scholarly journals Intracellular quality control of mitochondrial DNA: evidence and limitations

2019 ◽  
Vol 375 (1790) ◽  
pp. 20190176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitry A. Knorre

Eukaryotic cells can harbour mitochondria with markedly different transmembrane potentials. Intracellular mitochondrial quality-control mechanisms (e.g. mitophagy) rely on this intracellular variation to distinguish functional and damaged (depolarized) mitochondria. Given that intracellular mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic variation can induce mitochondrial heterogeneity, mitophagy could remove deleterious mtDNA variants in cells. However, the reliance of mitophagy on the mitochondrial transmembrane potential suggests that mtDNAs with deleterious mutations in ATP synthase can evade the control. This evasion is possible because inhibition of ATP synthase can increase the mitochondrial transmembrane potential. Moreover, the linkage of the mtDNA genotype to individual mitochondrial performance is expected to be weak owing to intracellular mitochondrial intercomplementation. Nonetheless, I reason that intracellular mtDNA quality control is possible and crucial at the zygote stage of the life cycle. Indeed, species with biparental mtDNA inheritance or frequent ‘leakage’ of paternal mtDNA can be vulnerable to invasion of selfish mtDNAs at the stage of gamete fusion. Here, I critically review recent findings on intracellular mtDNA quality control by mitophagy and discuss other mechanisms by which the nuclear genome can affect the competition of mtDNA variants in the cell. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Linking the mitochondrial genotype to phenotype: a complex endeavour’.

Life ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 215
Author(s):  
Qiuju Ding ◽  
Róża Kucharczyk ◽  
Weiwei Zhao ◽  
Alain Dautant ◽  
Shutian Xu ◽  
...  

With the advent of next generation sequencing, the list of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations identified in patients rapidly and continuously expands. They are frequently found in a limited number of cases, sometimes a single individual (as with the case herein reported) and in heterogeneous genetic backgrounds (heteroplasmy), which makes it difficult to conclude about their pathogenicity and functional consequences. As an organism amenable to mitochondrial DNA manipulation, able to survive by fermentation to loss-of-function mtDNA mutations, and where heteroplasmy is unstable, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model for investigating novel human mtDNA variants, in isolation and in a controlled genetic context. We herein report the identification of a novel variant in mitochondrial ATP6 gene, m.8909T>C. It was found in combination with the well-known pathogenic m.3243A>G mutation in mt-tRNALeu. We show that an equivalent of the m.8909T>C mutation compromises yeast adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) synthase assembly/stability and reduces the rate of mitochondrial ATP synthesis by 20–30% compared to wild type yeast. Other previously reported ATP6 mutations with a well-established pathogenicity (like m.8993T>C and m.9176T>C) were shown to have similar effects on yeast ATP synthase. It can be inferred that alone the m.8909T>C variant has the potential to compromise human health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linhao Ruan ◽  
Yuhao Wang ◽  
Xi Zhang ◽  
Alexis Tomaszewski ◽  
Joshua T. McNamara ◽  
...  

Mitochondria are essential organelles in eukaryotes. Most mitochondrial proteins are encoded by the nuclear genome and translated in the cytosol. Nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins need to be imported, processed, folded, and assembled into their functional states. To maintain protein homeostasis (proteostasis), mitochondria are equipped with a distinct set of quality control machineries. Deficiencies in such systems lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, which is a hallmark of aging and many human diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. In this review, we discuss the unique challenges and solutions of proteostasis in mitochondria. The import machinery coordinates with mitochondrial proteases and chaperones to maintain the mitochondrial proteome. Moreover, mitochondrial proteostasis depends on cytosolic protein quality control mechanisms during crises. In turn, mitochondria facilitate cytosolic proteostasis. Increasing evidence suggests that enhancing mitochondrial proteostasis may hold therapeutic potential to protect against protein aggregation–associated cellular defects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Angela Diroma ◽  
Alessandra Modi ◽  
Martina Lari ◽  
Luca Sineo ◽  
David Caramelli ◽  
...  

