bims-minimp 2021-07-11 papers

bims-minimp

Biomed News

on Mitochondria, innate immunity, proteostasis

Issue of 2021‒07‒11
twenty-four papers selected by
Hanna Salmonowicz
Newcastle University

DNA repair protein APE1 degrades dysfunctional abasic mRNA in mitochondria affecting oxidative phosphorylation.
Regulation of Mitochondrial Function by Natural Products for the Treatment of Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease.
Nutrient regulation of inflammatory signalling in obesity and vascular disease.
The Regulation of Animal Behavior by Cellular Stress Responses.
Sensing, signaling and surviving mitochondrial stress.
Gasdermins mediate cellular release of mitochondrial DNA during pyroptosis and apoptosis.
Proteostasis failure and mitochondrial dysfunction leads to aneuploidy-induced senescence.
Circulating mitochondrial DNA-triggered autophagy dysfunction via STING underlies sepsis-related acute lung injury.
Lipophorin receptor 1 (LpR1) in Drosophila muscle influences life span by regulating mitochondrial aging.
The Mitochondrial Hsp90 TRAP1 and Alzheimer's Disease.
Characterization of G4 DNA Formation in Mitochondrial DNA and their Potential Role in Mitochondrial Genome Instability.
Antimycin A-induced mitochondrial dysfunction regulates inflammasome signaling in human retinal pigment epithelial cells.
PDE2 Inhibits PKA-Mediated Phosphorylation of TFAM to Promote Mitochondrial Ca2+-Induced Colorectal Cancer Growth.
Two human metabolites rescue a C. elegans model of Alzheimer's disease via a cytosolic unfolded protein response.
RAB7 activity is required for the regulation of mitophagy in oocyte meiosis and oocyte quality control during ovarian aging.
Independent of mitochondrial respiratory function, dietary nitrate attenuates HFD-induced lipid accumulation and mitochondrial ROS emission within the liver.
Loss of MIC60 Aggravates Neuronal Death by Inducing Mitochondrial Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
The UL16 protein of HSV-1 promotes the metabolism of cell mitochondria by binding to ANT2 protein.
Label-free two-photon imaging of mitochondrial activity in murine macrophages stimulated with bacterial and viral ligands.
ReporterSeq reveals genome-wide dynamic modulators of the heat shock response across diverse stressors.
FIP200 controls the TBK1 activation threshold at SQSTM1/p62-positive condensates.
Common features of aging fail to occur in Drosophila raised without a bacterial microbiome.
Proteostasis Dysfunction in Aged Mammalian Cells. The Stressful Role of Inflammation.
Mitochondrial protein IF1 is a potential regulator of glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) secretion function of the mouse intestine.

J Mol Biol. 2021 Jul 02. pii: S0022-2836(21)00349-1. [Epub ahead of print] 167125

DNA repair protein APE1 degrades dysfunctional abasic mRNA in mitochondria affecting oxidative phosphorylation.

Arianna Barchiesi, Veronica Bazzani, Agata Jabczynska, Lukasz S Borowski, Silke Oeljeklaus, Bettina Warscheid, Agnieszka Chacinska, Roman J Szczesny, Carlo Vascotto.

  APE1 is a multifunctional protein which plays a central role in the maintenance of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes repairing DNA lesions caused by oxidative and alkylating agents. In addition, it works as a redox signaling protein regulating gene expression by interacting with many transcriptional factors. Apart from these canonical activities, recent studies have shown that APE1 is also enzymatically active on RNA molecules. The present study unveils for the first time a new role of the mitochondrial form of APE1 protein in the metabolism of RNA in mitochondria. Our data demonstrate that APE1 is associated with mitochondrial messenger RNA and exerts endoribonuclease activity on abasic sites. Loss of APE1 results in the accumulation of damaged mitochondrial mRNA species, determining impairment in protein translation and reduced expression of mitochondrial-encoded proteins, finally leading to less efficient mitochondrial respiration. Altogether, our data demonstrate that APE1 plays an active role in the degradation of the mitochondrial mRNA and has a profound impact on mitochondrial well-being.

Keywords:  Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease 1; Mitochondria; Oxidative phosphorylation; RNA processing

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167125
Can J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021 ;2021 5527315

Regulation of Mitochondrial Function by Natural Products for the Treatment of Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease.

Tingting Shi, Liping Yu, Rangxiao Zhuang, Jianjun Xi, Ruoyu He, Yidan Shao, Jinsong Huang, Shourong Liu, Xingxin Yang.

Metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a multifactorial systemic disorder that occurs in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption. The disease is characterized by fatty degeneration and fat accumulation in liver parenchymal cells, the incidence of which is increasing annually, particularly in younger adults. MAFLD is caused by genetic and metabolism related disorders, of which mitochondrial dysfunction is the major contributor. Natural products can relieve MAFLD through restoring mitochondrial function. In this article, we describe the relationship between mitochondria and MAFLD and discuss the beneficial effects of natural products as a future anti-MAFLD strategy. Significance Statement. We herein propose that the development of mitochondrial regulators/nutrients from natural products can remedy mitochondrial dysfunction which represents an attractive strategy for the treatment of MAFLD. Furthermore, the mitochondrial regulation of natural products can provide new insight into the underlying mechanisms of action of natural products used for future MAFLD therapeutics.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5527315
Clin Sci (Lond). 2021 Jul 16. 135(13): 1563-1590

Nutrient regulation of inflammatory signalling in obesity and vascular disease.

Timothy M Palmer, Ian P Salt.

  Despite obesity and diabetes markedly increasing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie this association remain poorly characterised. In the last 20 years it has become apparent that chronic, low-grade inflammation in obese adipose tissue may contribute to the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, increased vascular pro-inflammatory signalling is a key event in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Overnutrition exacerbates pro-inflammatory signalling in vascular and adipose tissues, with several mechanisms proposed to mediate this. In this article, we review the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which nutrients are proposed to regulate pro-inflammatory signalling in adipose and vascular tissues. In addition, we examine the potential therapeutic opportunities that these mechanisms provide for suppression of inappropriate inflammation in obesity and vascular disease.

Keywords:  cardiovascular disease; hyperglycaemia; inflammation; obesity

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20190768
Exp Cell Res. 2021 Jul 01. pii: S0014-4827(21)00252-4. [Epub ahead of print] 112720

The Regulation of Animal Behavior by Cellular Stress Responses.

Neşem P O Zbey, Maximilian A Thompson, Rebecca C Taylor.

  Cellular stress responses exist to detect the effects of stress on cells and to enact responses that protect from that stress. As well as acting at the cellular level, stress response pathways can also regulate whole organism responses to stress. One way in which animals facilitate their survival in stressful environments is through behavioral adaptation; this review considers the evidence that activation of cellular stress responses plays an important role in mediating the changes to behavior that promote organismal survival upon stress.

Keywords:  Stress response; UPR; behavior; signaling; transcription factor

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yexcr.2021.112720
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2021 Jul 06.

Sensing, signaling and surviving mitochondrial stress.

Eva-Maria Eckl, Olga Ziegemann, Luisa Krumwiede, Evelyn Fessler, Lucas T Jae.

  Mitochondrial fidelity is a key determinant of longevity and was found to be perturbed in a multitude of disease contexts ranging from neurodegeneration to heart failure. Tight homeostatic control of the mitochondrial proteome is a crucial aspect of mitochondrial function, which is severely complicated by the evolutionary origin and resulting peculiarities of the organelle. This is, on one hand, reflected by a range of basal quality control factors such as mitochondria-resident chaperones and proteases, that assist in import and folding of precursors as well as removal of aggregated proteins. On the other hand, stress causes the activation of several additional mechanisms that counteract any damage that may threaten mitochondrial function. Countermeasures depend on the location and intensity of the stress and on a range of factors that are equipped to sense and signal the nature of the encountered perturbation. Defective mitochondrial import activates mechanisms that combat the accumulation of precursors in the cytosol and the import pore. To resolve proteotoxic stress in the organelle interior, mitochondria depend on nuclear transcriptional programs, such as the mitochondrial unfolded protein response and the integrated stress response. If organelle damage is too severe, mitochondria signal for their own destruction in a process termed mitophagy, thereby preventing further harm to the mitochondrial network and allowing the cell to salvage their biological building blocks. Here, we provide an overview of how different types and intensities of stress activate distinct pathways aimed at preserving mitochondrial fidelity.

Keywords:  DELE1; Integrated stress response (ISR); Mitochondria; Mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt); Mitophagy; Protein import

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-021-03887-7
FASEB J. 2021 Aug;35(8): e21757

Gasdermins mediate cellular release of mitochondrial DNA during pyroptosis and apoptosis.

Carlos de Torre-Minguela, Ana I Gómez, Isabelle Couillin, Pablo Pelegrín.

  Pyroptosis and intrinsic apoptosis are two forms of regulated cell death driven by active caspases where plasma membrane permeabilization is induced by gasdermin pores. Caspase-1 induces gasdermin D pore formation during pyroptosis, whereas caspase-3 promotes gasdermin E pore formation during apoptosis. These two types of cell death are accompanied by mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization due to BAK/BAX pore formation in the external membrane of mitochondria, and to some extent, this complex also affects the inner mitochondrial membrane facilitating mitochondrial DNA relocalization from the matrix to the cytosol. However, the detailed mechanism responsible for this process has not been investigated. Herein, we reported that gasdermin processing is required to induce mitochondrial DNA release from cells during pyroptosis and apoptosis. Gasdermin targeted at the plasma membrane promotes a fast mitochondrial collapse along with the initial accumulation of mitochondrial DNA in the cytosol and then facilitates the DNA's release from the cell when the plasma membrane ruptures. These findings demonstrate that gasdermin action has a critical effect on the plasma membrane and facilitates the release of mitochondrial DNA as a damage-associated molecular pattern.

