bims-celmim 2024-05-05 papers

bims-celmim

Biomed News

on Cellular and mitochondrial metabolism

Issue of 2024‒05‒05
twenty-one papers selected by
Marc Segarra Mondejar

Assessment of Mitochondrial Oxygen Consumption Using a Plate Reader-based Fluorescent Assay.
Cycling back to folate metabolism in cancer.
OTUB2 silencing promotes ovarian cancer via mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming and can be synthetically targeted by CA9 inhibition.
CREB3 mediates the transcriptional regulation of PGC-1α, a master regulator of energy homeostasis and mitochondrial biogenesis.
Von Hippel-Lindau protein signalling in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Mitochondrial genome transfer drives metabolic reprogramming in adjacent colonic epithelial cells promoting TGFβ1-mediated tumor progression.
Glutamine metabolism, a double agent combating or fuelling hepatocellular carcinoma.
A novel inhibitor of the mitochondrial respiratory complex I with uncoupling properties exerts potent antitumor activity.
An aldehyde-crosslinking mitochondrial probe for STED imaging in fixed cells.
Inhibition of asparagine synthetase effectively retards polycystic kidney disease progression.
Mitochondria and Cancer.
MCU genetically altered mice suggest how mitochondrial Ca2+ regulates metabolism.
Construction of Out-of-Equilibrium Metabolic Networks in Nano- and Micrometer-Sized Vesicles.
The mitochondrial multi-omic response to exercise training across rat tissues.
Cuproptosis: unveiling a new frontier in cancer biology and therapeutics.
Saturated fatty acids inhibit unsaturated fatty acid induced glucose uptake involving GLUT10 and aerobic glycolysis in bovine granulosa cells.
Immunometabolism of CD8+ T cell differentiation in cancer.
Inhibition of mammalian mtDNA transcription acts paradoxically to reverse diet-induced hepatosteatosis and obesity.
Stereoselective amino acid synthesis by photobiocatalytic oxidative coupling.
Mitochondrial transfer mediates endothelial cell engraftment through mitophagy.
Understanding stoichiometric constraints on growth using resource use efficiency imbalances.

J Vis Exp. 2024 Apr 12.

Assessment of Mitochondrial Oxygen Consumption Using a Plate Reader-based Fluorescent Assay.

Victoria Del Gaizo Moore, Gregory Haenel, Aiofe Judge.

Mitochondria serve many important functions, including cellular respiration, ATP production, controlling apoptosis, and acting as a central hub of metabolic pathways. Therefore, experimentally assessing mitochondrial functionality can provide insight into variations among different populations or disease states. Additionally, it is valuable to assess whether isolated mitochondria are healthy enough to proceed with experiments. One characteristic often used to compare mitochondrial function in different samples is the rate of oxygen consumption. Oxygen consumption and subsequent calculation of the respiratory control ratio in either intact cells or mitochondria isolated from tissue can serve all three purposes. Using mitochondria isolated from the livers of brush lizards in conjunction with a phosphorescent probe that is sensitive to the fluctuations in oxygen concentration of a solution, we measured oxygen consumption using a fluorescent plate reader. This method is not only quick and efficient but also can be conducted with a small amount of mitochondria and without the need for specialized equipment. The step-by-step protocol described here increases the accessibility of mitochondrial functional assessment to researchers.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3791/65760
Nat Cancer. 2024 May 02.

Cycling back to folate metabolism in cancer.

Younghwan Lee, Karen H Vousden, Marc Hennequart.

Metabolic changes contribute to cancer initiation and progression through effects on cancer cells, the tumor microenvironment and whole-body metabolism. Alterations in serine metabolism and the control of one-carbon cycles have emerged as critical for the development of many tumor types. In this Review, we focus on the mitochondrial folate cycle. We discuss recent evidence that, in addition to supporting nucleotide synthesis, mitochondrial folate metabolism also contributes to metastasis through support of antioxidant defense, mitochondrial protein synthesis and the overflow of excess formate. These observations offer potential therapeutic opportunities, including the modulation of formate metabolism through dietary interventions and the use of circulating folate cycle metabolites as biomarkers for cancer detection.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018-024-00739-8
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 May 07. 121(19): e2315348121

OTUB2 silencing promotes ovarian cancer via mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming and can be synthetically targeted by CA9 inhibition.

