bims-mitdyn Biomed News
on Mitochondrial dynamics: mechanisms
Issue of 2021‒10‒24
twenty papers selected by
Edmond Chan
Queen’s University, School of Medicine
  1. An in vitro system to silence mitochondrial gene expression.
  2. Cardiolipin remodeling enables protein crowding in the inner mitochondrial membrane.
  3. Monitoring mitochondrial calcium and metabolism in the beating MCU-KO heart.
  4. Mitochondrial complex II in intestinal epithelial cells regulates T cell-mediated immunopathology.
  5. GAK and PRKCD are positive regulators of PRKN-independent mitophagy.
  6. Unfolding is the driving force for mitochondrial import and degradation of Parkinson's disease-related protein DJ-1.
  7. A three-organelle complex made by wrappER contacts with peroxisome and mitochondria responds to liver lipid flux changes.
  8. Ceramide accumulation induces mitophagy and impairs β-oxidation in PINK1 deficiency.
  9. Lysosomal Zn2+ release triggers rapid, mitochondria-mediated, non-apoptotic cell death in metastatic melanoma.
  10. Metabolic derangement in polycystic kidney disease mouse models is ameliorated by mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants.
  11. Decreasing mitochondrial RNA polymerase activity reverses biased inheritance of hypersuppressive mtDNA.
  12. Mitochondrial Translation Occurs Preferentially in the Peri-Nuclear Mitochondrial Network of Cultured Human Cells.
  13. MIEF1/2 orchestrate mitochondrial dynamics through direct engagement with both the fission and fusion machineries.
  14. Balancing life and death: BCL-2 family members at diverse ER-mitochondria contact sites.
  15. BACE1 Inhibition Increases Susceptibility to Oxidative Stress by Promoting Mitochondrial Damage.
  16. Control of host mitochondria by bacterial pathogens.
  17. The Intersection of Purine and Mitochondrial Metabolism in Cancer.
  18. The dynamics of mitochondrial autophagy at the initiation stage.
  19. Mitochondrial dynamics and its impact on human health and diseases: inside the DRP1 blackbox.
  20. Mitochondrial dynamics regulators: implications for therapeutic intervention in cancer.
  1. Cell. 2021 Oct 11. pii: S0092-8674(21)01116-8. [Epub ahead of print]
    An in vitro system to silence mitochondrial gene expression.
    Luis Daniel Cruz-Zaragoza, Sven Dennerlein, Andreas Linden, Roya Yousefi, Elena Lavdovskaia, Abhishek Aich, Rebecca R Falk, Ridhima Gomkale, Thomas Schöndorf, Markus T Bohnsack, Ricarda Richter-Dennerlein, Henning Urlaub, Peter Rehling.
      The human mitochondrial genome encodes thirteen core subunits of the oxidative phosphorylation system, and defects in mitochondrial gene expression lead to severe neuromuscular disorders. However, the mechanisms of mitochondrial gene expression remain poorly understood due to a lack of experimental approaches to analyze these processes. Here, we present an in vitro system to silence translation in purified mitochondria. In vitro import of chemically synthesized precursor-morpholino hybrids allows us to target translation of individual mitochondrial mRNAs. By applying this approach, we conclude that the bicistronic, overlapping ATP8/ATP6 transcript is translated through a single ribosome/mRNA engagement. We show that recruitment of COX1 assembly factors to translating ribosomes depends on nascent chain formation. By defining mRNA-specific interactomes for COX1 and COX2, we reveal an unexpected function of the cytosolic oncofetal IGF2BP1, an RNA-binding protein, in mitochondrial translation. Our data provide insight into mitochondrial translation and innovative strategies to investigate mitochondrial gene expression.
    Keywords:  IGF2BP1; antisense; mitochondria; mitochondrial ribosome; morpholino; oxidative phosphorylation; translation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.033
  2. EMBO J. 2021 Oct 18. e108428
    Cardiolipin remodeling enables protein crowding in the inner mitochondrial membrane.
    Yang Xu, Hediye Erdjument-Bromage, Colin K L Phoon, Thomas A Neubert, Mindong Ren, Michael Schlame.
