug 2-Hydroxyoleic Acid as an Inhibitor of Substrate Oxidation and an Activator of Complex IV-Dependent State 3 Respiration.
    Kumudesh Mishra, Mária Péter, Anna Maria Nardiello, Guy Keller, Victoria Llado, Paula Fernandez-Garcia, Ulf D Kahlert, Dinorah Barasch, Ann Saada, Zsolt Török, Gábor Balogh, Pablo V Escriba, Stefano Piotto, Or Kakhlon.
      The synthetic fatty acid 2-hydroxyoleic acid (2OHOA) has been extensively investigated as a cancer therapy mainly based on its regulation of membrane lipid composition and structure, activating various cell fate pathways. We discovered, additionally, that 2OHOA can uncouple oxidative phosphorylation, but this has never been demonstrated mechanistically. Here, we explored the effect of 2OHOA on mitochondria isolated by ultracentrifugation from U118MG glioblastoma cells. Mitochondria were analyzed by shotgun lipidomics, molecular dynamic simulations, spectrophotometric assays for determining respiratory complex activity, mass spectrometry for assessing beta oxidation and Seahorse technology for bioenergetic profiling. We showed that the main impact of 2OHOA on mitochondrial lipids is their hydroxylation, demonstrated by simulations to decrease co-enzyme Q diffusion in the liquid disordered membranes embedding respiratory complexes. This decreased co-enzyme Q diffusion can explain the inhibition of disjointly measured complexes I-III activity. However, it doesn't explain how 2OHOA increases complex IV and state 3 respiration in intact mitochondria. This increased respiration probably allows mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to maintain ATP production against the 2OHOA-mediated inhibition of glycolytic ATP production. This work correlates 2OHOA function with its modulation of mitochondrial lipid composition, reflecting both 2OHOA anticancer activity and adaptation to it by enhancement of state 3 respiration.
    Keywords:  2-hydroxyoleic acid; bioenergetics; glycolysis; membrane lipid therapy; mitochondria; molecular dynamics; respiration; shotgun lipidomics
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11030578
  7. Nat Cell Biol. 2022 Feb;24(2): 148-154
    Metabolic determination of cell fate through selective inheritance of mitochondria.
    Julia Döhla, Emilia Kuuluvainen, Nadja Gebert, Ana Amaral, Johanna I Englund, Swetha Gopalakrishnan, Svetlana Konovalova, Anni I Nieminen, Ella S Salminen, Rubén Torregrosa Muñumer, Kati Ahlqvist, Yang Yang, Hien Bui, Timo Otonkoski, Reijo Käkelä, Ville Hietakangas, Henna Tyynismaa, Alessandro Ori, Pekka Katajisto.
      Metabolic characteristics of adult stem cells are distinct from their differentiated progeny, and cellular metabolism is emerging as a potential driver of cell fate conversions1-4. How these metabolic features are established remains unclear. Here we identified inherited metabolism imposed by functionally distinct mitochondrial age-classes as a fate determinant in asymmetric division of epithelial stem-like cells. While chronologically old mitochondria support oxidative respiration, the electron transport chain of new organelles is proteomically immature and they respire less. After cell division, selectively segregated mitochondrial age-classes elicit a metabolic bias in progeny cells, with oxidative energy metabolism promoting differentiation in cells that inherit old mitochondria. Cells that inherit newly synthesized mitochondria with low levels of Rieske iron-sulfur polypeptide 1 have a higher pentose phosphate pathway activity, which promotes de novo purine biosynthesis and redox balance, and is required to maintain stemness during early fate determination after division. Our results demonstrate that fate decisions are susceptible to intrinsic metabolic bias imposed by selectively inherited mitochondria.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-021-00837-0
  8. Redox Biol. 2022 Feb 12. pii: S2213-2317(22)00036-2. [Epub ahead of print]51 102264
    Voltage Dependent Anion Channel 3 (VDAC3) protects mitochondria from oxidative stress.
    Simona Reina, Stefano Conti Nibali, Marianna Flora Tomasello, Andrea Magrì, Angela Messina, Vito De Pinto.
      Unraveling the role of VDAC3 within living cells is challenging and still requires a definitive answer. Unlike VDAC1 and VDAC2, the outer mitochondrial membrane porin 3 exhibits unique biophysical features that suggest unknown cellular functions. Electrophysiological studies on VDAC3 carrying selective cysteine mutations and mass spectrometry data about the redox state of such sulfur containing amino acids are consistent with a putative involvement of isoform 3 in mitochondrial ROS homeostasis. Here, we thoroughly examined this issue and provided for the first time direct evidence of the role of VDAC3 in cellular response to oxidative stress. Depletion of isoform 3 but not isoform 1 significantly exacerbated the cytotoxicity of redox cyclers such as menadione and paraquat, and respiratory complex I inhibitors like rotenone, promoting uncontrolled accumulation of mitochondrial free radicals. High-resolution respirometry of transiently transfected HAP1-ΔVDAC3 cells expressing the wild type or the cysteine-null mutant VDAC3 protein, unequivocally confirmed that VDAC3 cysteines are indispensable for protein ability to counteract ROS-induced oxidative stress.
    Keywords:  Complex I; Cysteine; High-resolution respirometry; Mitochondria; ROS; VDAC3
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.redox.2022.102264
  9. J Med Chem. 2022 Feb 15.
    Multiparameter Optimization of Oxidative Phosphorylation Inhibitors for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer.
    Ding Xue, Yibin Xu, Armita Kyani, Joyeeta Roy, Lipeng Dai, Duxin Sun, Nouri Neamati.
      Targeting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes is an emerging strategy to disrupt the metabolism of select cancer subtypes and to overcome resistance to targeted therapies. Here, we describe our lead optimization campaign on a series of benzene-1,4-disulfonamides as novel OXPHOS complex I inhibitors. This effort led to the discovery of compound 23 (DX3-213B) as one of the most potent complex I inhibitors reported to date. DX3-213B disrupts adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation, inhibits complex I function, and results in the growth inhibition of pancreatic cancer cells in the low nanomolar range. Importantly, the oral administration of DX3-213B resulted in significant in vivo efficacy in a pancreatic cancer syngeneic model without obvious toxicity. Our data clearly demonstrate that OXPHOS inhibition can be a safe and efficacious strategy to treat pancreatic cancer.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01934
  10. J Biol Chem. 2022 Feb 11. pii: S0021-9258(22)00163-6. [Epub ahead of print] 101723
    Deglutarylation of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase by deacylating enzyme SIRT5 promotes lysine oxidation in mice.
    Dhaval P Bhatt, C Allie Mills, Kristin A Anderson, Bárbara J Henriques, Tânia G Lucas, Sara Francisco, Juan Liu, Olga R Ilkayeva, Alexander E Adams, Shreyas R Kulkarni, Donald S Backos, Michael B Major, Paul A Grimsrud, Cláudio M Gomes, Matthew D Hirschey.
      A wide range of protein acyl modifications has been identified on enzymes across various metabolic processes; however, the impact of these modifications remains poorly understood. Protein glutarylation is a recently identified modification that can be non-enzymatically driven by glutaryl-CoA. In mammalian systems, this unique metabolite is only produced in the lysine and tryptophan oxidative pathways. To better understand the biology of protein glutarylation, we studied the relationship between enzymes within the lysine/tryptophan catabolic pathways, protein glutarylation, and regulation by the deglutarylating enzyme Sirtuin 5 (SIRT5). Here, we identify glutarylation on the lysine oxidation pathway enzyme glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) and show increased GCDH glutarylation when glutaryl-CoA production is stimulated by lysine catabolism. Our data reveal that glutarylation of GCDH impacts its function, ultimately decreasing lysine oxidation. We also demonstrate the ability of SIRT5 to deglutarylate GCDH, restoring its enzymatic activity. Finally, metabolomic and bioinformatic analyses indicate an expanded role for SIRT5 in regulating amino acid metabolism. Together, these data support a feedback loop model within the lysine/tryptophan oxidation pathway in which glutaryl-CoA is produced, in turn inhibiting GCDH function via glutaryl modification of GCDH lysine residues, and can be relieved by SIRT5 deacylation activity.
    Keywords:  Sirtuin; Sirtuin 5 (SIRT5); amino acid; cell metabolism; glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH); glutarylation; liver; lysine metabolism; post-translational modification (PTM)
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101723
  11. Mol Metab. 2022 Feb 09. pii: S2212-8778(22)00025-4. [Epub ahead of print] 101456
    Skeletal muscle undergoes fiber type metabolic switch without myosin heavy chain switch in response to defective fatty acid oxidation.