Yabing Nan, Xiaowei Wu, Qingyu Luo, Wan Chang, Pengfei Zhao, Lingqiang Zhang, Zhihua Liu.

  Ovarian cancer is an aggressive gynecological tumor characterized by a high relapse rate and chemoresistance. Ovarian cancer exhibits the cancer hallmark of elevated glycolysis, yet effective strategies targeting cancer cell metabolic reprogramming to overcome therapeutic resistance in ovarian cancer remain elusive. Here, we revealed that epigenetic silencing of Otubain 2 (OTUB2) is a driving force for mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming in ovarian cancer, which promotes tumorigenesis and chemoresistance. Mechanistically, OTUB2 silencing destabilizes sorting nexin 29 pseudogene 2 (SNX29P2), which subsequently prevents hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) from von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor-mediated degradation. Elevated HIF-1α activates the transcription of carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9) and drives ovarian cancer progression and chemoresistance by promoting glycolysis. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of CA9 substantially suppressed tumor growth and synergized with carboplatin in the treatment of OTUB2-silenced ovarian cancer. Thus, our study highlights the pivotal role of OTUB2/SNX29P2 in suppressing ovarian cancer development and proposes that targeting CA9-mediated glycolysis is an encouraging strategy for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Keywords:  chemoresistance; metabolic reprogramming; ovarian cancer; tumorigenesis; ubiquitination

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2315348121
FEBS Lett. 2024 May 02.

CREB3 mediates the transcriptional regulation of PGC-1α, a master regulator of energy homeostasis and mitochondrial biogenesis.

Briana Locke, Elena Campbell, Ray Lu.

  Lipid metabolism hinges on a balance between lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation (FAO). Disruptions in this balance can induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress triggering the unfolded protein response (UPR) and contribute to metabolic diseases. The UPR protein, Luman or CREB3, has recently been implicated in metabolic regulation-CREB3 knockout mice exhibit resistance to diet-induced obesity and altered insulin sensitivity. Here, we show that CREB3 activated PPARGC1A transcription from a 1 kb promoter region. An increase in CREB3 expression correlated inversely with endogenous PPARGC1A mRNA levels and genes involved in FAO. As PGC-1α encoded by PPARGC1A is a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and energy homeostasis, these findings demonstrate that CREB3 is a transcriptional regulator of PGC-1α, underlining the potential role of CREB3 in energy metabolism.

Keywords:  CREB3; PGC‐1α; endoplasmic reticulum stress; fatty acid oxidation; metabolism; transcriptional regulation

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.14897
Nat Rev Urol. 2024 May 02.

Von Hippel-Lindau protein signalling in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Chengheng Liao, Lianxin Hu, Qing Zhang.

The distinct pathological and molecular features of kidney cancer in adaptation to oxygen homeostasis render this malignancy an attractive model for investigating hypoxia signalling and potentially developing potent targeted therapies. Hypoxia signalling has a pivotal role in kidney cancer, particularly within the most prevalent subtype, known as renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Hypoxia promotes various crucial pathological processes, such as hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) activation, angiogenesis, proliferation, metabolic reprogramming and drug resistance, all of which contribute to kidney cancer development, growth or metastasis formation. A substantial portion of kidney cancers, in particular clear cell RCC (ccRCC), are characterized by a loss of function of Von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor (VHL), leading to the accumulation of HIF proteins, especially HIF2α, a crucial driver of ccRCC. Thus, therapeutic strategies targeting pVHL-HIF signalling have been explored in ccRCC, culminating in the successful development of HIF2α-specific antagonists such as belzutifan (PT2977), an FDA-approved drug to treat VHL-associated diseases including advanced-stage ccRCC. An increased understanding of hypoxia signalling in kidney cancer came from the discovery of novel VHL protein (pVHL) targets, and mechanisms of synthetic lethality with VHL mutations. These breakthroughs can pave the way for the development of innovative and potent combination therapies in kidney cancer.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-024-00876-w
Nat Commun. 2024 Apr 30. 15(1): 3653

Mitochondrial genome transfer drives metabolic reprogramming in adjacent colonic epithelial cells promoting TGFβ1-mediated tumor progression.