      Mitochondrial cristae are extraordinarily crowded with proteins, which puts stress on the bilayer organization of lipids. We tested the hypothesis that the high concentration of proteins drives the tafazzin-catalyzed remodeling of fatty acids in cardiolipin, thereby reducing bilayer stress in the membrane. Specifically, we tested whether protein crowding induces cardiolipin remodeling and whether the lack of cardiolipin remodeling prevents the membrane from accumulating proteins. In vitro, the incorporation of large amounts of proteins into liposomes altered the outcome of the remodeling reaction. In yeast, the concentration of proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) correlated with the cardiolipin composition. Genetic ablation of either remodeling or biosynthesis of cardiolipin caused a substantial drop in the surface density of OXPHOS proteins in the inner membrane of the mouse heart and Drosophila flight muscle mitochondria. Our data suggest that OXPHOS protein crowding induces cardiolipin remodelling and that remodeled cardiolipin supports the high concentration of these proteins in the inner mitochondrial membrane.
    Keywords:  Barth syndrome; lipid-protein interaction; macromolecular crowding; mitochondria; oxidative phosphorylation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2021108428
  3. Cell Rep. 2021 Oct 19. pii: S2211-1247(21)01310-3. [Epub ahead of print]37(3): 109846
    Monitoring mitochondrial calcium and metabolism in the beating MCU-KO heart.
    Anna Kosmach, Barbara Roman, Junhui Sun, Armel Femnou, Fan Zhang, Chengyu Liu, Christian A Combs, Robert S Balaban, Elizabeth Murphy.
      Optical methods for measuring intracellular ions including Ca2+ revolutionized our understanding of signal transduction. However, these methods are not extensively applied to intact organs due to issues including inner filter effects, motion, and available probes. Mitochondrial Ca2+ is postulated to regulate cell energetics and death pathways that are best studied in an intact organ. Here, we develop a method to optically measure mitochondrial Ca2+ and demonstrate its validity for mitochondrial Ca2+ and metabolism using hearts from wild-type mice and mice with germline knockout of the mitochondria calcium uniporter (MCU-KO). We previously reported that germline MCU-KO hearts do not show an impaired response to adrenergic stimulation. We find that these MCU-KO hearts do not take up Ca2+, consistent with no alternative Ca2+ uptake mechanisms in the absence of MCU. This approach can address the role of mitochondrial Ca2+ to the myriad of functions attributed to alterations in mitochondrial Ca2+.
    Keywords:  calcium; heart; isoproterenol; mitochondria; spectroscopy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109846
  4. Nat Immunol. 2021 Oct 22.
    Mitochondrial complex II in intestinal epithelial cells regulates T cell-mediated immunopathology.
    Hideaki Fujiwara, Keisuke Seike, Michael D Brooks, Anna V Mathew, Ilya Kovalenko, Anupama Pal, Ho-Joon Lee, Daniel Peltier, Stephanie Kim, Chen Liu, Katherine Oravecz-Wilson, Lu Li, Yaping Sun, Jaeman Byun, Yoshinobu Maeda, Max S Wicha, Thomas L Saunders, Alnawaz Rehemtulla, Costas A Lyssiotis, Subramaniam Pennathur, Pavan Reddy.
      Intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) damage by T cells contributes to graft-versus-host disease, inflammatory bowel disease and immune checkpoint blockade-mediated colitis. But little is known about the target cell-intrinsic features that affect disease severity. Here we identified disruption of oxidative phosphorylation and an increase in succinate levels in the IECs from several distinct in vivo models of T cell-mediated colitis. Metabolic flux studies, complemented by imaging and protein analyses, identified disruption of IEC-intrinsic succinate dehydrogenase A (SDHA), a component of mitochondrial complex II, in causing these metabolic alterations. The relevance of IEC-intrinsic SDHA in mediating disease severity was confirmed by complementary chemical and genetic experimental approaches and validated in human clinical samples. These data identify a critical role for the alteration of the IEC-specific mitochondrial complex II component SDHA in the regulation of the severity of T cell-mediated intestinal diseases.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-021-01048-3
  5. Nat Commun. 2021 Oct 20. 12(1): 6101
    GAK and PRKCD are positive regulators of PRKN-independent mitophagy.
    Michael J Munson, Benan J Mathai, Matthew Yoke Wui Ng, Laura Trachsel-Moncho, Laura R de la Ballina, Sebastian W Schultz, Yahyah Aman, Alf H Lystad, Sakshi Singh, Sachin Singh, Jørgen Wesche, Evandro F Fang, Anne Simonsen.