    Andrea S Pereyra, Chien-Te Lin, Daniela Mesa Sanchez, Julia Laskin, Espen E Spangenburg, P Darrell Neufer, Kelsey Fisher-Wellman, Jessica M Ellis.
      OBJECTIVE: Skeletal muscle is a heterogeneous and dynamic tissue that adapts to functional demands and substrate availability by modulating muscle fiber size and type. The concept of muscle fiber type relates to its contractile (slow or fast) and metabolic (glycolytic or oxidative) properties. Here, we tested whether disruptions in muscle oxidative catabolism are sufficient to prompt parallel adaptations in energetics and contractile protein composition.METHODS: Mice with defective mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid oxidation (mLCFAO) in the skeletal muscle due to loss of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (Cpt2Sk-/-) were used to model a shift in muscle macronutrient catabolism. Glycolytic and oxidative muscles of Cpt2Sk-/- mice and control littermates were compared for expression of energy metabolism-related proteins, mitochondrial respiratory capacity, and myosin heavy chain isoform composition.
    RESULTS: Differences in bioenergetics and macronutrient utilization in response to energy demands between control muscles were intrinsic to the mitochondria allowing for a clear distinction of muscle types. Loss of CPT2 ablated mLCFAO and resulted in mitochondrial biogenesis occurring most predominantly in oxidative muscle fibers. The metabolism-related proteomic signature of Cpt2Sk-/- oxidative muscle more closely resembled that of glycolytic muscle than of control oxidative muscle. Respectively, intrinsic substrate-supported mitochondrial respiration of CPT2 deficient oxidative muscles shifted to closely match that of glycolytic muscles. Despite this shift in mitochondrial metabolism, CPT2 deletion did not result in contractile-based fiber type switching according to myosin heavy chain composition analysis.
    CONCLUSION: The loss of mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid oxidation elicits an adaptive response involving conversion of oxidative muscle towards a metabolic profile that resembles a glycolytic muscle but that is not accompanied by changes in myosin heavy chain isoforms. These data suggest that shifts in muscle catabolism are not sufficient to drive shifts in the contractile apparatus but are sufficient to drive adaptive changes in metabolic properties.
    Keywords:  Bioenergetics; Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2; Fatty acid oxidation; Fiber-typing; Mitochondrial biogenesis; Skeletal muscle
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101456
  12. IUBMB Life. 2022 Feb 14.
    The ins and outs of the flavin mononucleotide cofactor of respiratory complex I.
    Andrea Curtabbi, José Antonio Enríquez.
      The flavin mononucleotide (FMN) cofactor of respiratory complex I occupies a key position in the electron transport chain. Here, the electrons coming from NADH start the sequence of oxidoreduction reactions, which drives the generation of the proton-motive force necessary for ATP synthesis. The overall architecture and the general catalytic proprieties of the FMN site are mostly well established. However, several aspects regarding the complex I flavin cofactor are still unknown. For example, the flavin binding to the N-module, the NADH-oxidizing portion of complex I, lacks a molecular description. The dissociation of FMN from the enzyme is beginning to emerge as an important regulatory mechanism of complex I activity and ROS production. Finally, how mitochondria import and metabolize FMN is still uncertain. This review summarizes the current knowledge on complex I flavin cofactor and discusses the open questions for future research.
    Keywords:  FMN; N-module; ROS; complex I; mitochondria; respiratory chain; riboflavin
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/iub.2600
  13. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 25. pii: 1320. [Epub ahead of print]23(3):
    The Mitochondrial PHB2/OMA1/DELE1 Pathway Cooperates with Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress to Facilitate the Response to Chemotherapeutics in Ovarian Cancer.
    Meiyu Cheng, Huimei Yu, Qinghuan Kong, Bingrong Wang, Luyan Shen, Delu Dong, Liankun Sun.
      Interactions between the mitochondrial inner and outer membranes and between mitochondria and other organelles closely correlates with the sensitivity of ovarian cancer to cisplatin and other chemotherapeutic drugs. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Recently, the mitochondrial protease OMA1, which regulates internal and external signals in mitochondria by cleaving mitochondrial proteins, was shown to be related to tumor progression. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of OMA1 on the response to chemotherapeutics in ovarian cancer cells and the mouse subcutaneous tumor model. We found that OMA1 activation increased ovarian cancer sensitivity to cisplatin in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, in ovarian cancer, OMA1 cleaved optic atrophy 1 (OPA1), leading to mitochondrial inner membrane cristae remodeling. Simultaneously, OMA1 induced DELE1 cleavage and its cytoplasmic interaction with EIF2AK1. We also demonstrated that EIF2AK1 cooperated with the ER stress sensor EIF2AK3 to amplify the EIF2S1/ATF4 signal, resulting in the rupture of the mitochondrial outer membrane. Knockdown of OMA1 attenuated these activities and reversed apoptosis. Additionally, we found that OMA1 protease activity was regulated by the prohibitin 2 (PHB2)/stomatin-like protein 2 (STOML2) complex. Collectively, OMA1 coordinates the mitochondrial inner and outer membranes to induce ovarian cancer cell death. Thus, activating OMA1 may be a novel treatment strategy for ovarian cancer.
    Keywords:  DELE1; OMA1; endoplasmic reticulum stress; mitochondrial membranes; ovarian cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23031320
  14. Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2022 02 14. 7(1): 40
    Nuclear genome-derived circular RNA circPUM1 localizes in mitochondria and regulates oxidative phosphorylation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
    Wei Gong, Jiancheng Xu, Yan Wang, Qingjie Min, Xu Chen, Weimin Zhang, Jie Chen, Qimin Zhan.
      Circular RNAs (circRNAs) were shown to play an important role in the occurrence and progression of tumors. However, the functions of nuclear genome-derived circRNAs localized in mitochondria of tumor cells remain largely elusive. Here, we report that circPUM1, a circular RNA derived from back-splicing of pre-mRNAs of nuclear genome PUM1, localizes in mitochondria. The expression level of circPUM1 is positively correlated with HIF1α accumulation under CoCl2-induced intracellular hypoxic-like condition in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell lines. Importantly, circPUM1 acts as a scaffold for the interaction between UQCRC1 and UQCRC2 in ESCC cell lines. Knock-down of circPUM1 would result in lower intracellular oxygen concentration, downregulated oxidative phosphorylation, decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential, increase of ROS generation and shrinking of mitochondria, respectively. CircPUM1 depletion induces dysfunction of the mitochondrial complex III and the cleavage of caspase3 spontaneously. Interestingly, disruption of circPUM1 led to pyroptosis that initiates the cell death of ESCC cell lines. Therefore, we conclude that circPUM1 plays a critical role in maintaining the stability of mitochondrial complex III to enhance oxidative phosphorylation for ATP production of ESCC cells and moreover propose that ESCC cells exploit circPUM1 during cell adaptation.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-021-00865-0
  15. Anticancer Agents Med Chem. 2022 Feb 15.
    Monensin inhibits anaplastic thyroid cancer via disrupting mitochondrial respiration and AMPK/mTOR signaling.
    Yanli Li, Qianshu Sun, Sisi Chen, Xiongjie Yu, Hongxia Jing.
      OBJECTIVE: The clinical management of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) remains challenging and novel treatment methods are needed. Monensin is a carboxyl polyether ionophore that potently inhibits the growth of various cancer types. Our current work investigates whether monensin has selective anti-ATC activity and systematically explores its underlying mechanisms.METHODS: Proliferation and apoptosis assays were performed using a panel of thyroid cancer cell lines. Mitochondrial biogenesis profiles, ATP levels, oxidative stress, AMPK and mTOR were examined in these cells after monensin treatment.
    RESULTS: Monensin is effective to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in a number of thyroid cancer cell lines. The results are consistent across cell lines of varying cellular origins and genetic mutations. Compared to other thyroid cancer cell types, ATC cell lines are the most sensitive to monensin. Of note, monensin used at our experimental concentration affects less of normal cells. Mechanistic studies reveal that monensin acts on ATC cells through disrupting mitochondrial function, inducing oxidative stress and damage, and AMPK activation-induced mTOR inhibition. We further show mitochondrial respiration is a critical target for monensin in ATC cells.
    CONCLUSIONS: Our pre-clinical findings demonstrate the selective anti-ATC activities of monensin. This is supported by increasing evidence monensin can to be repurposed as a potential anti-cancer drug.
    Keywords:  AMPK; mTOR; mitochondria; monensin; oxidative stress; thyroid cancer
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.2174/1871520622666220215123620
  16. Science. 2022 Feb 18. 375(6582): eabc4203
    Lysosomal cystine mobilization shapes the response of TORC1 and tissue growth to fasting.