Keywords:  GSDMD; GSDME; macrophages; mitochondrial DNA; pyroptosis

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.202100085R
Dev Cell. 2021 Jun 28. pii: S1534-5807(21)00516-5. [Epub ahead of print]

Proteostasis failure and mitochondrial dysfunction leads to aneuploidy-induced senescence.

Jery Joy, Lara Barrio, Celia Santos-Tapia, Daniela Romão, Nikolaos Nikiforos Giakoumakis, Marta Clemente-Ruiz, Marco Milán.

  Aneuploidy, an unbalanced number of chromosomes, is highly deleterious at the cellular level and leads to senescence, a stress-induced response characterized by permanent cell-cycle arrest and a well-defined associated secretory phenotype. Here, we use a Drosophila epithelial model to delineate the pathway that leads to the induction of senescence as a consequence of the acquisition of an aneuploid karyotype. Whereas aneuploidy induces, as a result of gene dosage imbalance, proteotoxic stress and activation of the major protein quality control mechanisms, near-saturation functioning of autophagy leads to compromised mitophagy, accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria, and the production of radical oxygen species (ROS). We uncovered a role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in driving senescence as a consequence of dysfunctional mitochondria and ROS. We show that activation of the major protein quality control mechanisms and mitophagy dampens the deleterious effects of aneuploidy, and we identify a role of senescence in proteostasis and compensatory proliferation for tissue repair.

Keywords:  Drosophila; aneuploidy; autophagy; chromosomal instability; mitochondrial dysfunction; mitophagy; proteotoxic stress; senescence; tissue repair

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2021.06.009
Cell Death Dis. 2021 Jul 03. 12(7): 673

Circulating mitochondrial DNA-triggered autophagy dysfunction via STING underlies sepsis-related acute lung injury.

Qinjie Liu, Jie Wu, Xufei Zhang, Xuanheng Li, Xiuwen Wu, Yun Zhao, Jianan Ren.

The STING pathway and its induction of autophagy initiate a potent immune defense response upon the recognition of pathogenic DNA. However, this protective response is minimal, as STING activation worsens organ damage, and abnormal autophagy is observed during progressive sepsis. Whether and how the STING pathway affects autophagic flux during sepsis-induced acute lung injury (sALI) are currently unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the level of circulating mtDNA and degree of STING activation are increased in sALI patients. Furthermore, STING activation was found to play a pivotal role in mtDNA-mediated lung injury by evoking an inflammatory storm and disturbing autophagy. Mechanistically, STING activation interferes with lysosomal acidification in an interferon (IFN)-dependent manner without affecting autophagosome biogenesis or fusion, aggravating sepsis. Induction of autophagy or STING deficiency alleviated lung injury. These findings provide new insights into the role of STING in the regulatory mechanisms behind extrapulmonary sALI.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-021-03961-9
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2021 Jun 29. pii: S0006-291X(21)01002-0. [Epub ahead of print]568 95-102

Lipophorin receptor 1 (LpR1) in Drosophila muscle influences life span by regulating mitochondrial aging.

Ae-Kyeong Kim, Dae-Woo Kwon, Eunbyul Yeom, Kwang-Pyo Lee, Ki-Sun Kwon, Kweon Yu, Kyu-Sun Lee.

  Sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by progressive loss of muscle mass and function during aging. Although mitochondrial dysfunction and related metabolic defects precede age-related changes in muscle, their contributions to muscle aging are still not well known. In this study, we used a Drosophila model to investigate the role of lipophorin receptors (LpRs), a Drosophila homologue of the mammalian very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), in mitochondrial dynamics and muscle aging. Muscle-specific knockdown of LpR1 or LpR2 resulted in mitochondrial dysfunction and reduced proteostasis, which contributed to muscle aging. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) ameliorated muscle dysfunction induced by LpR1 knockdown. These results suggest that LpR1/VLDLR is a novel key target that modulates age-dependent lipid remodeling and muscle homeostasis.

Keywords:  Aging; Drosophila model; Lipoprotein receptor; Mitochondria; Sarcopenia

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.06.080
Front Mol Biosci. 2021 ;8 697913

The Mitochondrial Hsp90 TRAP1 and Alzheimer's Disease.

Françoise A Dekker, Stefan G D Rüdiger.

  Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, characterised by intra- and extracellular protein aggregation. In AD, the cellular protein quality control (PQC) system is derailed and fails to prevent the formation of these aggregates. Especially the mitochondrial paralogue of the conserved Hsp90 chaperone class, tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1), is strongly downregulated in AD, more than other major PQC factors. Here, we review molecular mechanism and cellular function of TRAP1 and subsequently discuss possible links to AD. TRAP1 is an interesting paradigm for the Hsp90 family, as it chaperones proteins with vital cellular function, despite not being regulated by any of the co-chaperones that drive its cytosolic paralogues. TRAP1 encloses late folding intermediates in a non-active state. Thereby, it is involved in the assembly of the electron transport chain, and it favours the switch from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis. Another key function is that it ensures mitochondrial integrity by regulating the mitochondrial pore opening through Cyclophilin D. While it is still unclear whether TRAP1 itself is a driver or a passenger in AD, it might be a guide to identify key factors initiating neurodegeneration.

Keywords:  mitochondria; molecular chaperones; neurodegeneration; protein aggregation; protein folding; protein quality control; proteostasis

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2021.697913
FEBS J. 2021 Jul 06.

Characterization of G4 DNA Formation in Mitochondrial DNA and their Potential Role in Mitochondrial Genome Instability.

Sumedha Dahal, Humaira Siddiqua, Vijeth K Katapadi, Divyaanka Iyer, Sathees C Raghavan.

  Mitochondria possess their own genome which can be replicated independently of nuclear DNA. Mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell, produce reactive oxygen species, due to which the mitochondrial genome is frequently exposed to oxidative damage. Previous studies have demonstrated association of mitochondrial deletions to aging and human disorders. Many of these deletions were present adjacent to non-B DNA structures. Thus, we investigate noncanonical structures associated with instability in mitochondrial genome. In silico studies revealed the presence of >100 G-quadruplex motifs (of which 5 have the potential to form 3 plate G4 DNA), 23 inverted repeats, and 3 mirror repeats in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Further analysis revealed that among the deletion breakpoints from patients with mitochondrial disorders, majority are located at G4 DNA motifs. Interestingly, ~50% of the deletions were at base-pair positions 8271-8281, ~35% were due to deletion at 12362-12384 and ~12% due to deletion at 15516-15545. Formation of 3 plate G-quadruplex DNA structures at mitochondrial fragile regions was characterized using electromobility shift assay, circular dichroism (CD) and Taq polymerase stop assay. All 5 regions could fold into both intramolecular and intermolecular G-quadruplex structures in a KCl dependent manner. G4 DNA formation was in parallel orientation, which was abolished in presence of LiCl. The formation of G4 DNA affected both replication and transcription. Finally, immunolocalization of BG4 with MitoTracker confirmed the formation of G-quadruplex in mitochondrial genome. Thus, we characterize formation of 5 different G-quadruplex structures in human mitochondrial region, which may contribute towards formation of mitochondrial deletions.

Keywords:  G4 DNA; Mitochondrial deletion; Mitochondrial fragility; Tetraplexes; non-B DNA structure

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/febs.16113
Exp Eye Res. 2021 Jul 01. pii: S0014-4835(21)00253-0. [Epub ahead of print]209 108687

Antimycin A-induced mitochondrial dysfunction regulates inflammasome signaling in human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Eveliina Korhonen, Maria Hytti, Niina Piippo, Kai Kaarniranta, Anu Kauppinen.

  Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a severe retinal eye disease where dysfunctional mitochondria and damaged mitochondrial DNA in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) have been demonstrated to underlie the pathogenesis of this devastating disease. In the present study, we aimed to examine whether damaged mitochondria induce inflammasome activation in human RPE cells. Therefore, ARPE-19 cells were primed with IL-1α and exposed to the mitochondrial electron transport chain complex III inhibitor, antimycin A. We found that antimycin A-induced mitochondrial dysfunction caused caspase-1-dependent inflammasome activation and subsequent production of mature IL-1β and IL-18 in human RPE cells. AIM2 and NLRP3 appeared to be the responsible inflammasome receptors upon antimycin A-induced mitochondrial damage. We aimed at verifying our findings using hESC-RPE cells but antimycin A was absorbed by melanin. Therefore, results were repeated on D407 RPE cell cultures. Antimycin A-induced mitochondrial and NADPH oxidase-dependent ROS production occurred upstream of inflammasome activation, whereas K+ efflux was not required for inflammasome activation in antimycin A-treated human RPE cells. Collectively, our data emphasize that dysfunctional mitochondria regulate the assembly of inflammasome multiprotein complexes in the human RPE cells. The present study associates AIM2 with the pathogenesis of AMD.

Keywords:  AIM2; Age-related macular degeneration; Inflammasome; Interleukin-1beta; Mitochondrial damage; NLRP3; Retinal pigment epithelium

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exer.2021.108687
Front Oncol. 2021 ;11 663778

PDE2 Inhibits PKA-Mediated Phosphorylation of TFAM to Promote Mitochondrial Ca2+-Induced Colorectal Cancer Growth.

Yilin Zhao, Yaya Wang, Jing Zhao, Zhaohui Zhang, Mingpeng Jin, Feng Zhou, Chao Jin, Jing Zhang, Jinliang Xing, Nan Wang, Xianli He, Tingting Ren.