Bingjie Guan, Youdong Liu, Bowen Xie, Senlin Zhao, Abudushalamu Yalikun, Weiwei Chen, Menghua Zhou, Qi Gu, Dongwang Yan.

Although nontumor components play an essential role in colon cancer (CC) progression, the intercellular communication between CC cells and adjacent colonic epithelial cells (CECs) remains poorly understood. Here, we show that intact mitochondrial genome (mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA) is enriched in serum extracellular vesicles (EVs) from CC patients and positively correlated with tumor stage. Intriguingly, circular mtDNA transferred via tumor cell-derived EVs (EV-mtDNA) enhances mitochondrial respiration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in CECs. Moreover, the EV-mtDNA increases TGFβ1 expression in CECs, which in turn promotes tumor progression. Mechanistically, the intercellular mtDNA transfer activates the mitochondrial respiratory chain to induce the ROS-driven RelA nuclear translocation in CECs, thereby transcriptionally regulating TGFβ1 expression and promoting tumor progression via the TGFβ/Smad pathway. Hence, this study highlights EV-mtDNA as a major driver of paracrine metabolic crosstalk between CC cells and adjacent CECs, possibly identifying it as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for CC.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48100-y
JHEP Rep. 2024 May;6(5): 101077

Glutamine metabolism, a double agent combating or fuelling hepatocellular carcinoma.

Razan Abou Ziki, Sabine Colnot.

  The reprogramming of glutamine metabolism is a key event in cancer more generally and in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in particular. Glutamine consumption supplies tumours with ATP and metabolites through anaplerosis of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, while glutamine production can be enhanced by the overexpression of glutamine synthetase. In HCC, increased glutamine production is driven by activating mutations in the CTNNB1 gene encoding β-catenin. Increased glutamine synthesis or utilisation impacts tumour epigenetics, oxidative stress, autophagy, immunity and associated pathways, such as the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway. In this review, we will discuss studies which emphasise the pro-tumoral or tumour-suppressive effect of glutamine overproduction. It is clear that more comprehensive studies are needed as a foundation from which to develop suitable therapies targeting glutamine metabolic pathways, depending on the predicted pro- or anti-tumour role of dysregulated glutamine metabolism in distinct genetic contexts.

Keywords:  Hepatocellular carcinoma; beta-catenin; glutaminase; glutamine metabolism; glutamine synthetase; liver zonation

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhepr.2024.101077
Cell Death Dis. 2024 May 02. 15(5): 311

A novel inhibitor of the mitochondrial respiratory complex I with uncoupling properties exerts potent antitumor activity.

Alaa Al Assi, Solène Posty, Frédéric Lamarche, Amel Chebel, Jérôme Guitton, Cécile Cottet-Rousselle, Renaud Prudent, Laurence Lafanechère, Stéphane Giraud, Patrick Dallemagne, Peggy Suzanne, Aurélie Verney, Laurent Genestier, Marie Castets, Eric Fontaine, Marc Billaud, Martine Cordier-Bussat.

