bims-mitran 2024-08-04 papers

Issue of 2024–08–04
three papers selected by
Andreas Kohler, Umeå University

Nucleic Acids Res. 2024 Aug 01. pii: gkae662. [Epub ahead of print]

LRPPRC and SLIRP synergize to maintain sufficient and orderly mammalian mitochondrial translation.

Diana Rubalcava-Gracia, Kristina Bubb, Fredrik Levander, Stephen P Burr, Amelie V August, Patrick F Chinnery, Camilla Koolmeister, Nils-Göran Larsson.

In mammals, the leucine-rich pentatricopeptide repeat protein (LRPPRC) and the stem-loop interacting RNA-binding protein (SLIRP) form a complex in the mitochondrial matrix that is required throughout the life cycle of most mitochondrial mRNAs. Although pathogenic mutations in the LRPPRC and SLIRP genes cause devastating human mitochondrial diseases, the in vivo function of the corresponding proteins is incompletely understood. We show here that loss of SLIRP in mice causes a decrease of complex I levels whereas other OXPHOS complexes are unaffected. We generated knock-in mice to study the in vivo interdependency of SLIRP and LRPPRC by mutating specific amino acids necessary for protein complex formation. When protein complex formation is disrupted, LRPPRC is partially degraded and SLIRP disappears. Livers from Lrpprc knock-in mice had impaired mitochondrial translation except for a marked increase in the synthesis of ATP8. Furthermore, the introduction of a heteroplasmic pathogenic mtDNA mutation (m.C5024T of the tRNAAla gene) into Slirp knockout mice causes an additive effect on mitochondrial translation leading to embryonic lethality and reduced growth of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. To summarize, we report that the LRPPRC/SLIRP protein complex is critical for maintaining normal complex I levels and that it also coordinates mitochondrial translation in a tissue-specific manner.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkae662

bioRxiv. 2024 Jul 19. pii: 2024.07.18.604121. [Epub ahead of print]

Significantly reduced, but balanced, rates of mitochondrial fission and fusion are sufficient to maintain the integrity of yeast mitochondrial DNA.

Brett T Wisniewski, Laura L Lackner.

Mitochondria exist as dynamic tubular networks and the morphology of these networks impacts organelle function and cell health. Mitochondrial morphology is maintained in part by the opposing activities of mitochondrial fission and fusion. Mitochondrial fission and fusion are also required to maintain mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) integrity. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae , the simultaneous inhibition of mitochondrial fission and fusion results in increased mtDNA mutation and the consequent loss of respiratory competence. The mechanism by which fission and fusion maintain mtDNA integrity is not fully understood. Previous work demonstrates that mtDNA is spatially linked to mitochondrial fission sites. Here, we extend this finding using live-cell imaging to localize mtDNA to mitochondrial fusion sites. While mtDNA is present at sites of mitochondrial fission and fusion, mitochondrial fission and fusion rates are not altered in cells lacking mtDNA. Using alleles that alter mitochondrial fission and fusion rates, we find that mtDNA integrity can be maintained in cells with significantly reduced, but balanced, rates of fission and fusion. In addition, we find that increasing mtDNA copy number reduces the loss of respiratory competence in double mitochondrial fission-fusion mutants. Our findings add novel insights into the relationship between mitochondrial dynamics and mtDNA integrity.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.18.604121

bioRxiv. 2024 Jul 19. pii: 2024.07.17.604013. [Epub ahead of print]

Cytoplasmic ribosomes on mitochondria alter the local membrane environment for protein import.

Ya-Ting Chang, Benjamin A Barad, Hamidreza Rahmani, Brian M Zid, Danielle A Grotjahn.

Most of the mitochondria proteome is nuclear-encoded, synthesized by cytoplasmic ribosomes, and targeted to mitochondria post-translationally. However, a subset of mitochondrial-targeted proteins is imported co-translationally, although the molecular mechanisms governing this process remain unclear. We employ cellular cryo-electron tomography to visualize interactions between cytoplasmic ribosomes and mitochondria in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We use surface morphometrics tools to identify a subset of ribosomes optimally oriented on mitochondrial membranes for protein import. This allows us to establish the first subtomogram average structure of a cytoplasmic ribosome on the surface of the mitochondria in the native cellular context, which showed three distinct connections with the outer mitochondrial membrane surrounding the peptide exit tunnel. Further, this analysis demonstrated that cytoplasmic ribosomes primed for mitochondrial protein import cluster on the outer mitochondrial membrane at sites of local constrictions of the outer and inner mitochondrial membrane. Overall, our study reveals the architecture and the spatial organization of cytoplasmic ribosomes at the mitochondrial surface, providing a native cellular context to define the mechanisms that mediate efficient mitochondrial co-translational protein import.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.17.604013