  Growing evidence indicates that the dysregulation of mitochondrial calcium (Ca2+) plays a critical role in the growth of tumor cells, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the underling mechanism is not fully elucidated. In this study, the regulatory effects of mitochondrial Ca2+ on phosphodiesterase 2 (PDE2)/cAMP/PKA axis and the phosphorylation of mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) as well as the growth of CRC cells were systematically investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings demonstrated that MCU-induced mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake activated mitochondrial PDE2 in CRC cells. Moreover, overexpression MCU in CRC led to a 1.9-fold increase in Ca2+ uptake compared to control cells. However, knockdown of MCU resulted in 1.5-fould decrease in Ca2+ uptake in mitochondria compared to the controls. Activation of mitochondrial PDE2 significantly inhibited the activity of mitochondrial protein kinase A (PKA), which subsequently leads to decreased phosphorylation of TFAM. Our data further revealed that PKA regulates the phosphorylation of TFAM and promotes the degradation of phosphorylated TFAM. Thus, TFAM protein levels accumulated in mitochondria when the activity of PKA was inhibited. Overall, this study showed that the overexpression of MCU enhanced CRC growth through promoting the accumulation of TFAM proteins in mitochondria. Conversely, knockdown of MCU in CRC cells resulted in decreased CRC growth. Collectively, these data suggest that the mitochondrial Ca2+-activated PDE2/cAMP/PKA axis plays a key role in regulating TFAM stability and the growth of CRC cells.

Keywords:  colorectal cancer; mitochondrial Ca2+; mitochondrial calcium uniporter; mitochondrial transcription factor A; phosphodiesterase 2

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2021.663778
Commun Biol. 2021 Jul 07. 4(1): 843

Two human metabolites rescue a C. elegans model of Alzheimer's disease via a cytosolic unfolded protein response.

Priyanka Joshi, Michele Perni, Ryan Limbocker, Benedetta Mannini, Sam Casford, Sean Chia, Johnny Habchi, Johnathan Labbadia, Christopher M Dobson, Michele Vendruscolo.

Age-related changes in cellular metabolism can affect brain homeostasis, creating conditions that are permissive to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Although the roles of metabolites have been extensively studied with regard to cellular signaling pathways, their effects on protein aggregation remain relatively unexplored. By computationally analysing the Human Metabolome Database, we identified two endogenous metabolites, carnosine and kynurenic acid, that inhibit the aggregation of the amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) and rescue a C. elegans model of Alzheimer's disease. We found that these metabolites act by triggering a cytosolic unfolded protein response through the transcription factor HSF-1 and downstream chaperones HSP40/J-proteins DNJ-12 and DNJ-19. These results help rationalise previous observations regarding the possible anti-ageing benefits of these metabolites by providing a mechanism for their action. Taken together, our findings provide a link between metabolite homeostasis and protein homeostasis, which could inspire preventative interventions against neurodegenerative disorders.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02218-7
Autophagy. 2021 Jul 07. 1-18

RAB7 activity is required for the regulation of mitophagy in oocyte meiosis and oocyte quality control during ovarian aging.

Xin Jin, Kehan Wang, Lu Wang, Wenwen Liu, Chi Zhang, Yuexin Qiu, Wei Liu, Huiyu Zhang, Dong Zhang, Zhixia Yang, Tinghe Wu, Jing Li.

  There is increasing evidence that mitophagy, a specialized form of autophagy to degrade and clear long-lived or damaged mitochondria, is impaired in aging and age-related disease. Previous study has demonstrated the obesity-exposed oocytes accumulate and transmit damaged mitochondria due to an inability to activate mitophagy. However, it remains unknown whether mitophagy functions in oocyte and what's the regulatory mechanism in oocyte aging. In the study, when fully grown oocytes were treated with CCCP, an uncoupling agent to induce mitophagy, we found the activation of the PRKN-mediated mitophagy pathway accompanied the blockage of meiosis at metaphase I stage. Our result then demonstrated its association with the decreased activity of RAB7 and all the observed defects in CCCP treated oocytes could be effectively rescued by microinjection of mRNA encoding active RAB7Q67L or treatment with the RAB7 activator ML098. Further study indicated PRKN protein level as a rate-limiting factor to facilitate degradation of RAB7 and its GEF (guanine nucleotide exchange factor) complex CCZ1-MON1 through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In GV oocytes collected during ovarian aging, we found the age-related increase of PINK1 and PRKN proteins and a significant decrease of RAB7 which resulted in defects of mitophagosome formation and the accumulation of damaged mitochondria. The age-related retardation of female fertility was improved after in vivo treatment of ML098. Thus, RAB7 activity is required to maintain the balance between mitophagy and chromosome stability and RAB7 activator is a good candidate to ameliorate age-related deterioration of oocyte quality.Abbreviations: ATG9: autophagy related 9A; ATP: adenosine triphosphate; CALCOCO2/NDP52: calcium binding and coiled-coil domain 2; CCCP: carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone; CCZ1: CCZ1 vacuolar protein trafficking and biogenesis associated; GAPDH: glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; GAPs: GTPase-activating proteins; GEF: guanine nucleotide exchange factor; GV: germinal vesicle; GVBD: germinal vesicle breakdown; LAMP1: lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1; MI: metaphase I stage of meiosis; MII: metaphase II stage of meiosis; Mito: MitoTracker; mtDNA: mitochondrial DNA; MON1: MON1 homolog, secretory trafficking associated; OPTN: optineurin; PINK1: PTEN induced putative kinase 1; PRKN: parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase; RAB7: RAB7, member RAS oncogene family; ROS: reactive oxygen species; TEM: transmission electron microscopy; TOMM20/TOM20: translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 20; TUBB: tubulin, beta; UB: ubiquitin.