Ancient DNA (aDNA) studies are frequently focused on the analysis of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is much more abundant than the nuclear genome, hence can be better retrieved from ancient remains. However, postmortem DNA damage and contamination make the data analysis difficult because of DNA fragmentation and nucleotide alterations. In this regard, the assessment of the heteroplasmic fraction in ancient mtDNA has always been considered an unachievable goal due to the complexity in distinguishing true endogenous variants from artifacts. We implemented and applied a computational pipeline for mtDNA analysis to a dataset of 30 ancient human samples from an Iron Age necropolis in Polizzello (Sicily, Italy). The pipeline includes several modules from well-established tools for aDNA analysis and a recently released variant caller, which was specifically conceived for mtDNA, applied for the first time to aDNA data. Through a fine-tuned filtering on variant allele sequencing features, we were able to accurately reconstruct nearly complete (>88%) mtDNA genome for almost all the analyzed samples (27 out of 30), depending on the degree of preservation and the sequencing throughput, and to get a reliable set of variants allowing haplogroup prediction. Additionally, we provide guidelines to deal with possible artifact sources, including nuclear mitochondrial sequence (NumtS) contamination, an often-neglected issue in ancient mtDNA surveys. Potential heteroplasmy levels were also estimated, although most variants were likely homoplasmic, and validated by data simulations, proving that new sequencing technologies and software are sensitive enough to detect partially mutated sites in ancient genomes and discriminate true variants from artifacts. A thorough functional annotation of detected and filtered mtDNA variants was also performed for a comprehensive evaluation of these ancient samples.


Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 164 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avis C James ◽  
J William O Ballard

Abstract Drosophila simulans is known to harbor three distinct mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype groups (siI, -II, and -III) with nearly 3.0% interhaplotypic divergence but <0.06% intrahaplotypic diversity. With the large amount of genetic variation in this system, the potential power to detect intraspecific fitness differences in fly lines that carry distinct haplotypes is great. We test three life-history traits on fly lines with known sequence differences in the mtDNA genome after controlling the nuclear genome by backcrossing. We find that flies with the siI haplotype are fastest developing and have the lowest probability of surviving to three experimental periods (2–6, 12–17, and 34–39 days of age). Wild-type males with siIII mtDNA were more active while disruption of specific coadapted nucleo-mitochondrial complexes caused a significant decrease in activity. These results are discussed in the context of the geographic distribution of each haplotype.


2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (2) ◽  
pp. H820-H829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Comelli ◽  
Giuliana Metelli ◽  
Irene Mavelli

Similar to ischemic preconditioning, diazoxide was documented to elicit beneficial bioenergetic consequences linked to cardioprotection. Inhibition of ATPase activity of mitochondrial F0F1ATP synthase may have a role in such effect and may involve the natural inhibitor protein IF1. We recently documented, using purified enzyme and isolated mitochondrial membranes from beef heart, that diazoxide interacts with the F1sector of F0F1ATP synthase by promoting IF1binding and reversibly inhibiting ATP hydrolysis. Here we investigated the effects of diazoxide on the enzyme in cultured myoblasts. Specifically, embryonic heart-derived H9c2 cells were exposed to diazoxide and mitochondrial ATPase was assayed in conditions maintaining steady-state IF1binding (basal ATPase activity) or detaching bound IF1at alkaline pH. Mitochondrial transmembrane potential and uncoupling were also investigated, as well as ATP synthesis flux and ATP content. Diazoxide at a cardioprotective concentration (40 μM cell-associated concentration) transiently downmodulated basal ATPase activity, concomitant with mild mitochondria uncoupling and depolarization, without affecting ATP synthesis and ATP content. Alkaline stripping of IF1from F0F1ATP synthase was less in diazoxide-treated than in untreated cells. Pretreatment with glibenclamide prevented, together with mitochondria depolarization, inhibition of ATPase activity under basal but not under IF1-stripping conditions, indicating that diazoxide alters alkaline IF1release. Diazoxide inhibition of ATPase activity in IF1-stripping conditions was observed even when mitochondrial transmembrane potential was reduced by FCCP. The results suggest that diazoxide in a model of normoxic intact cells directly promotes binding of inhibitor protein IF1to F0F1ATP synthase and enhances IF1binding indirectly by mildly uncoupling and depolarizing mitochondria.