    Patrick Jouandin, Zvonimir Marelja, Yung-Hsin Shih, Andrey A Parkhitko, Miriam Dambowsky, John M Asara, Ivan Nemazanyy, Christian C Dibble, Matias Simons, Norbert Perrimon.
      Adaptation to nutrient scarcity involves an orchestrated response of metabolic and signaling pathways to maintain homeostasis. We find that in the fat body of fasting Drosophila, lysosomal export of cystine coordinates remobilization of internal nutrient stores with reactivation of the growth regulator target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1). Mechanistically, cystine was reduced to cysteine and metabolized to acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) by promoting CoA metabolism. In turn, acetyl-CoA retained carbons from alternative amino acids in the form of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates and restricted the availability of building blocks required for growth. This process limited TORC1 reactivation to maintain autophagy and allowed animals to cope with starvation periods. We propose that cysteine metabolism mediates a communication between lysosomes and mitochondria, highlighting how changes in diet divert the fate of an amino acid into a growth suppressive program.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc4203
  17. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jan 24. pii: 585. [Epub ahead of print]14(3):
    Expression of 3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA Carboxylase in Brain Tumors and Capability to Catabolize Leucine by Human Neural Cancer Cells.
    Eduard Gondáš, Alžbeta Kráľová Trančíková, Eva Baranovičová, Jakub Šofranko, Jozef Hatok, Bhavani S Kowtharapu, Tomáš Galanda, Dušan Dobrota, Peter Kubatka, Dietrich Busselberg, Radovan Murín.
      Leucine is an essential, ketogenic amino acid with proteinogenic, metabolic, and signaling roles. It is readily imported from the bloodstream into the brain parenchyma. Therefore, it could serve as a putative substrate that is complementing glucose for sustaining the metabolic needs of brain tumor cells. Here, we investigated the ability of cultured human cancer cells to metabolize leucine. Indeed, cancer cells dispose of leucine from their environment and enrich their media with the metabolite 2-oxoisocaproate. The enrichment of the culture media with a high level of leucine stimulated the production of 3-hydroxybutyrate. When 13C6-leucine was offered, it led to an increased appearance of the heavier citrate isotope with a molar mass greater by two units in the culture media. The expression of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCC), an enzyme characteristic for the irreversible part of the leucine catabolic pathway, was detected in cultured cancer cells and human tumor samples by immunoprobing methods. Our results demonstrate that these cancer cells can catabolize leucine and furnish its carbon atoms into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Furthermore, the release of 3-hydroxybutyrate and citrate by cancer cells suggests their capability to exchange these metabolites with their milieu and the capability to participate in their metabolism. This indicates that leucine could be an additional substrate for cancer cell metabolism in the brain parenchyma. In this way, leucine could potentially contribute to the synthesis of metabolites such as lipids, which require the withdrawal of citrate from the TCA cycle.
    Keywords:  3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase; acetyl-CoA; branched-chain amino acid; cancer cells; citrate; ketone bodies; leucine; metabolism
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14030585
  18. FEBS Lett. 2022 Feb 14.
    Mitochondrial energy metabolism regulates the nutrient import activity and endocytosis of APC transporters.
    Akshay Moharir, Lincoln Gay, Babst Markus.
      Nutrient import by APC-type transporters is predicted to have a high energy demand because it depends on the plasma membrane proton gradient established by the ATP-driven proton pump Pma1. We show that Pma1 is indeed a major energy consumer and its activity is tightly linked to the cellular ATP levels. The low Pma1 activity caused by acute loss of respiration resulted in a dramatic drop in cytoplasmic pH, which triggered the downregulation of the major proton importers, the APC transporters. This regulatory system is likely the reason for the observed rapid endocytosis of APC transporters during many environmental stresses. Furthermore, we show the importance of respiration in providing ATP to maintain a strong proton gradient for efficient nutrient uptake.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.14314
  19. Nat Commun. 2022 Feb 17. 13(1): 956
    TRPC3 shapes the ER-mitochondria Ca2+ transfer characterizing tumour-promoting senescence.
    Valerio Farfariello, Dmitri V Gordienko, Lina Mesilmany, Yasmine Touil, Emmanuelle Germain, Ingrid Fliniaux, Emilie Desruelles, Dimitra Gkika, Morad Roudbaraki, George Shapovalov, Lucile Noyer, Mathilde Lebas, Laurent Allart, Nathalie Zienthal-Gelus, Oksana Iamshanova, Franck Bonardi, Martin Figeac, William Laine, Jerome Kluza, Philippe Marchetti, Bruno Quesnel, Daniel Metzger, David Bernard, Jan B Parys, Loïc Lemonnier, Natalia Prevarskaya.
      Cellular senescence is implicated in a great number of diseases including cancer. Although alterations in mitochondrial metabolism were reported as senescence drivers, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We report the mechanism altering mitochondrial function and OXPHOS in stress-induced senescent fibroblasts. We demonstrate that TRPC3 protein, acting as a controller of mitochondrial Ca2+ load via negative regulation of IP3 receptor-mediated Ca2+ release, is down regulated in senescence regardless of the type of senescence inducer. This remodelling promotes cytosolic/mitochondrial Ca2+ oscillations and elevates mitochondrial Ca2+ load, mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate and oxidative phosphorylation. Re-expression of TRPC3 in senescent cells diminishes mitochondrial Ca2+ load and promotes escape from OIS-induced senescence. Cellular senescence evoked by TRPC3 downregulation in stromal cells displays a proinflammatory and tumour-promoting secretome that encourages cancer epithelial cell proliferation and tumour growth in vivo. Altogether, our results unravel the mechanism contributing to pro-tumour behaviour of senescent cells.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28597-x
  20. Genomics. 2022 Feb 15. pii: S0888-7543(22)00060-X. [Epub ahead of print] 110315
    Single-cell mtDNA heteroplasmy in colorectal cancer.
    João Almeida, Andrés Pérez-Figueroa, João M Alves, Monica Valecha, Sonia Prado-López, Pilar Alvariño, José Manuel Cameselle-Teijeiro, Débora Chantada, Miguel M Fonseca, David Posada.
      Human mitochondria can be genetically distinct within the same individual, a phenomenon known as heteroplasmy. In cancer, this phenomenon seems exacerbated, and most mitochondrial mutations seem to be heteroplasmic. How this genetic variation is arranged within and among normal and tumor cells is not well understood. To address this question, here we sequenced single-cell mitochondrial genomes from multiple normal and tumoral locations in four colorectal cancer patients. Our results suggest that single cells, both normal and tumoral, can carry various mitochondrial haplotypes. Remarkably, this intra-cell heteroplasmy can arise before tumor development and be maintained afterward in specific tumoral cell subpopulations. At least in the colorectal patients studied here, the somatic mutations in the single-cells do not seem to have a prominent role in tumorigenesis.
    Keywords:  Intracellular heteroplasmy; Single-cell mitochondrial genomics; mtDNA homoplasmy; scDNA-seq
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygeno.2022.110315
  21. Sci Signal. 2022 Feb 15. 15(721): eabo5437
    Legionella takes aim at mitochondria.
    Annalisa M VanHook.
      A Legionella virulence factor blocks mitochondrial ADP/ATP exchange in infected cells.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1126/scisignal.abo5437
  22. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jan 19. pii: 485. [Epub ahead of print]14(3):
    Targeting Glioblastoma via Selective Alteration of Mitochondrial Redox State.
    Akira Sumiyoshi, Sayaka Shibata, Zhivko Zhelev, Thomas Miller, Dessislava Lazarova, Ichio Aoki, Takayuki Obata, Tatsuya Higashi, Rumiana Bakalova.
      Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive brain tumors, characterized by a pronounced redox imbalance, expressed in a high oxidative capacity of cancer cells due to their elevated glycolytic and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. The assessment and modulation of the redox state of glioblastoma are crucial factors that can provide highly specific targeting and treatment. Our study describes a pharmacological strategy for targeting glioblastoma using a redox-active combination drug. The experiments were conducted in vivo on glioblastoma mice (intracranial model) and in vitro on cell lines (cancer and normal) treated with the redox cycling pair menadione/ascorbate (M/A). The following parameters were analyzed in vivo using MRI or ex vivo on tissue and blood specimens: tumor growth, survival, cerebral perfusion, cellular density, tissue redox state, expression of tumor-associated NADH oxidase (tNOX) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1). Dose-dependent effects of M/A on cell viability, mitochondrial functionality, and redox homeostasis were evaluated in vitro. M/A treatment suppressed tumor growth and significantly increased survival without adverse side effects. This was accompanied by increased oxidative stress, decreased reducing capacity, and decreased cellular density in the tumor only, as well as increased cerebral perfusion and down-regulation of tNOX and TGF-β1. M/A induced selective cytotoxicity and overproduction of mitochondrial superoxide in isolated glioblastoma cells, but not in normal microglial cells. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in the over-reduced state of cancer cells and impairment of their "pro-oncogenic" functionality, assessed by dose-dependent decreases in: NADH, NAD+, succinate, glutathione, cellular reducing capacity, mitochondrial potential, steady-state ATP, and tNOX expression. The safety of M/A on normal cells was compromised by treatment with cerivastatin, a non-specific prenyltransferase inhibitor. In conclusion, M/A differentiates glioblastoma cells and tissues from normal cells and tissues by redox targeting, causing severe oxidative stress only in the tumor. The mechanism is complex and most likely involves prenylation of menadione in normal cells, but not in cancer cells, modulation of the immune response, a decrease in drug resistance, and a potential role in sensitizing glioblastoma to conventional chemotherapy.