      The mechanisms involved in programmed or damage-induced removal of mitochondria by mitophagy remains elusive. Here, we have screened for regulators of PRKN-independent mitophagy using an siRNA library targeting 197 proteins containing lipid interacting domains. We identify Cyclin G-associated kinase (GAK) and Protein Kinase C Delta (PRKCD) as regulators of PRKN-independent mitophagy, with both being dispensable for PRKN-dependent mitophagy and starvation-induced autophagy. We demonstrate that the kinase activity of both GAK and PRKCD are required for efficient mitophagy in vitro, that PRKCD is present on mitochondria, and that PRKCD facilitates recruitment of ULK1/ATG13 to early autophagic structures. Importantly, we demonstrate in vivo relevance for both kinases in the regulation of basal mitophagy. Knockdown of GAK homologue (gakh-1) in C. elegans or knockout of PRKCD homologues in zebrafish led to significant inhibition of basal mitophagy, highlighting the evolutionary relevance of these kinases in mitophagy regulation.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26331-7
  6. J Cell Sci. 2021 Oct 22. pii: jcs.258653. [Epub ahead of print]
    Unfolding is the driving force for mitochondrial import and degradation of Parkinson's disease-related protein DJ-1.
    Bruno Barros Queliconi, Waka Kojima, Mayumi Kimura, Kenichiro Imai, Chisato Udagawa, Chie Motono, Takatsugu Hirokawa, Shinya Tashiro, Jose M M Caaveiro, Kouhei Tsumoto, Koji Yamano, Keiji Tanaka, Noriyuki Matsuda.
      Diverse genes associated with familial Parkinson's disease (familial Parkinsonism) have been implicated in mitochondrial quality control. One such gene, PARK7 encodes the protein DJ-1, pathogenic mutations of which trigger its translocation from the cytosol to the mitochondrial matrix. The translocation of steady-state cytosolic proteins like DJ-1 to the mitochondrial matrix by missense mutations is rare and the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we show that the protein unfolding associated with various DJ-1 mutations drives its import into the mitochondrial matrix. Increasing the structural stability of these DJ-1 mutants restores cytosolic localization. Mechanistically, we show that a reduction in the structural stability of DJ-1 exposes a cryptic N-terminal mitochondrial targeting signal (MTS) including Leu10 that promotes DJ-1 import into the mitochondrial matrix for subsequent degradation. Our work describes a novel cellular mechanism for targeting a destabilized cytosolic protein to the mitochondria for degradation.
    Keywords:  DJ-1; Import; Mitochondria; Parkinson's disease
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.258653
  7. J Cell Sci. 2021 Oct 21. pii: jcs.259091. [Epub ahead of print]
    A three-organelle complex made by wrappER contacts with peroxisome and mitochondria responds to liver lipid flux changes.
    Nicolò Ilacqua, Irene Anastasia, Andrea Raimondi, Philippe Lemieux, Thomas Q de Aguiar Vallim, Katalin Toth, Eugene V Koonin, Luca Pellegrini.
      Hepatic lipid homeostasis depends on intracellular pathways that respire fatty acid (FA) in peroxisomes and mitochondria and on systemic pathways that secrete FA into the bloodstream, either free or condensed in very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) triglycerides. These systemic and intracellular pathways are interdependent, but it is unclear whether and how they integrate into a single cellular circuit. Here, we report that mouse liver wrappER, a distinct ER compartment with apparent FA- and VLDL-secretion functions, connects peroxisomes and mitochondria. Correlative light electron microscopy, quantitative serial section electron tomography, and 3D organelle reconstruction analysis show that the number of peroxisome-wrappER-mitochondria complexes changes throughout fasting-to-feeding transitions and doubles when VLDL synthesis stops following acute genetic ablation of Mttp in the liver. Quantitative proteomic analysis of peroxisome-wrappER-mitochondria complex-enriched fractions indicates that the loss of Mttp upregulates global FA β-oxidation, thereby integrating the dynamics of this three-organelle association into hepatic FA flux responses. Therefore, liver lipid homeostasis occurs through the convergence of systemic and intracellular FA-elimination pathways in the peroxisome-wrappER-mitochondria complex.
    Keywords:  Fatty acid; Inter-organelle contacts; Liver lipid homeostasis; Mitochondria; Peroxisome; WrappER
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.259091
  8. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Oct 26. pii: e2025347118. [Epub ahead of print]118(43):
    Ceramide accumulation induces mitophagy and impairs β-oxidation in PINK1 deficiency.