Keywords:  Aging; PRKN; RAB7; meiosis; mitophagy; oocyte

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/15548627.2021.1946739
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2021 07 06.

Independent of mitochondrial respiratory function, dietary nitrate attenuates HFD-induced lipid accumulation and mitochondrial ROS emission within the liver.

Genevieve J DesOrmeaux, Heather L Petrick, Henver S Brunetta, Graham P Holloway.

  The liver is particularly susceptible to the detrimental effects of a high fat diet (HFD), rapidly developing lipid accumulation and impaired cellular homeostasis. Recently, dietary nitrate has been shown to attenuate HFD-induced whole body glucose intolerance and liver steatosis, however the underlying mechanism(s) remain poorly defined. In the current study we investigated the ability of dietary nitrate to minimize possible impairments in liver mitochondrial bioenergetics following 8 wk of HFD (60% fat) in male C57BL/6J mice. Consumption of a HFD caused whole-body glucose intolerance (p<0.0001), and within the liver, increased lipid accumulation (p<0.0001), mitochondrial-specific reactive oxygen species emission (p=0.007), and markers of oxidative stress. Remarkably, dietary nitrate attenuated almost all of these pathological responses. Despite the reduction in lipid accumulation and redox stress (reduced TBARS and nitrotyrosine), nitrate did not improve insulin signaling within the liver or whole-body pyruvate tolerance (p=0.313 HFD vs HFD+nitrate). Moreover, the beneficial effects of nitrate were independent of changes in weight gain, 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) signaling, mitochondrial content, mitochondrial respiratory capacity and ADP sensitivity or antioxidant protein content. Combined, these data suggest nitrate supplementation represents a potential therapeutic strategy to attenuate hepatic lipid accumulation and decrease mitochondrial ROS emission following HFD, processes linked to improvements in whole-body glucose tolerance. However, the beneficial effects of nitrate within the liver do not appear to be a result of increased oxidative capacity or mitochondrial substrate sensitivity.

Keywords:  Mitochondria; ROS; high fat diet; liver; nitrate

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00610.2020
Mol Neurobiol. 2021 Jul 07.

Loss of MIC60 Aggravates Neuronal Death by Inducing Mitochondrial Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Ruming Deng, Wenjie Wang, Xiang Xu, Jiasheng Ding, Jiahe Wang, Siyuan Yang, Haiying Li, Haitao Shen, Xiang Li, Gang Chen.

  Mitochondrial damage has been reported to be a critical factor for secondary brain injury (SBI) induced by intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). MIC60 is a key element of the mitochondrial contact site and cristae junction organizing system (MICOS), which takes a principal part in maintaining mitochondrial structure and function. The role of MIC60 and its underlying mechanisms in ICH-induced SBI are not clear, which will be investigated in this present study. To establish and emulate ICH model in vivo and in vitro, autologous blood was injected into the right basal ganglia of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats; and primary-cultured cortical neurons were treated by oxygen hemoglobin (OxyHb). First, after ICH induction, mitochondria were damaged and exhibited mitochondrial crista-structure remodeling, and MIC60 protein levels were reduced. Furthermore, MIC60 overexpression reduced ICH-induced neuronal death both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, MIC60 upregulation reduced ICH-induced cerebral edema, neurobehavioral impairment, and cognitive dysfunction; by contrast, MIC60 knockdown had the opposite effect. Additionally, in primary-cultured neurons, MIC60 overexpression could reverse ICH-induced neuronal cell death and apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, and decrease of mitophagy, indicating that MIC60 overexpression can maintain the integrity of mitochondrial structures. Moreover, loss of MIC60 is after ICH-induced reduction in PINK1 levels and mislocalization of Parkin in primary-cultured neurons. Taken together, our findings suggest that MIC60 plays an important role in ICH-induced SBI and may represent a promising target for ICH therapy.

