Membranes in motion: mitochondrial dynamics and their role in apoptosis

2014 ◽  
Vol 395 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Begoña Ugarte-Uribe ◽  
Ana J. García-Sáez

Abstract Mitochondrial dynamics is crucial for cell survival, development and homeostasis and impairment of these functions leads to neurologic disorders and metabolic diseases. The key components of mitochondrial dynamics have been identified. Mitofusins and OPA1 mediate mitochondrial fusion, whereas Drp1 is responsible for mitochondrial fission. In addition, an interplay between the proteins of the mitochondrial fission/fusion machinery and the Bcl-2 proteins, essential mediators in apoptosis, has been also described. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms regarding mitochondrial dynamics together with their role in apoptosis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4617
Author(s):  
Styliana Kyriakoudi ◽  
Anthi Drousiotou ◽  
Petros P. Petrou

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles, the morphology of which is tightly linked to their functions. The interplay between the coordinated events of fusion and fission that are collectively described as mitochondrial dynamics regulates mitochondrial morphology and adjusts mitochondrial function. Over the last few years, accruing evidence established a connection between dysregulated mitochondrial dynamics and disease development and progression. Defects in key components of the machinery mediating mitochondrial fusion and fission have been linked to a wide range of pathological conditions, such as insulin resistance and obesity, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Here, we provide an update on the molecular mechanisms promoting mitochondrial fusion and fission in mammals and discuss the emerging association of disturbed mitochondrial dynamics with human disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lixiang Wang ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Yuki Hanada ◽  
Nao Hasuzawa ◽  
Yoshinori Moriyama ◽  
...  

AbstractMitochondrial fusion and fission, which are strongly related to normal mitochondrial function, are referred to as mitochondrial dynamics. Mitochondrial fusion defects in the liver cause a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-like phenotype and liver cancer. However, whether mitochondrial fission defect directly impair liver function and stimulate liver disease progression, too, is unclear. Dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) is a key factor controlling mitochondrial fission. We hypothesized that DRP1 defects are a causal factor directly involved in liver disease development and stimulate liver disease progression. Drp1 defects directly promoted endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, hepatocyte death, and subsequently induced infiltration of inflammatory macrophages. Drp1 deletion increased the expression of numerous genes involved in the immune response and DNA damage in Drp1LiKO mouse primary hepatocytes. We administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to liver-specific Drp1-knockout (Drp1LiKO) mice and observed an increased inflammatory cytokine expression in the liver and serum caused by exaggerated ER stress and enhanced inflammasome activation. This study indicates that Drp1 defect-induced mitochondrial dynamics dysfunction directly regulates the fate and function of hepatocytes and enhances LPS-induced acute liver injury in vivo.


Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junhua Yang ◽  
Wenbo Guo ◽  
Jianhua Wang ◽  
Xianli Yang ◽  
Zhiqi Zhang ◽  
...  

T-2 toxin, as a highly toxic mycotoxin to humans and animals, induces oxidative stress and apoptosis in various cells and tissues. Apoptosis and mitochondrial fusion/fission are two tightly interconnected processes that are crucial for maintaining physiological homeostasis. However, the role of mitochondrial fusion/fission in apoptosis of T-2 toxin remains unknown. Hence, we aimed to explore the putative role of mitochondrial fusion/fission on T-2 toxin induced apoptosis in normal human liver (HL-7702) cells. T-2 toxin treatment (0, 0.1, 1.0, or 10 μg/L) for 24 h caused decreased cell viability and ATP concentration and increased production of (ROS), as seen by a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψm) and increase in mitochondrial fragmentation. Subsequently, the mitochondrial dynamic imbalance was activated, evidenced by a dose-dependent decrease and increase in the protein expression of mitochondrial fusion (OPA1, Mfn1, and Mfn2) and fission (Drp1 and Fis1), respectively. Furthermore, the T-2 toxin promoted the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytoplasm and induced cell apoptosis triggered by upregulation of Bax and Bax/Bcl-2 ratios, and further activated the caspase pathways. Taken together, these results indicate that altered mitochondrial dynamics induced by oxidative stress with T-2 toxin exposure likely contribute to mitochondrial injury and HL-7702 cell apoptosis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chayodom Maneechote ◽  
Siripong Palee ◽  
Sasiwan Kerdphoo ◽  
Thidarat Jaiwongkam ◽  
Siriporn C. Chattipakorn ◽  
...  

Abstract An uncontrolled balance of mitochondrial dynamics has been shown to contribute to cardiac dysfunction during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Although inhibition of mitochondrial fission could ameliorate cardiac dysfunction, modulation of mitochondrial fusion by giving a fusion promoter at different time-points during cardiac I/R injury has never been investigated. We hypothesized that giving of a mitochondrial fusion promoter at different time-points exerts cardioprotection with different levels of efficacy in rats with cardiac I/R injury. Forty male Wistar rats were subjected to a 30-min ischemia by coronary occlusion, followed by a 120-min reperfusion. The rats were then randomly divided into control and three treated groups: pre-ischemia, during-ischemia, and onset of reperfusion. A pharmacological mitochondrial fusion promoter-M1 (2 mg/kg) was used for intervention. Reduced mitochondrial fusion protein was observed after cardiac I/R injury. M1 administered prior to ischemia exerted the highest level of cardioprotection by improving both cardiac mitochondrial function and dynamics regulation, attenuating incidence of arrhythmia, reducing infarct size and cardiac apoptosis, which led to the preservation of cardiac function and decreased mortality. M1 given during ischemia and on the onset of reperfusion also exerted cardioprotection, but with a lower efficacy than when given at the pre-ischemia time-point. Attenuating a reduction in mitochondrial fusion proteins during myocardial ischemia and at the onset of reperfusion exerted cardioprotection by attenuating mitochondrial dysfunction and dynamic imbalance, thus reducing infarct size and improving cardiac function. These findings indicate that it could be a promising intervention with the potential to afford cardioprotection in the clinical setting of acute myocardial infarction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Li ◽  
Yimei Hong ◽  
Haiwei He ◽  
Guojun Jiang ◽  
Wei You ◽  
...  