    Melissa Vos, Marija Dulovic-Mahlow, Frida Mandik, Lisa Frese, Yuliia Kanana, Sokhna Haissatou Diaw, Julia Depperschmidt, Claudia Böhm, Jonas Rohr, Thora Lohnau, Inke R König, Christine Klein.
      Energy production via the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) and mitophagy are two important processes affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). Interestingly, PINK1, mutations of which cause early-onset PD, plays a key role in both processes, suggesting that these two mechanisms are connected. However, the converging link of both pathways currently remains enigmatic. Recent findings demonstrated that lipid aggregation, along with defective mitochondria, is present in postmortem brains of PD patients. In addition, an increasing body of evidence shows that sphingolipids, including ceramide, are altered in PD, supporting the importance of lipids in the pathophysiology of PD. Here, we identified ceramide to play a crucial role in PINK1-related PD that was previously linked almost exclusively to mitochondrial dysfunction. We found ceramide to accumulate in mitochondria and to negatively affect mitochondrial function, most notably the ETC. Lowering ceramide levels improved mitochondrial phenotypes in pink1-mutant flies and PINK1-deficient patient-derived fibroblasts, showing that the effects of ceramide are evolutionarily conserved. In addition, ceramide accumulation provoked ceramide-induced mitophagy upon PINK1 deficiency. As a result of the ceramide accumulation, β-oxidation in PINK1 mutants was decreased, which was rescued by lowering ceramide levels. Furthermore, stimulation of β-oxidation was sufficient to rescue PINK1-deficient phenotypes. In conclusion, we discovered a cellular mechanism resulting from PD-causing loss of PINK1 and found a protective role of β-oxidation in ETC dysfunction, thus linking lipids and mitochondria in the pathophysiology of PINK1-related PD. Furthermore, our data nominate β-oxidation and ceramide as therapeutic targets for PD.
    Keywords:  PINK1; Parkinson’s disease; ceramide; mitochondria; β-oxidation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2025347118
  9. Cell Rep. 2021 Oct 19. pii: S2211-1247(21)01312-7. [Epub ahead of print]37(3): 109848
    Lysosomal Zn2+ release triggers rapid, mitochondria-mediated, non-apoptotic cell death in metastatic melanoma.
    Wanlu Du, Mingxue Gu, Meiqin Hu, Prateeksunder Pinchi, Wei Chen, Michael Ryan, Timothy Nold, Ahmed Bannaga, Haoxing Xu.
      During tumor progression, lysosome function is often maladaptively upregulated to match the high energy demand required for cancer cell hyper-proliferation and invasion. Here, we report that mucolipin TRP channel 1 (TRPML1), a lysosomal Ca2+ and Zn2+ release channel that regulates multiple aspects of lysosome function, is dramatically upregulated in metastatic melanoma cells compared with normal cells. TRPML-specific synthetic agonists (ML-SAs) are sufficient to induce rapid (within hours) lysosomal Zn2+-dependent necrotic cell death in metastatic melanoma cells while completely sparing normal cells. ML-SA-caused mitochondria swelling and dysfunction lead to cellular ATP depletion. While pharmacological inhibition or genetic silencing of TRPML1 in metastatic melanoma cells prevents such cell death, overexpression of TRPML1 in normal cells confers ML-SA vulnerability. In the melanoma mouse models, ML-SAs exhibit potent in vivo efficacy of suppressing tumor progression. Hence, targeting maladaptively upregulated lysosome machinery can selectively eradicate metastatic tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.
    Keywords:  ML-SAs; ML-SIs; TRPML1; Zn(2+); cell death; lysosome; metastatic melanoma; mitochondria; small molecule
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109848
  10. Commun Biol. 2021 Oct 20. 4(1): 1200
    Metabolic derangement in polycystic kidney disease mouse models is ameliorated by mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants.
    Nastaran Daneshgar, Andrew W Baguley, Peir-In Liang, Fei Wu, Yi Chu, Michael T Kinter, Gloria A Benavides, Michelle S Johnson, Victor Darley-Usmar, Jianhua Zhang, Kung-Sik Chan, Dao-Fu Dai.
      Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is characterized by progressively enlarging cysts. Here we elucidate the interplay between oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and metabolic derangement using two mouse models of PKD1 mutation, PKD1RC/null and PKD1RC/RC. Mouse kidneys with PKD1 mutation have decreased mitochondrial complexes activity. Targeted proteomics analysis shows a significant decrease in proteins involved in the TCA cycle, fatty acid oxidation (FAO), respiratory complexes, and endogenous antioxidants. Overexpressing mitochondrial-targeted catalase (mCAT) using adeno-associated virus reduces mitochondrial ROS, oxidative damage, ameliorates the progression of PKD and partially restores expression of proteins involved in FAO and the TCA cycle. In human ADPKD cells, inducing mitochondrial ROS increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation and decreased AMPK phosphorylation, whereas the converse was observed with increased scavenging of ROS in the mitochondria. Treatment with the mitochondrial protective peptide, SS31, recapitulates the beneficial effects of mCAT, supporting its potential application as a novel therapeutic for ADPKD.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02730-w
  11. PLoS Genet. 2021 Oct 19. 17(10): e1009808
    Decreasing mitochondrial RNA polymerase activity reverses biased inheritance of hypersuppressive mtDNA.
    Daniel Corbi, Angelika Amon.
      Faithful inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is crucial for cellular respiration/oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial membrane potential. However, how mtDNA is transmitted to progeny is not fully understood. We utilized hypersuppressive mtDNA, a class of respiratory deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae mtDNA that is preferentially inherited over wild-type mtDNA (rho+), to uncover the factors governing mtDNA inheritance. We found that some regions of rho+ mtDNA persisted while others were lost after a specific hypersuppressive takeover indicating that hypersuppressive preferential inheritance may partially be due to active destruction of rho+ mtDNA. From a multicopy suppression screen, we found that overexpression of putative mitochondrial RNA exonuclease PET127 reduced biased inheritance of a subset of hypersuppressive genomes. This suppression required PET127 binding to the mitochondrial RNA polymerase RPO41 but not PET127 exonuclease activity. A temperature-sensitive allele of RPO41 improved rho+ mtDNA inheritance over a specific hypersuppressive mtDNA at semi-permissive temperatures revealing a previously unknown role for rho+ transcription in promoting hypersuppressive mtDNA inheritance.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009808
  12. Biology (Basel). 2021 Oct 15. pii: 1050. [Epub ahead of print]10(10):
    Mitochondrial Translation Occurs Preferentially in the Peri-Nuclear Mitochondrial Network of Cultured Human Cells.
    Christin A Albus, Rolando Berlinguer-Palmini, Caroline Hewison, Fiona McFarlane, Elisabeta-Ana Savu, Robert N Lightowlers, Zofia M Chrzanowska-Lightowlers, Matthew Zorkau.
      Human mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles, fusing and budding to maintain reticular networks throughout many cell types. Although extending to the extremities of the cell, the majority of the network is concentrated around the nucleus in most of the commonly cultured cell lines. This organelle harbours its own genome, mtDNA, with a different gene content to the nucleus, but the expression of which is critical for maintaining oxidative phosphorylation. Recent advances in click chemistry have allowed us to visualise sites of mitochondrial protein synthesis in intact cultured cells. We show that the majority of translation occurs in the peri-nuclear region of the network. Further analysis reveals that whilst there is a slight peri-nuclear enrichment in the levels of mitoribosomal protein and mitochondrial rRNA, it is not sufficient to explain this substantial heterogeneity in the distribution of translation. Finally, we also show that in contrast, a mitochondrial mRNA does not show such a distinct gradient in distribution. These data suggest that the relative lack of translation in the peripheral mitochondrial network is not due to an absence of mitoribosomes or an insufficient supply of the mt-mRNA transcripts.
    Keywords:  co-localisation; heterogeneity; mammalian; mitochondria; peri-nuclear; peripheral; protein synthesis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/biology10101050
  13. BMC Biol. 2021 Oct 21. 19(1): 229
    MIEF1/2 orchestrate mitochondrial dynamics through direct engagement with both the fission and fusion machineries.
    Rong Yu, Tong Liu, Shao-Bo Jin, Maria Ankarcrona, Urban Lendahl, Monica Nistér, Jian Zhao.
      BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial dynamics is the result of a dynamic balance between fusion and fission events, which are driven via a set of mitochondria-shaping proteins. These proteins are generally considered to be binary components of either the fission or fusion machinery, but potential crosstalk between the fission and fusion machineries remains less explored. In the present work, we analyzed the roles of mitochondrial elongation factors 1 and 2 (MIEF1/2), core components of the fission machinery in mammals.RESULTS: We show that MIEFs (MIEF1/2), besides their action in the fission machinery, regulate mitochondrial fusion through direct interaction with the fusion proteins Mfn1 and Mfn2, suggesting that MIEFs participate in not only fission but also fusion. Elevated levels of MIEFs enhance mitochondrial fusion in an Mfn1/2- and OPA1-dependent but Drp1-independent manner. Moreover, mitochondrial localization and self-association of MIEFs are crucial for their fusion-promoting ability. In addition, we show that MIEF1/2 can competitively decrease the interaction of hFis1 with Mfn1 and Mfn2, alleviating hFis1-induced mitochondrial fragmentation and contributing to mitochondrial fusion.
    CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that MIEFs serve as a central hub that interacts with and regulates both the fission and fusion machineries, which uncovers a novel mechanism for balancing these opposing forces of mitochondrial dynamics in mammals.
    Keywords:  Drp1; MIEF1/2; Mfn1/2; Mitochondrial dynamics; Mitochondrial fission; Mitochondrial fusion; hFis1
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-021-01161-7
  14. FEBS J. 2021 Oct 20.
    Balancing life and death: BCL-2 family members at diverse ER-mitochondria contact sites.
    Robert E Means, Samuel G Katz.
      The outer mitochondrial membrane is a busy place. One essential activity for cellular survival is the regulation of membrane integrity by the BCL-2 family of proteins. Another critical facet of the outer mitochondrial membrane is its close approximation with the endoplasmic reticulum. These mitochondria associated membranes (MAMs) occupy a significant fraction of the mitochondrial surface and serve as key signaling hubs for multiple cellular processes. Each of these pathways may be considered as forming their own specialized MAM sub-type. Interestingly, like membrane permeabilization, most of these pathways play critical roles in regulating cellular survival and death. Recently, the pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family member BOK, has been found within MAMs where it plays important roles in their structure and function. This has led to a greater appreciation that multiple BCL-2 family proteins, which are known to participate in numerous functions throughout the cell, also have roles within MAMs. In this review we evaluate several MAM subsets, their role in cellular homeostasis and the contribution of BCL-2 family members to their functions.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.16241
  15. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Sep 28. pii: 1539. [Epub ahead of print]10(10):
    BACE1 Inhibition Increases Susceptibility to Oxidative Stress by Promoting Mitochondrial Damage.
    Carolina Francelin, Sayak K Mitter, Qingwen Qian, Sandeep Kumar Barodia, Colin Ip, Xiaoping Qi, Hongmei Gu, Judith Quigley, Matthew S Goldberg, Maria B Grant, Michael E Boulton.
      BACE1 is a key enzyme facilitating the generation of neurotoxic β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide. However, given that BACE1 has multiple substrates we explored the importance of BACE1 in the maintenance of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell homeostasis under oxidative stress. Inhibition of BACE1 reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, increased mitochondrial fragmentation, and increased cleaved caspase-3 expression in cells under oxidative stress. BACE1 inhibition also resulted in significantly lower levels of mitochondrial fusion proteins OPA1 and MFN1 suggesting a higher rate of mitochondrial fission while increasing the levels of mitophagic proteins Parkin and PINK1 and autophagosome numbers. In contrast, BACE2 had minimal effect on cellular response to oxidative stress. In summary, our results emphasize the importance of BACE1 in augmenting cellular defense against oxidative stress by protecting mitochondrial dynamics.
    Keywords:  ARPE19; BACE1; mitochondrial damage; oxidative stress
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10101539
  16. Trends Microbiol. 2021 Oct 13. pii: S0966-842X(21)00237-7. [Epub ahead of print]
    Control of host mitochondria by bacterial pathogens.
    Saverio Marchi, Gianluca Morroni, Paolo Pinton, Lorenzo Galluzzi.
      Mitochondria control various processes that are integral to cellular and organismal homeostasis, including Ca2+ fluxes, bioenergetic metabolism, and cell death. Perhaps not surprisingly, multiple pathogenic bacteria have evolved strategies to subvert mitochondrial functions in support of their survival and dissemination. Here, we discuss nonimmunological pathogenic mechanisms that converge on the ability of bacteria to control the mitochondrial compartment of host cells.
    Keywords:  Listeria monocytogenes; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; autophagy; mitochondria-associated ER membranes; oxidative phosphorylation; regulated cell death
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2021.09.010
  17. Cells. 2021 Sep 30. pii: 2603. [Epub ahead of print]10(10):
    The Intersection of Purine and Mitochondrial Metabolism in Cancer.