2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 895-901
Author(s):  
Takamitsu Amai ◽  
Tomoka Tsuji ◽  
Mitsuyoshi Ueda ◽  
Kouichi Kuroda

ABSTRACT Mitochondrial dysfunction can occur in a variety of ways, most often due to the deletion or mutation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The easy generation of yeasts with mtDNA deletion is attractive for analyzing the functions of the mtDNA gene. Treatment of yeasts with ethidium bromide is a well-known method for generating ρ° cells with complete deletion of mtDNA from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, the mutagenic effects of ethidium bromide on the nuclear genome cannot be excluded. In this study, we developed a “mito-CRISPR system” that specifically generates ρ° cells of yeasts. This system enabled the specific cleavage of mtDNA by introducing Cas9 fused with the mitochondrial target sequence at the N-terminus and guide RNA into mitochondria, resulting in the specific generation of ρ° cells in yeasts. The mito-CRISPR system provides a concise technology for deleting mtDNA in yeasts.


2021 ◽  
pp. 153537022199981
Author(s):  
Chamithi Karunanayake ◽  
Richard C Page

The chaperone heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and its network of co-chaperones serve as a central hub of cellular protein quality control mechanisms. Domain organization in Hsp70 dictates ATPase activity, ATP dependent allosteric regulation, client/substrate binding and release, and interactions with co-chaperones. The protein quality control activities of Hsp70 are classified as foldase, holdase, and disaggregase activities. Co-chaperones directly assisting protein refolding included J domain proteins and nucleotide exchange factors. However, co-chaperones can also be grouped and explored based on which domain of Hsp70 they interact. Here we discuss how the network of cytosolic co-chaperones for Hsp70 contributes to the functions of Hsp70 while closely looking at their structural features. Comparison of domain organization and the structures of co-chaperones enables greater understanding of the interactions, mechanisms of action, and roles played in protein quality control.


Author(s):  
H.V. Jagadish ◽  
Julia Stoyanovich ◽  
Bill Howe

The COVID-19 pandemic is compelling us to make crucial data-driven decisions quickly, bringing together diverse and unreliable sources of information without the usual quality control mechanisms we may employ. These decisions are consequential at multiple levels: they can inform local, state and national government policy, be used to schedule access to physical resources such as elevators and workspaces within an organization, and inform contact tracing and quarantine actions for individuals. In all these cases, significant inequities are likely to arise, and to be propagated and reinforced by data-driven decision systems. In this article, we propose a framework, called FIDES, for surfacing and reasoning about data equity in these systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4594
Author(s):  
Andrea Stoccoro ◽  
Fabio Coppedè

Epigenetic modifications of the nuclear genome, including DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNA post-transcriptional regulation, are increasingly being involved in the pathogenesis of several human diseases. Recent evidence suggests that also epigenetic modifications of the mitochondrial genome could contribute to the etiology of human diseases. In particular, altered methylation and hydroxymethylation levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been found in animal models and in human tissues from patients affected by cancer, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, environmental factors, as well as nuclear DNA genetic variants, have been found to impair mtDNA methylation patterns. Some authors failed to find DNA methylation marks in the mitochondrial genome, suggesting that it is unlikely that this epigenetic modification plays any role in the control of the mitochondrial function. On the other hand, several other studies successfully identified the presence of mtDNA methylation, particularly in the mitochondrial displacement loop (D-loop) region, relating it to changes in both mtDNA gene transcription and mitochondrial replication. Overall, investigations performed until now suggest that methylation and hydroxymethylation marks are present in the mtDNA genome, albeit at lower levels compared to those detectable in nuclear DNA, potentially contributing to the mitochondria impairment underlying several human diseases.


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