Cancer cells are highly dependent on bioenergetic processes to support their growth and survival. Disruption of metabolic pathways, particularly by targeting the mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes (ETC-I to V) has become an attractive therapeutic strategy. As a result, the search for clinically effective new respiratory chain inhibitors with minimized adverse effects is a major goal. Here, we characterize a new OXPHOS inhibitor compound called MS-L6, which behaves as an inhibitor of ETC-I, combining inhibition of NADH oxidation and uncoupling effect. MS-L6 is effective on both intact and sub-mitochondrial particles, indicating that its efficacy does not depend on its accumulation within the mitochondria. MS-L6 reduces ATP synthesis and induces a metabolic shift with increased glucose consumption and lactate production in cancer cell lines. MS-L6 either dose-dependently inhibits cell proliferation or induces cell death in a variety of cancer cell lines, including B-cell and T-cell lymphomas as well as pediatric sarcoma. Ectopic expression of Saccharomyces cerevisiae NADH dehydrogenase (NDI-1) partially restores the viability of B-lymphoma cells treated with MS-L6, demonstrating that the inhibition of NADH oxidation is functionally linked to its cytotoxic effect. Furthermore, MS-L6 administration induces robust inhibition of lymphoma tumor growth in two murine xenograft models without toxicity. Thus, our data present MS-L6 as an inhibitor of OXPHOS, with a dual mechanism of action on the respiratory chain and with potent antitumor properties in preclinical models, positioning it as the pioneering member of a promising drug class to be evaluated for cancer therapy. MS-L6 exerts dual mitochondrial effects: ETC-I inhibition and uncoupling of OXPHOS. In cancer cells, MS-L6 inhibited ETC-I at least 5 times more than in isolated rat hepatocytes. These mitochondrial effects lead to energy collapse in cancer cells, resulting in proliferation arrest and cell death. In contrast, hepatocytes which completely and rapidly inactivated this molecule, restored their energy status and survived exposure to MS-L6 without apparent toxicity.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-024-06668-9
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 May 07. 121(19): e2317703121

An aldehyde-crosslinking mitochondrial probe for STED imaging in fixed cells.

Jingting Chen, Till Stephan, Felix Gaedke, Tianyan Liu, Yiyan Li, Astrid Schauss, Peng Chen, Veronika Wulff, Stefan Jakobs, Christian Jüngst, Zhixing Chen.

  Fluorescence labeling of chemically fixed specimens, especially immunolabeling, plays a vital role in super-resolution imaging as it offers a convenient way to visualize cellular structures like mitochondria or the distribution of biomolecules with high detail. Despite the development of various distinct probes that enable super-resolved stimulated emission depletion (STED) imaging of mitochondria in live cells, most of these membrane-potential-dependent fluorophores cannot be retained well in mitochondria after chemical fixation. This lack of suitable mitochondrial probes has limited STED imaging of mitochondria to live cell samples. In this study, we introduce a mitochondria-specific probe, PK Mito Orange FX (PKMO FX), which features a fixation-driven cross-linking motif and accumulates in the mitochondrial inner membrane. It exhibits high fluorescence retention after chemical fixation and efficient depletion at 775 nm, enabling nanoscopic imaging both before and after aldehyde fixation. We demonstrate the compatibility of this probe with conventional immunolabeling and other strategies commonly used for fluorescence labeling of fixed samples. Moreover, we show that PKMO FX facilitates correlative super-resolution light and electron microscopy, enabling the correlation of multicolor fluorescence images and transmission EM images via the characteristic mitochondrial pattern. Our probe further expands the mitochondrial toolkit for multimodal microscopy at nanometer resolutions.

Keywords:  CLEM; fixation; mitochondrial imaging; super-resolution imaging

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2317703121
EMBO Mol Med. 2024 Apr 29.

Inhibition of asparagine synthetase effectively retards polycystic kidney disease progression.

Sara Clerici, Christine Podrini, Davide Stefanoni, Gianfranco Distefano, Laura Cassina, Maria Elena Steidl, Laura Tronci, Tamara Canu, Marco Chiaravalli, Daniel Spies, Thomas A Bell, Ana Sh Costa, Antonio Esposito, Angelo D'Alessandro, Christian Frezza, Angela Bachi, Alessandra Boletta.

  Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is a genetic disorder characterized by bilateral cyst formation. We showed that PKD cells and kidneys display metabolic alterations, including the Warburg effect and glutaminolysis, sustained in vitro by the enzyme asparagine synthetase (ASNS). Here, we used antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) against Asns in orthologous and slowly progressive PKD murine models and show that treatment leads to a drastic reduction of total kidney volume (measured by MRI) and a prominent rescue of renal function in the mouse. Mechanistically, the upregulation of an ATF4-ASNS axis in PKD is driven by the amino acid response (AAR) branch of the integrated stress response (ISR). Metabolic profiling of PKD or control kidneys treated with Asns-ASO or Scr-ASO revealed major changes in the mutants, several of which are rescued by Asns silencing in vivo. Indeed, ASNS drives glutamine-dependent de novo pyrimidine synthesis and proliferation in cystic epithelia. Notably, while several metabolic pathways were completely corrected by Asns-ASO, glycolysis was only partially restored. Accordingly, combining the glycolytic inhibitor 2DG with Asns-ASO further improved efficacy. Our studies identify a new therapeutic target and novel metabolic vulnerabilities in PKD.

Keywords:  ADPKD; Antisense Oligonucleotides; Glutamine Metabolism; Glycolysis; Metabolic Reprogramming

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-024-00071-9
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2024 May 01. pii: a041534. [Epub ahead of print]

Mitochondria and Cancer.

Timothy C Kenny, Kıvanç Birsoy.

Mitochondria are semiautonomous organelles with diverse metabolic and cellular functions including anabolism and energy production through oxidative phosphorylation. Following the pioneering observations of Otto Warburg nearly a century ago, an immense body of work has examined the role of mitochondria in cancer pathogenesis and progression. Here, we summarize the current state of the field, which has coalesced around the position that functional mitochondria are required for cancer cell proliferation. In this review, we discuss how mitochondria influence tumorigenesis by impacting anabolism, intracellular signaling, and the tumor microenvironment. Consistent with their critical functions in tumor formation, mitochondria have become an attractive target for cancer therapy. We provide a comprehensive update on the numerous therapeutic modalities targeting the mitochondria of cancer cells making their way through clinical trials.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a041534
Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Apr 29. pii: S1043-2760(24)00088-2. [Epub ahead of print]

MCU genetically altered mice suggest how mitochondrial Ca2+ regulates metabolism.

Jiuzhou Huo, Jeffery D Molkentin.

  Skeletal muscle has a major impact on total body metabolism and obesity, and is characterized by dynamic regulation of substrate utilization. While it is accepted that acute increases in mitochondrial matrix Ca2+ increase carbohydrate usage to augment ATP production, recent studies in mice with deleted genes for components of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) complex have suggested a more complicated regulatory scenario. Indeed, mice with a deleted Mcu gene in muscle, which lack acute mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, have greater fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and less adiposity. By contrast, mice deleted for the inhibitory Mcub gene in skeletal muscle, which have greater acute mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, antithetically display reduced FAO and progressive obesity. In this review we discuss the emerging concept that dynamic fluxing of mitochondrial matrix Ca2+ regulates metabolism.

Keywords:  Ca(2+) signaling; metabolism; mitochondria; obesity; skeletal muscle

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tem.2024.04.005
J Vis Exp. 2024 Apr 12.

Construction of Out-of-Equilibrium Metabolic Networks in Nano- and Micrometer-Sized Vesicles.

Jelmer Coenradij, Eleonora Bailoni, Bert Poolman.

We present a method to incorporate into vesicles complex protein networks, involving integral membrane proteins, enzymes, and fluorescence-based sensors, using purified components. This method is relevant for the design and construction of bioreactors and the study of complex out-of-equilibrium metabolic reaction networks. We start by reconstituting (multiple) membrane proteins into large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) according to a previously developed protocol. We then encapsulate a mixture of purified enzymes, metabolites, and fluorescence-based sensors (fluorescent proteins or dyes) via freeze-thaw-extrusion and remove non-incorporated components by centrifugation and/or size-exclusion chromatography. The performance of the metabolic networks is measured in real time by monitoring the ATP/ADP ratio, metabolite concentration, internal pH, or other parameters by fluorescence readout. Our membrane protein-containing vesicles of 100-400 nm diameter can be converted into giant-unilamellar vesicles (GUVs), using existing but optimized procedures. The approach enables the inclusion of soluble components (enzymes, metabolites, sensors) into micrometer-size vesicles, thus upscaling the volume of the bioreactors by orders of magnitude. The metabolic network containing GUVs are trapped in microfluidic devices for analysis by optical microscopy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3791/66627
Cell Metab. 2024 Apr 15. pii: S1550-4131(23)00472-2. [Epub ahead of print]

The mitochondrial multi-omic response to exercise training across rat tissues.