    Keywords:  TGF-β1; ascorbate; glioblastoma; menadione; mitochondrial redox cycling; redox targeting; tumor-associated ENOX2
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14030485
  23. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Feb 06. pii: 1857. [Epub ahead of print]23(3):
    Metabolic Reprogramming in Response to Alterations of Mitochondrial DNA and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Gastric Adenocarcinoma.
    Tzu-Ching Chang, Hui-Ting Lee, Siao-Cian Pan, Shih-Han Cho, Chieh Cheng, Liang-Hung Ou, Chia-I Lin, Chen-Sung Lin, Yau-Huei Wei.
      We used gastric cancer cell line AGS and clinical samples to investigate the roles of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) alterations and mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). A total of 131 clinical samples, including 17 normal gastric mucosa (N-GM) from overweight patients who had received sleeve gastrectomy and 57 paired non-cancerous gastric mucosae (NC-GM) and GAC from GAC patients who had undergone partial/subtotal/total gastrectomy, were recruited to examine the copy number and D310 sequences of mtDNA. The gastric cancer cell line AGS was used with knockdown (KD) mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) to achieve mitochondrial dysfunction through a decrease of mtDNA copy number. Parental (PT), null-target (NT), and TFAM-KD-(A/B/C) represented the parental, control, and TFAM knocked-down AGS cells, respectively. These cells were used to compare the parameters reflecting mitochondrial biogenesis, glycolysis, and cell migration activity. The median mtDNA copy numbers of 17 N-GM, 57 NC-GM, and 57 GAC were 0.058, 0.055, and 0.045, respectively. The trend of decrease was significant (p = 0.030). In addition, GAC had a lower mean mtDNA copy number of 0.055 as compared with the paired NC-GM of 0.078 (p < 0.001). The mean mtDNA copy number ratio (mtDNA copy number of GAC/mtDNA copy number of paired NC-GM) was 0.891. A total of 35 (61.4%) GAC samples had an mtDNA copy number ratio ≤0.804 (p = 0.017) and 27 (47.4%) harbored a D310 mutation (p = 0.047), and these patients had shorter survival time and poorer prognosis. After effective knockdown of TFAM, TFAM-KD-B/C cells expressed higher levels of hexokinase II (HK-II) and v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 gene (AKT)-encoded AKT, but lower levels of phosphorylated pyruvate dehydrogenase (p-PDH) than did the NT/PT AGS cells. Except for a higher level of p-PDH, the expression levels of these proteins remained unchanged in TFAM-KD-A, which had a mild knockdown of TFAM. Compared to those of NT, TFAM-KD-C had not only a lower mtDNA copy number (p = 0.050), but also lower oxygen consumption rates (OCR), including basal respiration (OCRBR), ATP-coupled respiration (OCRATP), reserve capacity (OCRRC), and proton leak (OCRPL)(all with p = 0.050). In contrast, TFAM-KD-C expressed a higher extracellular acidification rate (ECAR)/OCRBR ratio (p = 0.050) and a faster wound healing migration at 6, 12, and 18 h, respectively (all with p = 0.050). Beyond a threshold, the decrease in mtDNA copy number, the mtDNA D310 mutation, and mitochondrial dysfunction were involved in the carcinogenesis and progression of GACs. Activation of PDH might be considered as compensation for the mitochondrial dysfunction in response to glucose metabolic reprogramming or to adjust mitochondrial plasticity in GAC.
    Keywords:  D310 mutation; copy number; gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC); metabolic reprogramming; mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA); mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM); prognosis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23031857
  24. Cell Rep. 2022 02 15. pii: S2211-1247(22)00091-2. [Epub ahead of print]38(7): 110370
    Metabolic control of adult neural stem cell self-renewal by the mitochondrial protease YME1L.
    Gulzar A Wani, Hans-Georg Sprenger, Kristiano Ndoci, Srikanth Chandragiri, Richard James Acton, Désirée Schatton, Sandra M V Kochan, Vignesh Sakthivelu, Milica Jevtic, Jens M Seeger, Stefan Müller, Patrick Giavalisco, Elena I Rugarli, Elisa Motori, Thomas Langer, Matteo Bergami.
      The transition between quiescence and activation in neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) is coupled with reversible changes in energy metabolism with key implications for lifelong NSPC self-renewal and neurogenesis. How this metabolic plasticity is ensured between NSPC activity states is unclear. We find that a state-specific rewiring of the mitochondrial proteome by the i-AAA peptidase YME1L is required to preserve NSPC self-renewal. YME1L controls the abundance of numerous mitochondrial substrates in quiescent NSPCs, and its deletion activates a differentiation program characterized by broad metabolic changes causing the irreversible shift away from a fatty-acid-oxidation-dependent state. Conditional Yme1l deletion in adult NSPCs in vivo results in defective self-renewal and premature differentiation, ultimately leading to NSPC pool depletion. Our results disclose an important role for YME1L in coordinating the switch between metabolic states of NSPCs and suggest that NSPC fate is regulated by compartmentalized changes in protein network dynamics.
    Keywords:  OMA1; YME1L; adult neurogenesis; metabolic rewiring; mitochondria; mitochondrial dynamics; mitochondrial proteome; neural stem cells; proliferation; self-renewal
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110370
  25. Methods Mol Biol. 2022 ;2448 141-153
    Measurement of Futile Creatine Cycling Using Respirometry.
    Janane F Rahbani, Edward T Chouchani, Bruce M Spiegelman, Lawrence Kazak.
      Thermogenic adipose tissue plays a vital function in regulating whole-body energy expenditure and nutrient homeostasis due to its capacity to dissipate chemical energy as heat, in a process called non-shivering thermogenesis. A reduction of creatine levels in adipocytes impairs thermogenic capacity and promotes diet-induced obesityKazak et al, Cell 163, 643-55, 2015; Kazak et al, Cell Metab 26, 660-671.e3, 2017; Kazak et al, Nat Metab 1, 360-370, 2019). Mechanistically, thermogenic respiration can be promoted by the liberation of an excess quantity of ADP that is dependent on addition of creatine. A model of a two-enzyme system, which we term the Futile Creatine Cycle, has been posited to support this thermogenic action of creatine. Futile creatine cycling can be monitored in purified mitochondrial preparations wherein creatine-dependent liberation of ADP is monitored through the measurement of oxygen consumption under ADP-limiting conditions. The current model proposes that, in thermogenic fat cells, mitochondria-targeted creatine kinase B (CKB) uses mitochondrial-derived ATP to phosphorylate creatine (Rahbani JF, Nature 590, 480-485, 2021). The creatine kinase reaction generates phosphocreatine and ADP, and ADP stimulates respiration. Next, a pool of mitochondrial phosphocreatine is directly hydrolyzed by a phosphatase, to regenerate creatine. The liberated creatine can then engage mitochondrial CKB to trigger another round of this cycle to support ADP-dependent respiration. In this model, the coordinated action of creatine phosphorylation and phosphocreatine hydrolysis triggers a futile cycle that produces a molar excess of mitochondrial ADP to promote thermogenic respiration (Rahbani JF, Nature 590, 480-485, 2021; Kazak and Cohen, Nat Rev Endocrinol 16, 421-436, 2020). Here, we provide a detailed method to perform respiratory measurements on isolated mitochondria and calculate the stoichiometry of creatine-dependent ADP liberation. This method provides a direct measure of the futile creatine cycle.
    Keywords:  Beige adipocytes; Brown adipocytes; Clark-type electrode; Futile creatine cycle; Mitochondria; P/O ratio; Respiration; Thermogenesis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2087-8_10
  26. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2022 Feb 03. pii: S0006-291X(22)00168-1. [Epub ahead of print]598 47-54
    MS4A15 acts as an oncogene in ovarian cancer through reprogramming energy metabolism.