    Humberto De Vitto, Danushka B Arachchige, Brian C Richardson, Jarrod B French.
      Nucleotides are essential to cell growth and survival, providing cells with building blocks for DNA and RNA, energy carriers, and cofactors. Mitochondria have a critical role in the production of intracellular ATP and participate in the generation of intermediates necessary for biosynthesis of macromolecules such as purines and pyrimidines. In this review, we highlight the role of purine and mitochondrial metabolism in cancer and how their intersection influences cancer progression, especially in ovarian cancer. Additionally, we address the importance of metabolic rewiring in cancer and how the evolving landscape of purine synthesis and mitochondria inhibitors can be potentially exploited for cancer treatment.
    Keywords:  amino acids; cancers; metabolic reprogramming; mitochondrial metabolism; purines
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10102603
  18. Biochem Soc Trans. 2021 Oct 19. pii: BST20210272. [Epub ahead of print]
    The dynamics of mitochondrial autophagy at the initiation stage.
    Nicholas T Ktistakis.
      The pathway of mitochondrial-specific autophagy (mitophagy, defined here as the specific elimination of mitochondria following distinct mitochondrial injuries or developmental/metabolic alterations) is important in health and disease. This review will be focussed on the earliest steps of the pathway concerning the mechanisms and requirements for initiating autophagosome formation on a mitochondrial target. More specifically, and in view of the fact that we understand the basic mechanism of non-selective autophagy and are beginning to reshape this knowledge towards the pathways of selective autophagy, two aspects of mitophagy will be covered: (i) How does a machinery normally working in association with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to make an autophagosome can also do so at a site distinct from the ER such as on the surface of the targeted cargo? and (ii) how does the machinery deal with cargo of multiple sizes?
    Keywords:  autophagy; endoplasmic reticulum; imaging techniques; mitochondria
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20210272
  19. J Mol Med (Berl). 2021 Oct 16.
    Mitochondrial dynamics and its impact on human health and diseases: inside the DRP1 blackbox.
    Riddhi Banerjee, Agradeep Mukherjee, Shirisha Nagotu.
      Mitochondria are essential organelles that play a significant role in various cellular processes apart from providing energy in eukaryotic cells. An intricate link between mitochondrial structure and function is now unequivocally accepted. Several molecular players have been identified, which are important in maintaining the structure of the organelle. Dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) is one such conserved protein that is a vital regulator of mitochondrial dynamics. Multidisciplinary studies have helped elucidate the structure of the protein and its mechanism of action in great detail. Mutations in various domains of the protein have been identified that are associated with debilitating conditions in patients. The involvement of the protein in disease conditions such as neurodegeneration, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders is also gaining attention. The purpose of this review is to highlight recent findings on the role of DRP1 in human disease conditions and address its importance as a therapeutic target.
    Keywords:  Cancer; Cardiovascular disease; DRP1; Mitochondria; Mutations; Neurodegeneration
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-021-02150-7
  20. Cell Biol Toxicol. 2021 Oct 18.
    Mitochondrial dynamics regulators: implications for therapeutic intervention in cancer.
    Sanjay Kumar, Rahail Ashraf, Aparna C K.
      Regardless of the recent advances in therapeutic developments, cancer is still among the primary causes of death globally, indicating the need for alternative therapeutic strategies. Mitochondria, a dynamic organelle, continuously undergo the fusion and fission processes to meet cell requirements. The balanced fission and fusion processes, referred to as mitochondrial dynamics, coordinate mitochondrial shape, size, number, energy metabolism, cell cycle, mitophagy, and apoptosis. An imbalance between these opposing events alters mitochondWangrial dynamics, affects the overall mitochondrial shape, and deregulates mitochondrial function. Emerging evidence indicates that alteration of mitochondrial dynamics contributes to various aspects of tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Therefore, targeting the mitochondrial dynamics regulator could be a potential therapeutic approach for cancer treatment. This review will address the role of imbalanced mitochondrial dynamics in mitochondrial dysfunction during cancer progression. We will outline the clinical significance of mitochondrial dynamics regulators in various cancer types with recent updates in cancer stemness and chemoresistance and its therapeutic potential and clinical utility as a predictive biomarker.
    Keywords:  Cancer; Cancer stem cells; Chemoresistance; Mitochondrial dynamics; Mitochondrial dysfunction; Mitophagy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10565-021-09662-5
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