MoTrPAC Study Group

  Mitochondria have diverse functions critical to whole-body metabolic homeostasis. Endurance training alters mitochondrial activity, but systematic characterization of these adaptations is lacking. Here, the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium mapped the temporal, multi-omic changes in mitochondrial analytes across 19 tissues in male and female rats trained for 1, 2, 4, or 8 weeks. Training elicited substantial changes in the adrenal gland, brown adipose, colon, heart, and skeletal muscle. The colon showed non-linear response dynamics, whereas mitochondrial pathways were downregulated in brown adipose and adrenal tissues. Protein acetylation increased in the liver, with a shift in lipid metabolism, whereas oxidative proteins increased in striated muscles. Exercise-upregulated networks were downregulated in human diabetes and cirrhosis. Knockdown of the central network protein 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 10 (HSD17B10) elevated oxygen consumption, indicative of metabolic stress. We provide a multi-omic, multi-tissue, temporal atlas of the mitochondrial response to exercise training and identify candidates linked to mitochondrial dysfunction.

Keywords:  HSD17B10; acetylome; aerobic; exercise; metabolism; metabolomics; mitochondria; multi-omics; proteomics; transcriptomics

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2023.12.021
Cell Commun Signal. 2024 May 01. 22(1): 249

Cuproptosis: unveiling a new frontier in cancer biology and therapeutics.

Ying Feng, Zhibo Yang, Jianpeng Wang, Hai Zhao.

  Copper plays vital roles in numerous cellular processes and its imbalance can lead to oxidative stress and dysfunction. Recent research has unveiled a unique form of copper-induced cell death, termed cuproptosis, which differs from known cell death mechanisms. This process involves the interaction of copper with lipoylated tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes, causing protein aggregation and cell death. Recently, a growing number of studies have explored the link between cuproptosis and cancer development. This review comprehensively examines the systemic and cellular metabolism of copper, including tumor-related signaling pathways influenced by copper. It delves into the discovery and mechanisms of cuproptosis and its connection to various cancers. Additionally, the review suggests potential cancer treatments using copper ionophores that induce cuproptosis, in combination with small molecule drugs, for precision therapy in specific cancer types.

Keywords:  Copper; Copper homeostasis; Cuproptosis; Immunotherapy; Mitochondria; Targetted therapy

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-024-01625-7
Sci Rep. 2024 04 30. 14(1): 9888

Saturated fatty acids inhibit unsaturated fatty acid induced glucose uptake involving GLUT10 and aerobic glycolysis in bovine granulosa cells.

Xuelian Tao, Maryam Rahimi, Marten Michaelis, Solvig Görs, Julia Brenmoehl, Jens Vanselow, Vijay Simha Baddela.

  Fatty acids have been shown to modulate glucose metabolism in vitro and in vivo. However, there is still a need for substantial evidence and mechanistic understanding in many cell types whether both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (SFAs and UFAs) pose a similar effect and, if not, what determines the net effect of fatty acid mixes on glucose metabolism. In the present study, we asked these questions by treating granulosa cells (GCs) with the most abundant non-esterified fatty acid species in bovine follicular fluid. Results revealed that oleic and alpha-linolenic acids (UFAs) significantly increased glucose consumption compared to palmitic and stearic acids (SFAs). A significant increase in lactate production, extracellular acidification rate, and decreased mitochondrial activity indicate glucose channeling through aerobic glycolysis in UFA treated GCs. We show that insulin independent glucose transporter GLUT10 is essential for UFA driven glucose consumption, and the induction of AKT and ERK signaling pathways necessary for GLUT10 expression. To mimic the physiological conditions, we co-treated GCs with mixes of SFAs and UFAs. Interestingly, co-treatments abolished the UFA induced glucose uptake and metabolism by inhibiting AKT and ERK phosphorylation and GLUT10 expression. These data suggest that the net effect of fatty acid induced glucose uptake in GCs is determined by SFAs under physiological conditions.