    Yuan Fang, Huaiying Yu, Honger Zhou.
      Membrane-spanning 4-domains subfamily A 15 (MS4A15) belongs to transmembrane proteins and has been recognized as a regulator of various biological events including cell metabolism. Dysregulation of cell metabolism is a component of malignant transformation in numerous types of tumors, including ovarian cancer (OC). Nevertheless, whether MS4A15 is involved in OC progression remains obscure, as well as the underlying mechanisms. In the present study, we found that MS4A15 expression was significantly up-regulated in tumor tissues from OC patients compared with the matched normal adjacent samples. Higher MS4A15 expression predicted poorer overall survival rate in patients with OC. Our in vitro studies subsequently showed that MS4A15 knockdown markedly reduced the proliferation of OC cells, while its over-expression accelerated the proliferative capacity of OC cells through mediating the progression of G0/G1 cell cycle. Consistently, stable MS4A15 knockdown strongly inhibited the tumor growth in the established xenograft mouse models, along with evidently decreased expression of KI-67 positive staining. However, xenograft mouse models with MS4A15 over-expression exerted significantly accelerated tumor growth rates. We then found that MS4A15 reprogrammed energy metabolism to enhance OC progression. Under normal status, MS4A15 enhanced de novo lipid synthesis in OC cells. Upon glucose starvation, MS4A15 elevated oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to protect OC cells from starvation-induced cell death. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that MS4A15 may play an essential role in promoting OC growth mainly via reprogramming energy metabolism, and thus could be considered as a novel therapeutic target for OC treatment.
    Keywords:  Lipid synthesis; MS4A15; OXPHOS; Ovarian cancer; Proliferation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.01.128
  27. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2022 ;2022 2339584
    A "Weird" Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation as a Metabolic "Secret" of Cancer.
    Zhivko Zhelev, Ichio Aoki, Dessislava Lazarova, Tatyana Vlaykova, Tatsuya Higashi, Rumiana Bakalova.
      Cancer metabolism is an extensively studied field since the discovery of the Warburg effect about 100 years ago and continues to be increasingly intriguing and enigmatic so far. It has become clear that glycolysis is not the only abnormally activated metabolic pathway in the cancer cells, but the same is true for the fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and mevalonate pathway. In the last decade, a lot of data have been accumulated on the pronounced mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (mFAO) in many types of cancer cells. In this article, we discuss how mFAO can escape normal regulation under certain conditions and be overactivated. Such abnormal activation of mitochondrial β-oxidation can also be combined with mutations in certain enzymes of the Krebs cycle that are common in cancer. If overactivated β-oxidation is combined with other common cancer conditions, such as dysfunctions in the electron transport complexes, and/or hypoxia, this may alter the redox state of the mitochondrial matrix. We propose the idea that the altered mitochondrial redox state and/or inhibited Krebs cycle at certain segments may link mitochondrial β-oxidation to the citrate-malate shuttle instead to the Krebs cycle. We call this abnormal metabolic condition "β-oxidation shuttle". It is unconventional mFAO, a separate metabolic pathway, unexplored so far as a source of energy, as well as a source of cataplerosis, leading to biomass accumulation, accelerated oxygen consumption, and ultimately a source of proliferation. It is inefficient as an energy source and must consume significantly more oxygen per mole of ATP produced when combined with acetyl-CoA consuming pathways, such as the FAS and mevalonate pathway.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2339584
  28. Theranostics. 2022 ;12(3): 1286-1302
    Mitochondrion-targeted supramolecular "nano-boat" simultaneously inhibiting dual energy metabolism for tumor selective and synergistic chemo-radiotherapy.
    Jie Gao, Zhilong Wang, Qingxiang Guo, Huan Tang, Zhongyan Wang, Cuihong Yang, Huirong Fan, Wenxue Zhang, Chunhua Ren, Jianfeng Liu.
      Rationale: Tumor energy metabolism has been a well-appreciated target of cancer therapy; however, the metabolism change of cancer cells between oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis poses a challenge to the above. In this study, we constructed an innovative mitochondrion-targeted supramolecular "nano-boat" based on peptide self-assembly for tumor combined chemo-radiotherapy by simultaneously inhibiting the dual energy metabolism. Methods: A lipophilic self-assembled peptide and a positively charged cyclen were integrated to fabricate a brand new mitochondrion-targeted nano-platform for the first time. The indices of mitochondrial dysfunction including mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis proteins expression and ultrastructure change were evaluated using a JC-1 probe, western blotting and biological transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Energy metabolism assays were conducted on a Seahorse XF24 system by detecting the oxygen consumption rate and the glycolytic proton efflux rate. The radio-sensitization effect was investigated by colony formation, the comet assay, and γ-H2AX staining. Results: The supramolecular "nano-boat" could selectively kill cancer cells by much higher enrichment and reactive oxygen species generation than those in normal cells. In the cancer cells treated with the supramolecular "nano-boat", the dysfunctional morphological changes of the mitochondrial ultrastructure including swelling and pyknosis were evidently observed, and the endogenous mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was effectively triggered by abundant of cytochrome C leaking out. Concurrently, the dual metabolic pathways of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation were severely inhibited. More importantly, the supramolecular "nano-boat" displayed an excellent radio-sensitization effect with a sensitization enhancement ratio value as high as 2.58, and hence, in vivo efficiently combining radiotherapy yielded an enhanced chemo-radiotherapy effect. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the rationally designed peptide-based "nano-boat" could efficiently induce cancer cell apoptosis by the energy metabolism inhibition involving multiple pathways, which may provide the motivation for designing novel and universal mitochondria-targeted drug delivery systems for cancer therapy.
    Keywords:  cancer metabolism; mitochondrion-targeted; peptide self-assembly; radio-sensitization; selective killing
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.67543
  29. Nat Cell Biol. 2022 Feb;24(2): 168-180
    Mitochondrial fission links ECM mechanotransduction to metabolic redox homeostasis and metastatic chemotherapy resistance.
    Patrizia Romani, Nunzia Nirchio, Mattia Arboit, Vito Barbieri, Anna Tosi, Federica Michielin, Soichi Shibuya, Thomas Benoist, Danchen Wu, Charles Colin Thomas Hindmarch, Monica Giomo, Anna Urciuolo, Flavia Giamogante, Antonella Roveri, Probir Chakravarty, Marco Montagner, Tito Calì, Nicola Elvassore, Stephen L Archer, Paolo De Coppi, Antonio Rosato, Graziano Martello, Sirio Dupont.
      Metastatic breast cancer cells disseminate to organs with a soft microenvironment. Whether and how the mechanical properties of the local tissue influence their response to treatment remains unclear. Here we found that a soft extracellular matrix empowers redox homeostasis. Cells cultured on a soft extracellular matrix display increased peri-mitochondrial F-actin, promoted by Spire1C and Arp2/3 nucleation factors, and increased DRP1- and MIEF1/2-dependent mitochondrial fission. Changes in mitochondrial dynamics lead to increased production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and activate the NRF2 antioxidant transcriptional response, including increased cystine uptake and glutathione metabolism. This retrograde response endows cells with resistance to oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species-dependent chemotherapy drugs. This is relevant in a mouse model of metastatic breast cancer cells dormant in the lung soft tissue, where inhibition of DRP1 and NRF2 restored cisplatin sensitivity and prevented disseminated cancer-cell awakening. We propose that targeting this mitochondrial dynamics- and redox-based mechanotransduction pathway could open avenues to prevent metastatic relapse.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-022-00843-w
  30. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2022 Feb 17.
    A high-carbohydrate diet lowers the rate of adipose tissue mitochondrial respiration.
    Benjamin T Bikman, Kim J Shimy, Caroline M Apovian, S Yu, Erin R Saito, Chase M Walton, Cara B Ebbeling, David S Ludwig.
      Adipocyte mitochondrial respiration may influence metabolic fuel partitioning into oxidation versus storage, with implications for whole-body energy expenditure. Although insulin has been shown to influence mitochondrial respiration, the effects of dietary macronutrient composition have not been well characterized. The aim of this exploratory study was to test the hypothesis that a high-carbohydrate diet lowers the oxygen flux of adipocyte mitochondria ex vivo. Among participants in a randomized-controlled weight-loss maintenance feeding trial, those consuming a high-carbohydrate diet (60% carbohydrate as a proportion of total energy, n = 10) had lower rates of maximal adipose tissue mitochondrial respiration than those consuming a moderate-carbohydrate diet (40%, n = 8, p = 0.039) or a low-carbohydrate diet (20%, n = 9, p = 0.005) after 10 to 15 weeks. This preliminary finding may provide a mechanism for postulated calorie-independent effects of dietary composition on energy expenditure and fat deposition, potentially through the actions of insulin on fuel partitioning.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-022-01097-3
  31. Nat Commun. 2022 Feb 16. 13(1): 889
    Xrn1 is a deNADding enzyme modulating mitochondrial NAD-capped RNA.