Keywords:  Intracerebral hemorrhage; MIC60; Mitochondrial dysfunction; Neuronal death; Secondary brain injury

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-021-02468-w
Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 07. 11(1): 14001

The UL16 protein of HSV-1 promotes the metabolism of cell mitochondria by binding to ANT2 protein.

Shiyu Li, Shuting Liu, Zhenning Dai, Qian Zhang, Yichao Xu, Youyu Chen, Zhenyou Jiang, Wenhua Huang, Hanxiao Sun.

Long-term studies have shown that virus infection affects the energy metabolism of host cells, which mainly affects the function of mitochondria and leads to the hydrolysis of ATP in host cells, but it is not clear how virus infection participates in mitochondrial energy metabolism in host cells. In our study, HUVEC cells were infected with HSV-1, and the differentially expressed genes were obtained by microarray analysis and data analysis. The viral gene encoding protein UL16 was identified to interact with host protein ANT2 by immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry. We also reported that UL16 transfection promoted oxidative phosphorylation of glucose and significantly increased intracellular ATP content. Furthermore, UL16 was transfected into the HUVEC cell model with mitochondrial dysfunction induced by D-Gal, and it was found that UL16 could restore the mitochondrial function of cells. It was first discovered that viral protein UL16 could enhance mitochondrial function in mammalian cells by promoting mitochondrial metabolism. This study provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of mitochondrial dysfunction or the pathological process related to mitochondrial dysfunction.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93430-2
Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 07. 11(1): 14081

Label-free two-photon imaging of mitochondrial activity in murine macrophages stimulated with bacterial and viral ligands.

Christian Harry Allen, Duale Ahmed, Olivia Raiche-Tanner, Vinita Chauhan, Leila Mostaço-Guidolin, Edana Cassol, Sangeeta Murugkar.

Mitochondria are the metabolic hub of the cell, playing a central role in regulating immune responses. Dysfunction of mitochondrial reprogramming can occur during bacterial and viral infections compromising hosts' immune signaling. Comparative evaluation of these alterations in response to bacterial and viral ligands can provide insights into a cell's ability to mount pathogen-specific responses. In this study, we used two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) imaging to quantify reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) levels in the cell and to calculate the optical redox ratio (ORR), an indicator of mitochondrial dysfunction. Analyses were performed on RAW264.7 cells and murine bone marrow derived macrophages (BMM) stimulated with bacterial (LPS) and viral (Poly(I:C)) ligands. Responses were cell type dependent, with primary cells having significantly higher levels of FAD and higher oxygen consumption rates suggesting BMM may be more dependent on mitochondrial metabolism. Our findings also suggest that FAD-TPEF intensity may be a better predictor of mitochondrial activity and localization since it demonstrates unique mitochondrial clustering patterns in LPS vs. Poly(I:C) stimulated macrophages. Collectively, we demonstrate that TPEF imaging is a powerful label-free approach for quantifying changes in mitochondrial function and organization in macrophages following bacterial and viral stimuli.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93043-9
Elife. 2021 Jul 05. pii: e57376. [Epub ahead of print]10

ReporterSeq reveals genome-wide dynamic modulators of the heat shock response across diverse stressors.

Brian D Alford, Eduardo Tassoni-Tsuchida, Danish Khan, Jeremy J Work, Gregory Valiant, Onn Brandman.

  Understanding cellular stress response pathways is challenging because of the complexity of regulatory mechanisms and response dynamics, which can vary with both time and the type of stress. We developed a reverse genetic method called ReporterSeq to comprehensively identify genes regulating a stress-induced transcription factor under multiple conditions in a time-resolved manner. ReporterSeq links RNA-encoded barcode levels to pathway-specific output under genetic perturbations, allowing pooled pathway activity measurements via DNA sequencing alone and without cell enrichment or single-cell isolation. We used ReporterSeq to identify regulators of the heat shock response (HSR), a conserved, poorly understood transcriptional program that protects cells from proteotoxicity and is misregulated in disease. Genome-wide HSR regulation in budding yeast was assessed across 15 stress conditions, uncovering novel stress-specific, time-specific, and constitutive regulators. ReporterSeq can assess the genetic regulators of any transcriptional pathway with the scale of pooled genetic screens and the precision of pathway-specific readouts.

Keywords:  CRISPR; HSF1; S. cerevisiae; cell biology; chaperones; genetic screens; genetics; genomics; heat shock response; protein quality control

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.57376
Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 05. 11(1): 13863

FIP200 controls the TBK1 activation threshold at SQSTM1/p62-positive condensates.

David Schlütermann, Niklas Berleth, Jana Deitersen, Nora Wallot-Hieke, Olena Friesen, Wenxian Wu, Fabian Stuhldreier, Yadong Sun, Lena Berning, Annabelle Friedrich, María José Mendiburo, Christoph Peter, Constanze Wiek, Helmut Hanenberg, Anja Stefanski, Kai Stühler, Björn Stork.