Keywords:  Fatty acids; GLUT10; Glucose; Granulosa cells; Metabolism

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-59883-x
Trends Cancer. 2024 Apr 30. pii: S2405-8033(24)00059-1. [Epub ahead of print]

Immunometabolism of CD8+ T cell differentiation in cancer.

Hao Shi, Sidi Chen, Hongbo Chi.

  CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are central mediators of tumor immunity and immunotherapies. Upon tumor antigen recognition, CTLs differentiate from naive/memory-like toward terminally exhausted populations with more limited function against tumors. Such differentiation is regulated by both immune signals, including T cell receptors (TCRs), co-stimulation, and cytokines, and metabolism-associated processes. These immune signals shape the metabolic landscape via signaling, transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms, while metabolic processes in turn exert spatiotemporal effects to modulate the strength and duration of immune signaling. Here, we review the bidirectional regulation between immune signals and metabolic processes, including nutrient uptake and intracellular metabolic pathways, in shaping CTL differentiation and exhaustion. We also discuss the mechanisms underlying how specific nutrient sources and metabolite-mediated signaling events orchestrate CTL biology. Understanding how metabolic programs and their interplay with immune signals instruct CTL differentiation and exhaustion is crucial to uncover tumor-immune interactions and design novel immunotherapies.

Keywords:  T cell differentiation; TCR; antitumor function; cytokines; exhaustion; mitochondrial fitness

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trecan.2024.03.010
Nat Metab. 2024 Apr 30.

Inhibition of mammalian mtDNA transcription acts paradoxically to reverse diet-induced hepatosteatosis and obesity.

Shan Jiang, Taolin Yuan, Florian A Rosenberger, Arnaud Mourier, Nathalia R V Dragano, Laura S Kremer, Diana Rubalcava-Gracia, Fynn M Hansen, Melissa Borg, Mara Mennuni, Roberta Filograna, David Alsina, Jelena Misic, Camilla Koolmeister, Polyxeni Papadea, Martin Hrabe de Angelis, Lipeng Ren, Olov Andersson, Anke Unger, Tim Bergbrede, Raffaella Di Lucrezia, Rolf Wibom, Juleen R Zierath, Anna Krook, Patrick Giavalisco, Matthias Mann, Nils-Göran Larsson.

The oxidative phosphorylation system1 in mammalian mitochondria plays a key role in transducing energy from ingested nutrients2. Mitochondrial metabolism is dynamic and can be reprogrammed to support both catabolic and anabolic reactions, depending on physiological demands or disease states. Rewiring of mitochondrial metabolism is intricately linked to metabolic diseases and promotes tumour growth3-5. Here, we demonstrate that oral treatment with an inhibitor of mitochondrial transcription (IMT)6 shifts whole-animal metabolism towards fatty acid oxidation, which, in turn, leads to rapid normalization of body weight, reversal of hepatosteatosis and restoration of normal glucose tolerance in male mice on a high-fat diet. Paradoxically, the IMT treatment causes a severe reduction of oxidative phosphorylation capacity concomitant with marked upregulation of fatty acid oxidation in the liver, as determined by proteomics and metabolomics analyses. The IMT treatment leads to a marked reduction of complex I, the main dehydrogenase feeding electrons into the ubiquinone (Q) pool, whereas the levels of electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase and other dehydrogenases connected to the Q pool are increased. This rewiring of metabolism caused by reduced mtDNA expression in the liver provides a principle for drug treatment of obesity and obesity-related pathology.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-024-01038-3
Nature. 2024 May;629(8010): 98-104

Stereoselective amino acid synthesis by photobiocatalytic oxidative coupling.

Tian-Ci Wang, Binh Khanh Mai, Zheng Zhang, Zhiyu Bo, Jiedong Li, Peng Liu, Yang Yang.