    Sunny Sharma, Jun Yang, Ewa Grudzien-Nogalska, Jessica Shivas, Kelvin Y Kwan, Megerditch Kiledjian.
      The existence of non-canonical nicotinamide adenine diphosphate (NAD) 5'-end capped RNAs is now well established. Nevertheless, the biological function of this nucleotide metabolite cap remains elusive. Here, we show that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytoplasmic 5'-end exoribonuclease Xrn1 is also a NAD cap decapping (deNADding) enzyme that releases intact NAD and subsequently degrades the RNA. The significance of Xrn1 deNADding is evident in a deNADding deficient Xrn1 mutant that predominantly still retains its 5'-monophosphate exonuclease activity. This mutant reveals Xrn1 deNADding is necessary for normal growth on non-fermenting sugar and is involved in modulating mitochondrial NAD-capped RNA levels and may influence intramitochondrial NAD levels. Our findings uncover a contribution of mitochondrial NAD-capped RNAs in overall NAD regulation with the deNADding activity of Xrn1 fulfilling a central role.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28555-7
  32. Nat Commun. 2022 Feb 17. 13(1): 929
    A late-stage assembly checkpoint of the human mitochondrial ribosome large subunit.
    Pedro Rebelo-Guiomar, Simone Pellegrino, Kyle C Dent, Aldema Sas-Chen, Leonor Miller-Fleming, Caterina Garone, Lindsey Van Haute, Jack F Rogan, Adam Dinan, Andrew E Firth, Byron Andrews, Alexander J Whitworth, Schraga Schwartz, Alan J Warren, Michal Minczuk.
      Many cellular processes, including ribosome biogenesis, are regulated through post-transcriptional RNA modifications. Here, a genome-wide analysis of the human mitochondrial transcriptome shows that 2'-O-methylation is limited to residues of the mitoribosomal large subunit (mtLSU) 16S mt-rRNA, introduced by MRM1, MRM2 and MRM3, with the modifications installed by the latter two proteins being interdependent. MRM2 controls mitochondrial respiration by regulating mitoribosome biogenesis. In its absence, mtLSU particles (visualized by cryo-EM at the resolution of 2.6 Å) present disordered RNA domains, partial occupancy of bL36m and bound MALSU1:L0R8F8:mtACP anti-association module, allowing five mtLSU biogenesis intermediates with different intersubunit interface configurations to be placed along the assembly pathway. However, mitoribosome biogenesis does not depend on the methyltransferase activity of MRM2. Disruption of the MRM2 Drosophila melanogaster orthologue leads to mitochondria-related developmental arrest. This work identifies a key checkpoint during mtLSU assembly, essential to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28503-5
  33. J Biol Chem. 2022 Feb 10. pii: S0021-9258(22)00159-4. [Epub ahead of print] 101719
    Inhibition of mitochondrial LonP1 protease by allosteric blockade of ATP -binding and -hydrolysis via CDDO and its derivatives.
    Jae Lee, Ashutosh K Pandey, Sundararajan Venkatesh, Jayapalraja Thilagavathi, Tadashi Honda, Kamal Singh, Carolyn K Suzuki.
      The mitochondrial protein LonP1 is an ATP-dependent protease that mitigates cell stress and calibrates mitochondrial metabolism and energetics. Bi-allelic mutations in the LONP1 gene are known to cause a broad spectrum of diseases, and LonP1 dysregulation is also implicated in cancer and age-related disorders. Despite the importance of LonP1 in health and disease, specific inhibitors of this protease are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO) and its -methyl and -imidazole derivatives reversibly inhibit LonP1 by a non-competitive mechanism, blocking ATP-hydrolysis and thus proteolysis. By contrast, we found that CDDO-anhydride inhibits the LonP1 ATPase competitively. Docking of CDDO derivatives in the cryo-EM structure of LonP1 shows these compounds bind a hydrophobic pocket adjacent to the ATP-binding site. The binding site of CDDO derivatives was validated by amino acid substitutions that increased LonP1 inhibition, and also by a pathogenic mutation that causes cerebral, ocular, dental, auricular and skeletal (CODAS) syndrome, which ablated inhibition. CDDO failed to inhibit the ATPase activity of the purified 26S proteasome, which like LonP1 belongs to the AAA+ superfamily of ATPases Associated with diverse cellular Activities, suggesting that CDDO shows selectivity within this family of ATPases. Furthermore, we show that non-cytotoxic concentrations of CDDO derivatives in cultured cells inhibited LonP1, but not the 26S proteasome. Taken together, these findings provide insights for future development of LonP1-specific inhibitors with chemotherapeutic potential.
    Keywords:  ATP-dependent protease; CDDO; LonP1; allosteric inhibition; mitochondria; mitochondrial metabolism; protein quality control; proteostasis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101719
  34. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Feb 06. pii: 821. [Epub ahead of print]14(3):
    Targeting Mitochondrial COX-2 Enhances Chemosensitivity via Drp1-Dependent Remodeling of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
    Lin Che, Jia-Shen Wu, Ze-Bang Du, Yu-Qiao He, Lei Yang, Jin-Xian Lin, Zhao Lei, Xiao-Xuan Chen, Dong-Bei Guo, Wen-Gang Li, Yu-Chun Lin, Zhong-Ning Lin.
      Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles and undergo constant fission and fusion, which are both essential for the maintenance of cell physiological functions. Dysregulation of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1)-dependent mitochondrial dynamics is associated with tumorigenesis and the chemotherapeutic response in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in most cancer types and correlates with a poor prognosis. However, the roles played by the translocation of mitochondrial COX-2 (mito-COX-2) and the interaction between mito-COX-2 and Drp1 in chemotherapeutic responses remain to be elucidated in the context of HCC. Bioinformatics analysis, paired HCC patient specimens, xenograft nude mice, immunofluorescence, transmission electron microscopy, molecular docking, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, proximity ligation assay, cytoplasmic and mitochondrial fractions, mitochondrial immunoprecipitation assay, and flow cytometry analysis were performed to evaluate the underlying mechanism of how mito-COX-2 and p-Drp1Ser616 interaction regulates the chemotherapeutic response via mitochondrial dynamics in vitro and in vivo. We found that COX-2 and Drp1 were frequently upregulated and confer a poor prognosis in HCC. We also found that the proportion of mito-COX-2 and p-Drp1Ser616 was increased in HCC cell lines. In vitro, we demonstrated that the enhanced mitochondrial translocation of COX-2 promotes its interaction with p-Drp1Ser616 via PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)-mediated Drp1 phosphorylation activation. This increase was associated with higher colony formation, cell proliferation, and mitochondrial fission. These findings were confirmed by knocking down COX-2 in HCC cells using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Furthermore, inhibition of Drp1 using pharmacologic inhibitors (Mdivi-1) or RNA interference (siDNM1L) decreased mito-COX-2/p-Drp1Ser616 interaction-mediated mitochondrial fission, and increased apoptosis in HCC cells treated with platinum drugs. Moreover, inhibiting mito-COX-2 acetylation with the natural phytochemical resveratrol resulted in reducing cell proliferation and mitochondrial fission, occurring through upregulation of mitochondrial deacetylase sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), which, in turn, increased the chemosensitivity of HCC to platinum drugs in vitro and in vivo. Our results suggest that targeting interventions to PINK1-mediated mito-COX-2/p-Drp1Ser616-dependent mitochondrial dynamics increases the chemosensitivity of HCC and might help us to understand how to use the SIRT3-modulated mito-COX-2/p-Drp1Ser616 signaling axis to develop an effective clinical intervention in hepatocarcinogenesis.
    Keywords:  apoptosis; dynamin-related protein 1; hepatocellular carcinoma; mitochondrial cyclooxygenase-2; mitochondrial dynamics; sirtuin 3
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14030821
  35. Curr Protoc. 2022 Feb;2(2): e372
    Assessing Mitochondrial DNA Release into the Cytosol and Subsequent Activation of Innate Immune-related Pathways in Mammalian Cells.
    Joshua D Bryant, Yuanjiu Lei, Jordyn J VanPortfliet, Ashley D Winters, A Phillip West.