The protein kinase TBK1 is a central regulator of innate immune responses and autophagy, and ablation of either function has been linked to neuroinflammatory or degenerative diseases. Autophagy is an intracellular process that recycles old or damaged proteins and organelles. In recent years, the TBK1-dependent regulation of autophagy pathways has been characterized. However, the autophagy-dependent regulation of TBK1 activity awaits further clarification. Here, we observed that TBK1 is recruited to SQSTM1/p62-containing aggregates via the selective autophagy receptor TAX1BP1. In these aggregates, TBK1 phosphorylates SQSTM1/p62 at serine 403 and thus presumably regulates the efficient engulfment and clearance of these structures. We found that TBK1 activation is strongly increased if FIP200, a component of the autophagy-inducing ULK1 complex, is not present or cannot bind to TAX1BP1. Given our collective findings, we hypothesize that FIP200 ensures the inducible activation of TBK1 at SQSTM1/p62 condensates.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92408-4
iScience. 2021 Jul 23. 24(7): 102703

Common features of aging fail to occur in Drosophila raised without a bacterial microbiome.

Arvind Kumar Shukla, Kory Johnson, Edward Giniger.

  Lifespan is limited both by intrinsic decline in vigor with age and by accumulation of external insults. There exists a general picture of the deficits of aging, one that is reflected in a pattern of age-correlated changes in gene expression conserved across species. Here, however, by comparing gene expression profiling of Drosophila raised either conventionally, or free of bacteria, we show that ∼70% of these conserved, age-associated changes in gene expression fail to occur in germ-free flies. Among the processes that fail to show time-dependent change under germ-free conditions are two aging features that are observed across phylogeny, declining expression of stress response genes and increasing expression of innate immune genes. These comprise adaptive strategies the organism uses to respond to bacteria, rather than being inevitable components of age-dependent decline. Changes in other processes are independent of the microbiome and can serve as autonomous markers of aging of the individual.

Keywords:  Biological sciences; microbiology; microbiome; physiology

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.102703
Front Mol Biosci. 2021 ;8 658742

Proteostasis Dysfunction in Aged Mammalian Cells. The Stressful Role of Inflammation.

Diego Ruano.

  Aging is a biological and multifactorial process characterized by a progressive and irreversible deterioration of the physiological functions leading to a progressive increase in morbidity. In the next decades, the world population is expected to reach ten billion, and globally, elderly people over 80 are projected to triple in 2050. Consequently, it is also expected an increase in the incidence of age-related pathologies such as cancer, diabetes, or neurodegenerative disorders. Disturbance of cellular protein homeostasis (proteostasis) is a hallmark of normal aging that increases cell vulnerability and might be involved in the etiology of several age-related diseases. This review will focus on the molecular alterations occurring during normal aging in the most relevant protein quality control systems such as molecular chaperones, the UPS, and the ALS. Also, alterations in their functional cooperation will be analyzed. Finally, the role of inflammation, as a synergistic negative factor of the protein quality control systems during normal aging, will also be addressed. A better comprehension of the age-dependent modifications affecting the cellular proteostasis, as well as the knowledge of the mechanisms underlying these alterations, might be very helpful to identify relevant risk factors that could be responsible for or contribute to cell deterioration, a fundamental question still pending in biomedicine.

Keywords:  aging; autophagy; cell stress and aging; inflammation; proteasome; proteostasis

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2021.658742
Acta Pharm Sin B. 2021 Jun;11(6): 1568-1577

Mitochondrial protein IF1 is a potential regulator of glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) secretion function of the mouse intestine.

Ying Wang, Jiaojiao Zhang, Xinyu Cao, Yaya Guan, Shuang Shen, Genshen Zhong, Xiwen Xiong, Yanhong Xu, Xiaoying Zhang, Hui Wang, Jianping Ye.

  IF1 (ATPIF1) is a nuclear DNA-encoded mitochondrial protein whose activity is inhibition of the F1Fo-ATP synthase to control ATP production. IF1 activity remains unknown in the regulation of GLP-1 activity. In this study, IF1 was examined in the diet-induced obese mice using the gene knockout (If1-KO) mice. The mice gained more body weight on a high fat diet without a change in food intake. Insulin tolerance was impaired, but the oral glucose tolerance was improved through an increase in GLP-1 secretion. The KO mice exhibited an improved intestine structure, mitochondrial superstructure, enhanced mitophagy, reduced apoptosis and decreased adenine nucleotide translocase 2 (ANT2) protein in the intestinal epithelial cells together with preserved gut microbiota. The data suggest that GLP-1 secretion was enhanced in the obese If1-KO mice to preserve glucose tolerance through a signaling pathway of ANT2/mitochondria/L-cells/GLP-1/insulin. IF1 is a potential mitochondrial target for induction of GLP-1 secretion in L-cells.

Keywords:  ANT2; ATPIF1; GLP-1; Glucose tolerance; Insulin resistance; L-cells; Microbiota; Mitophagy

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2021.02.002