Photobiocatalysis-where light is used to expand the reactivity of an enzyme-has recently emerged as a powerful strategy to develop chemistries that are new to nature. These systems have shown potential in asymmetric radical reactions that have long eluded small-molecule catalysts1. So far, unnatural photobiocatalytic reactions are limited to overall reductive and redox-neutral processes2-9. Here we report photobiocatalytic asymmetric sp3-sp3 oxidative cross-coupling between organoboron reagents and amino acids. This reaction requires the cooperative use of engineered pyridoxal biocatalysts, photoredox catalysts and an oxidizing agent. We repurpose a family of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes, threonine aldolases10-12, for the α-C-H functionalization of glycine and α-branched amino acid substrates by a radical mechanism, giving rise to a range of α-tri- and tetrasubstituted non-canonical amino acids 13-15 possessing up to two contiguous stereocentres. Directed evolution of pyridoxal radical enzymes allowed primary and secondary radical precursors, including benzyl, allyl and alkylboron reagents, to be coupled in an enantio- and diastereocontrolled fashion. Cooperative photoredox-pyridoxal biocatalysis provides a platform for sp3-sp3 oxidative coupling16, permitting the stereoselective, intermolecular free-radical transformations that are unknown to chemistry or biology.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07284-5
Nature. 2024 May 01.

Mitochondrial transfer mediates endothelial cell engraftment through mitophagy.

Ruei-Zeng Lin, Gwang-Bum Im, Allen Chilun Luo, Yonglin Zhu, Xuechong Hong, Joseph Neumeyer, Hong-Wen Tang, Norbert Perrimon, Juan M Melero-Martin.

Ischaemic diseases such as critical limb ischaemia and myocardial infarction affect millions of people worldwide1. Transplanting endothelial cells (ECs) is a promising therapy in vascular medicine, but engrafting ECs typically necessitates co-transplanting perivascular supporting cells such as mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), which makes clinical implementation complicated2,3. The mechanisms that enable MSCs to facilitate EC engraftment remain elusive. Here we show that, under cellular stress, MSCs transfer mitochondria to ECs through tunnelling nanotubes, and that blocking this transfer impairs EC engraftment. We devised a strategy to artificially transplant mitochondria, transiently enhancing EC bioenergetics and enabling them to form functional vessels in ischaemic tissues without the support of MSCs. Notably, exogenous mitochondria did not integrate into the endogenous EC mitochondrial pool, but triggered mitophagy after internalization. Transplanted mitochondria co-localized with autophagosomes, and ablation of the PINK1-Parkin pathway negated the enhanced engraftment ability of ECs. Our findings reveal a mechanism that underlies the effects of mitochondrial transfer between mesenchymal and endothelial cells, and offer potential for a new approach for vascular cell therapy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07340-0
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 May 07. 121(19): e2319022121

Understanding stoichiometric constraints on growth using resource use efficiency imbalances.

Clay Prater, Tin Phan, James J Elser, Punidan D Jeyasingh.

  Growth is a function of the net accrual of resources by an organism. Energy and elemental contents of organisms are dynamically linked through their uptake and allocation to biomass production, yet we lack a full understanding of how these dynamics regulate growth rate. Here, we develop a multivariate imbalance framework, the growth efficiency hypothesis, linking organismal resource contents to growth and metabolic use efficiencies, and demonstrate its effectiveness in predicting consumer growth rates under elemental and food quantity limitation. The relative proportions of carbon (%C), nitrogen (%N), phosphorus (%P), and adenosine triphosphate (%ATP) in consumers differed markedly across resource limitation treatments. Differences in their resource composition were linked to systematic changes in stoichiometric use efficiencies, which served to maintain relatively consistent relationships between elemental and ATP content in consumer tissues and optimize biomass production. Overall, these adjustments were quantitatively linked to growth, enabling highly accurate predictions of consumer growth rates.

Keywords:  carbon; ecological stoichiometry; nitrogen; nutritional physiology; phosphorus

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2319022121