      Mitochondria have emerged as key drivers of mammalian innate immune responses, functioning as signaling hubs to trigger inflammation and orchestrating metabolic switches required for phagocyte activation. Mitochondria also contain damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), molecules that share similarity with pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and can engage innate immune sensors to drive inflammation. The aberrant release of mitochondrial DAMPs during cellular stress and injury is an increasingly recognized trigger of inflammatory responses in human diseases. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a particularly potent DAMP that engages multiple innate immune sensors, although mounting evidence suggests that cytosolic mtDNA is primarily detected via the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway. cGAS and STING are widely expressed in mammalian cells and serve as key regulators of type I interferon and cytokine expression in both infectious and inflammatory diseases. Despite growing roles for the mtDNA-cGAS-STING axis in human disease, assays to quantify mtDNA release into the cytosol and approaches to link mtDNA to cGAS-STING signaling are not standardized, which increases the possibility for experimental artifacts and misinterpretation of data. Here, we present a series of protocols for assaying the release of mtDNA into the cytosol and subsequent activation of innate immune signaling in mammalian cells. We highlight genetic and pharmacological approaches to induce and inhibit mtDNA release from mitochondria. We also describe immunofluorescence microscopy and cellular fractionation assays to visualize morphological changes in mtDNA and quantify mtDNA accumulation in the cytosol. Finally, we include protocols to examine mtDNA-dependent cGAS-STING activation by RT-qPCR and western blotting. These methods can be performed with standard laboratory equipment and are highly adaptable to a wide range of mammalian cell types. They will permit researchers working across the spectrum of biological and biomedical sciences to accurately and reproducibly measure cytosolic mtDNA release and resulting innate immune responses. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: siRNA-mediated knockdown of TFAM to induce mtDNA instability, cytosolic release, and activation of the cGAS-STING pathway Alternate Protocol: Pharmacological induction of mtDNA release and cGAS-STING activation using ABT-737 and Q-VD-OPH Basic Protocol 2: Isolation and quantitation of DNA from cytosolic, mitochondrial, and nuclear fractions Basic Protocol 3: Pharmacological inhibition of mtDNA replication and release.
    Keywords:  STING; cGAS; innate immunity; mitochondria; mitochondrial DNA
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/cpz1.372
  36. Nat Cell Biol. 2022 Feb;24(2): 125-126
    Mitochondrial efficiency directs cell fate.
    Jessica Brooke Spinelli, Elma Zaganjor.
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41556-021-00834-3
  37. J Phys Chem B. 2022 Feb 15.
    High-Repetition-Rate Transient Absorption Spectroscopy of Respiratory Supercomplexes.
    Erkang Wang, Kalyn S Specht, Adam J Chicco, Jesse W Wilson.
      Hemeproteins are frequent subjects for ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) because of biological importance, strong UV-vis absorption, high photostability, and interesting transient dynamics that depend on redox, conformation, and ligand binding. TAS on hemeproteins is usually performed on isolated, purified proteins, though their response is likely to be different in their native molecular environment, which involves the formation of protein complexes and supercomplexes. Recently, we reported a transient absorption microscopy (TAM) experiment which elicited a transient response from hemeproteins in intact biological tissue using a visible-wavelength pump (530 nm) and probe (490 nm). Here, we find that adaptive noise canceling plus resonant galvanometer scanning enables a high-repetition-rate fiber laser source to make redox-sensitive measurements of cytochrome c (Cyt-c). We investigate the origins of the visible-wavelength response of biological tissue through TAS of intact mitochondrial respiratory supercomplexes, separated via gel electrophoresis. We find that each of these high-molecular-weight gel bands yields a TAS response characteristic of cytochrome hemes, implying that the TAS response of intact cells and tissue originates from not just Cyt-c but a mixture of respiratory cytochromes. We also find differences in excited-state lifetime between wild-type (WT) and a tafazzin-deficient (TAZ) mouse model of mitochondrial disease.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c08714
  38. Cell Rep. 2022 02 15. pii: S2211-1247(22)00112-7. [Epub ahead of print]38(7): 110391
    Blockage of citrate export prevents TCA cycle fragmentation via Irg1 inactivation.
    Yi Li, Yu-Chen Li, Xiao-Tian Liu, Lu Zhang, Yi-Hua Chen, Qiong Zhao, Wen Gao, Baolin Liu, Hua Yang, Ping Li.
      The metabolism of activated macrophages relies on aerobic glycolysis, while mitochondrial oxidation is disrupted. In lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages, the citrate carrier (CIC) exports citrate from mitochondria to enhance glycolytic genes through histone acetylation. CIC inhibition or Slc25a1 knockdown reduces the occupancy of H3K9ac to hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) binding sites in promoters of glycolytic genes to restrain glycolysis. HIF-1α also transcriptionally upregulates immune-responsive gene 1 for itaconate production, which is inhibited by CIC blocking. Isotopic tracing of [U-13C6] glucose shows that CIC blockage prevents citrate accumulation and itaconate production by reducing glycolytic flux and facilitating metabolic flux in the TCA cycle. Isotopic tracing of [U-13C5] glutamine reveals that CIC inhibition reduces succinate accumulation from glutaminolysis and the gamma-aminobutyric acid shunt by enhancing mitochondrial oxidation. By restraining glycolysis, CIC inhibition increases NAD+ content to ensure mitochondrial biogenesis for oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, blockage of citrate export reduces cerebral thrombosis by inactivation of peripheral macrophages.
    Keywords:  HIF-1α; Irg1; citrate carrier; itaconate; succinate
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110391
  39. Biochem Pharmacol. 2022 Feb 15. pii: S0006-2952(22)00060-0. [Epub ahead of print] 114966
    Targeting cancer stem cells with antibiotics inducing mitochondrial dysfunction as an alternative anticancer therapy.
    Igor Karp, Alex Lyakhovich.
      Traditional cancer treatments based on chemo- and/or radiotherapy effectively kill only differentiated cancer cells, while metastasis and recurrences are caused by surviving cancer resistant cells (CRC) or a special subpopulation of cancer cells known as cancer stem cells (CSC). Both of these cell types compromise anticancer treatment through various mechanisms, including withdrawal of the anticancer drug through ATP-binding cassette transporters, increased expression of DNA repair genes, or transition to a quiescent phenotype. In contrast to many cancers, where energy consumption is due to glycolysis (Warburg effect), the bioenergetics of CSC and CRC is most often related to oxidative phosphorylation, that is, dependent on mitochondrial function. Therefore, compounds that induce mitochondrial dysfunction (MDF), such as some antibiotics, may represent an alternative approach to anticancer therapy. This review summarizes the major recent works on the use of antibiotics to target tumors via CSC and suggests next steps for developing this approach.
    Keywords:  OXPHOS; antibiotics; anticancer therapy; cancer resistance; cancer stem cells; mitochondrial dysfunction
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2022.114966
  40. Sci Adv. 2022 Feb 18. 8(7): eabm1189
    Muscle mitochondrial remodeling by intermittent glucocorticoid drugs requires an intact circadian clock and muscle PGC1α.
    Mattia Quattrocelli, Michelle Wintzinger, Karen Miz, Daniel C Levine, Clara Bien Peek, Joseph Bass, Elizabeth M McNally.
      Exogenous glucocorticoids interact with the circadian clock, but little attention is paid to the timing of intake. We recently found that intermittent once-weekly prednisone improved nutrient oxidation in dystrophic muscle. Here, we investigated whether dosage time affected prednisone effects on muscle bioenergetics. In mice treated with once-weekly prednisone, drug dosing in the light-phase promoted nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels and mitochondrial function in wild-type muscle, while this response was lost with dark-phase dosing. These effects depended on a normal circadian clock since they were disrupted in muscle from [Brain and muscle Arnt-like protein-1 (Bmal1)]-knockout mice. The light-phase prednisone pulse promoted BMAL1-dependent glucocorticoid receptor recruitment on noncanonical targets, including Nampt and Ppargc1a [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC1α)]. In mice with muscle-restricted inducible PGC1α ablation, bioenergetic stimulation by light-phase prednisone required PGC1α. These results demonstrate that glucocorticoid "chronopharmacology" for muscle bioenergetics requires an intact clock and muscle PGC1α activity.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm1189
  41. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jan 28. pii: 659. [Epub ahead of print]14(3):
    Specialized Intercellular Communications via Tunnelling Nanotubes in Acute and Chronic Leukemia.
    Alessandro Allegra, Mario Di Gioacchino, Gabriella Cancemi, Marco Casciaro, Claudia Petrarca, Caterina Musolino, Sebastiano Gangemi.
