bims-tofagi Biomed News
on Mitophagy
Issue of 2024–02–11
two papers selected by
Michele Frison, University of Cambridge and Aitor Martínez Zarate, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea



  1. iScience. 2024 Feb 16. 27(2): 108982
      Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disordered breathing diseases that characterized by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH). This work aimed to explore the role of circ-CIMIRC in CIH-induced myocardial injury. CIH aggravated myocardial tissue damage in rats. Circ_CIMIRC overexpression promoted apoptosis and reduced the colocalization of Tom20 and Parkin and mitophagy in CIH-treated H9c2 cells. Additionally, FbxL4 interacted with PINK1, FbxL4 silencing reduced PINK1 ubiquitination in H9c2 cells. Two major ubiquitination sites (K319 and K433) were responsible for ubiquitination of PINK1. Circ_CIMIRC promoted FbxL4-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of PINK1. Furthermore, circ_CIMIRC inhibition alleviated the pathological damage, fibrosis and apoptosis of myocardial tissues, reduced oxidative stress in CIH rats. In conclusion, circ_CIMIRC silencing repressed FbxL4-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of PINK1 and then enhanced PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy, thereby alleviating myocardial damage in CIH rats. Thus, circ_CIMIRC may be a potential strategy to alleviate CIH-induced myocardial damage.
    Keywords:  Cell biology; Molecular biology
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.108982
  2. J Alzheimers Dis Rep. 2024 ;8(1): 101-128
       Background: The investigation of mitophagy in Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains relatively underexplored in bibliometric analysis.
    Objective: To delve into the progress of mitophagy, offering a comprehensive overview of research trends and frontiers for researchers.
    Methods: Basic bibliometric information, targets, and target-drug-clinical trial-disease extracted from publications identified in the Web of Science Core Collection from 2007 to 2022 were assessed using bibliometric software.
    Results: The study encompassed 5,146 publications, displaying a consistent 16-year upward trajectory. The United States emerged as the foremost contributor in publications, with the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease being the most prolific journal. P. Hemachandra Reddy, George Perry, and Xiongwei Zhu are the top 3 most prolific authors. PINK1 and Parkin exhibited an upward trend in the last 6 years. Keywords (e.g., insulin, aging, epilepsy, tauopathy, and mitochondrial quality control) have recently emerged as focal points of interest within the past 3 years. "Mitochondrial dysfunction" is among the top terms in disease clustering. The top 10 drugs/molecules (e.g., curcumin, insulin, and melatonin) were summarized, accompanied by their clinical trials and related targets.
    Conclusions: This study presents a comprehensive overview of the mitophagy research landscape in AD over the past 16 years, underscoring mitophagy as an emerging molecular mechanism and a crucial focal point for potential drug in AD. This study pioneers the inclusion of targets and their correlations with drugs, clinical trials, and diseases in bibliometric analysis, providing valuable insights and inspiration for scholars and readers of JADR interested in understanding the potential mechanisms and clinical trials in AD.
    Keywords:  Alzheimer’s disease; bibliometric analysis; drug; mitochondrion; mitophagy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3233/ADR-230139