      Effectual cell-to-cell communication is essential to the development and differentiation of organisms, the preservation of tissue tasks, and the synchronization of their different physiological actions, but also to the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells. Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are membrane-enclosed tubular connections between cells that carry a multiplicity of cellular loads, such as exosomes, non-coding RNAs, mitochondria, and proteins, and they have been identified as the main participants in healthy and tumoral cell communication. TNTs have been described in numerous tumors in in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models favoring the onset and progression of tumors. Tumor cells utilize TNT-like membranous channels to transfer information between themselves or with the tumoral milieu. As a result, tumor cells attain novel capabilities, such as the increased capacity of metastasis, metabolic plasticity, angiogenic aptitude, and chemoresistance, promoting tumor severity. Here, we review the morphological and operational characteristics of TNTs and their influence on hematologic malignancies' progression and resistance to therapies, focusing on acute and chronic myeloid and acute lymphoid leukemia. Finally, we examine the prospects and challenges for TNTs as a therapeutic approach for hematologic diseases by examining the development of efficient and safe drugs targeting TNTs.
    Keywords:  cancer; cell communication; chemoresistance; hematologic malignancies; leukemia; miRNAs; mitochondrial transfer; multiple myeloma; tunneling nanotubes
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14030659
  42. Elife. 2022 Feb 15. pii: e73760. [Epub ahead of print]11
    Comprehensive and unbiased multiparameter high-throughput screening by compaRe finds effective and subtle drug responses in AML models.
    Morteza Chalabi Hajkarim, Ella Karjalainen, Mikhail Osipovitch, Konstantinos Dimopoulos, Sandra L Gordon, Francesca Ambri, Kasper Dindler Rasmussen, Kirsten Grønbæk, Kristian Helin, Krister Wennerberg, Kyoung-Jae Won.
      Large-scale multiparameter screening has become increasingly feasible and straightforward to perform thanks to developments in technologies such as high-content microscopy and high-throughput flow cytometry. The automated toolkits for analyzing similarities and differences between large numbers of tested conditions have not kept pace with these technological developments. Thus, effective analysis of multiparameter screening datasets becomes a bottleneck and a limiting factor in unbiased interpretation of results. Here we introduce compaRe, a toolkit for large-scale multiparameter data analysis, which integrates quality control, data bias correction, and data visualization methods with a mass-aware gridding algorithm-based similarity analysis providing a much faster and more robust analyses than existing methods. Using mass and flow cytometry data from acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome patients, we show that compaRe can reveal interpatient heterogeneity and recognizable phenotypic profiles. By applying compaRe to high-throughput flow cytometry drug response data in AML models, we robustly identified multiple types of both deep and subtle phenotypic response patterns, highlighting how this analysis could be used for therapeutic discoveries. In conclusion, compaRe is a toolkit that uniquely allows for automated, rapid, and precise comparisons of large-scale multiparameter datasets, including high-throughput screens.
    Keywords:  computational biology; human; mouse; systems biology
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.73760
  43. Nat Commun. 2022 Feb 18. 13(1): 967
    ATF-4 and hydrogen sulfide signalling mediate longevity in response to inhibition of translation or mTORC1.
    Cyril Statzer, Jin Meng, Richard Venz, Monet Bland, Stacey Robida-Stubbs, Krina Patel, Dunja Petrovic, Raffaella Emsley, Pengpeng Liu, Ianessa Morantte, Cole Haynes, William B Mair, Alban Longchamp, Milos R Filipovic, T Keith Blackwell, Collin Y Ewald.
      Inhibition of the master growth regulator mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1) slows ageing across phyla, in part by reducing protein synthesis. Various stresses globally suppress protein synthesis through the integrated stress response (ISR), resulting in preferential translation of the transcription factor ATF-4. Here we show in C. elegans that inhibition of translation or mTORC1 increases ATF-4 expression, and that ATF-4 mediates longevity under these conditions independently of ISR signalling. ATF-4 promotes longevity by activating canonical anti-ageing mechanisms, but also by elevating expression of the transsulfuration enzyme CTH-2 to increase hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production. This H2S boost increases protein persulfidation, a protective modification of redox-reactive cysteines. The ATF-4/CTH-2/H2S pathway also mediates longevity and increased stress resistance from mTORC1 suppression. Increasing H2S levels, or enhancing mechanisms that H2S influences through persulfidation, may represent promising strategies for mobilising therapeutic benefits of the ISR, translation suppression, or mTORC1 inhibition.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28599-9
  44. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 21. pii: 1175. [Epub ahead of print]23(3):
    A Deep Dive into VDAC1 Conformational Diversity Using All-Atom Simulations Provides New Insights into the Structural Origin of the Closed States.
    Jordane Preto, Hubert Gorny, Isabelle Krimm.
      The voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) is a crucial mitochondrial transporter that controls the flow of ions and respiratory metabolites entering or exiting mitochondria. As a voltage-gated channel, VDAC1 can switch between a high-conducting "open" state and a low-conducting "closed" state emerging at high transmembrane (TM) potentials. Although cell homeostasis depends on channel gating to regulate the transport of ions and metabolites, structural hallmarks characterizing the closed states remain unknown. Here, we performed microsecond accelerated molecular dynamics to highlight a vast region of VDAC1 conformational landscape accessible at typical voltages known to promote closure. Conformers exhibiting durable subconducting properties inherent to closed states were identified. In all cases, the low conductance was due to the particular positioning of an unfolded part of the N-terminus, which obstructed the channel pore. While the N-terminal tail was found to be sensitive to voltage orientation, our models suggest that stable low-conducting states of VDAC1 predominantly take place from disordered events and do not result from the displacement of a voltage sensor or a significant change in the pore. In addition, our results were consistent with conductance jumps observed experimentally and corroborated a recent study describing entropy as a key factor for VDAC gating.
    Keywords:  beta-barrel transporter; molecular dynamics; voltage-dependent anion channel
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23031175
  45. Leukemia. 2022 Feb 17.
    Multi-omics reveals mitochondrial metabolism proteins susceptible for drug discovery in AML.
    Mika Caplan, Karli J Wittorf, Kasidy K Weber, Samantha A Swenson, Tyler J Gilbreath, R Willow Hynes-Smith, Catalina Amador, R Katherine Hyde, Shannon M Buckley.
      Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a devastating cancer affecting the hematopoietic system. Previous research has relied on RNA sequencing and microarray techniques to study the downstream effects of genomic alterations. While these studies have proven efficacious, they fail to capture the changes that occur at the proteomic level. To interrogate the effect of protein expression alterations in AML, we performed a quantitative mass spectrometry in parallel with RNAseq analysis using AML mouse models. These combined results identified 34 proteins whose expression was upregulated in AML tumors, but strikingly, were unaltered at the transcriptional level. Here we focus on mitochondrial electron transfer proteins ETFA and ETFB. Silencing of ETFA and ETFB led to increased mitochondrial activity, mitochondrial stress, and apoptosis in AML cells, but had little to no effect on normal human CD34+ cells. These studies identify a set of proteins that have not previously been associated with leukemia and may ultimately serve as potential targets for therapeutic manipulation to hinder AML progression and help contribute to our understanding of the disease.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-022-01518-z
  46. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jan 23. pii: 562. [Epub ahead of print]14(3):
    Tumor Metabolism Is Affected by Obesity in Preclinical Models of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
    Caner Yelek, Lionel Mignion, Adrien Paquot, Caroline Bouzin, Cyril Corbet, Giulio G Muccioli, Patrice D Cani, Bénédicte F Jordan.
      Obesity is characterized by an excessive fat mass accumulation associated with multiple disorders, including impaired glucose homeostasis, altered adipokine levels, and hyperlipidemia. Despite clear associations between tumor progression and obesity, the effects of these disorders on tumor metabolism remain largely unknown. Thus, we studied the metabolic differences between tumors of obese and lean mice in murine models of triple-negative breast cancer (E0771 and PY8819). For this purpose, a real-time hyperpolarized 1-13C-pyruvate-to-lactate conversion was studied before and after glucose administration in fasting mice. This work was completed by U-13C glucose tracing experiments using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, as well as mass spectrometry (MS). Ex vivo analyses included immunostainings of major lipid, glucose, and monocarboxylic acids transporters. On the one hand, we discovered that tumors of obese mice yield higher lactate/pyruvate ratios after glucose administration. On the other hand, we found that the same tumors produce higher levels of lactate and alanine from glucose than tumors from lean mice, while no differences on the expression of key transporters associated with glycolysis (i.e., GLUT1, MCT1, MCT4) have been observed. In conclusion, our data suggests that breast tumor metabolism is regulated by the host's physiological status, such as obesity and diabetes.
    Keywords:  NMR spectroscopy; TCA metabolites: carbon 13; breast cancer; dynamic nuclear polarization; metabolic flux; metabolism; obesity
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14030562
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