Mesenchymal stem cell- (MSC-) based therapy is a novel strategy in regenerative medicine. The functional and regenerative capacities of MSCs decline with senescence. Nonetheless, the potential mechanisms that underlie their senescence are not fully understood. This study was aimed at exploring the potential mechanisms of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) in the regulation of MSC senescence. The senescence of MSCs was determined by senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining. The morphology and the level of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) of MSCs were assessed by MitoTracker and Mito-Sox staining, respectively. The expression of FGF21 and mitochondrial dynamics-related proteins was detected by Western blotting. As MSCs were expanded in vitro, the expression of FGF21 decreased. Depletion of FGF21 enhanced production of mitochondrial reactive oxidative species (ROS) and increased the senescence of early-passage MSCs whereas inhibition of ROS abolished these effects. The senescent MSCs exhibited increased mitochondrial fusion and decreased mitochondrial fission. Treatment of early-passage MSCs with FGF21 siRNA enhanced mitochondrial fusion and reduced mitochondrial fission. Moreover, treatment of mitofusin2- (Mfn2-) siRNA inhibited depletion of FGF21-induced MSC senescence. Furthermore, we demonstrated that depletion of FGF21-induced mitochondrial fusion was regulated by the AMPK signaling pathway. Treatment with an AMPK activator, AICAR, abrogated the depletion of FGF21-induced senescence of MSCs by inhibiting mitochondrial fusion. Compared with MSCs isolated from young donors, those derived from aged donors showed a lower level of FGF21 and a higher level of senescent activity. Furthermore, overexpression of FGF21 in aged MSCs inhibited senescence. Our study shows that FGF21, via the AMPK signaling pathway, regulates the senescence of MSCs by mediating mitochondrial dynamics. Targeting FGF21 might represent a novel strategy to improve the quality and quantity of MSCs.


Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim ◽  
Park ◽  
Choi ◽  
Kong ◽  
Kang

Transient receptor potential canonical channel-6 (TRPC6) is one of the Ca2+-permeable non-selective cation channels. TRPC6 is mainly expressed in dentate granule cell (DGC), which is one of the most resistant neuronal populations to various harmful stresses. Although TRPC6 knockdown evokes the massive DGC degeneration induced by status epilepticus (a prolonged seizure activity, SE), the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of TRPC6 in DGC viability in response to SE are still unclear. In the present study, hyperforin (a TRPC6 activator) facilitated mitochondrial fission in DGC concomitant with increases in Lon protease-1 (LONP1, a mitochondrial protease) expression and extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation under physiological conditions, which were abrogated by U0126 (an ERK1/2 inhibitor) co-treatment. TRPC6 knockdown showed the opposite effects on LONP1 expression, ERK1/2 activity, and mitochondrial dynamics. In addition, TRPC6 siRNA and U0126 evoked the massive DGC degeneration accompanied by mitochondrial elongation following SE, independent of seizure severity. However, LONP1 siRNA exacerbated SE-induced DGC death without affecting mitochondrial length. These findings indicate that TRPC6-ERK1/2 activation may increase DGC invulnerability to SE by regulating LONP1 expression as well as mitochondrial dynamics. Therefore, TRPC6-ERK1/2-LONP1 signaling pathway will be an interesting and important therapeutic target for neuroprotection from various neurological diseases.


2015 ◽  
Vol 211 (4) ◽  
pp. 795-805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiuchen Chen ◽  
Shuxun Ren ◽  
Clary Clish ◽  
Mohit Jain ◽  
Vamsi Mootha ◽  
...  

Defects in mitochondrial fusion or fission are associated with many pathologies, raising the hope that pharmacological manipulation of mitochondrial dynamics may have therapeutic benefit. This approach assumes that organ physiology can be restored by rebalancing mitochondrial dynamics, but this concept remains to be validated. We addressed this issue by analyzing mice deficient in Mff, a protein important for mitochondrial fission. Mff mutant mice die at 13 wk as a result of severe dilated cardiomyopathy leading to heart failure. Mutant tissue showed reduced mitochondrial density and respiratory chain activity along with increased mitophagy. Remarkably, concomitant deletion of the mitochondrial fusion gene Mfn1 completely rescued heart dysfunction, life span, and respiratory chain function. Our results show for the first time that retuning the balance of mitochondrial fusion and fission can restore tissue integrity and mitochondrial physiology at the whole-organ level. Examination of liver, testis, and cerebellum suggest, however, that the precise balance point of fusion and fission is cell type specific.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanjun Kou ◽  
Yunlong He ◽  
Jiehua Qiu ◽  
Shu Yazhou ◽  
Fan Yang ◽  
...  

SUMMARYMagnaporthe oryzaecauses Blast disease, which is one of the most devastating infections in rice and several important cereal crops.M. oryzaeneeds to coordinate gene regulation, morphological changes, nutrient acquisition, and host evasion, in order to invade and proliferate within the plant tissues. Thus far, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of invasive growthin plantahave remained largely unknown. We identified a precise filamentous-punctate-filamentous cycle in mitochondrial morphology duringMagnaporthe-Rice interaction. Interestingly, loss of either the mitochondrial fusion (MoFzo1) or fission (MoDnm1) machinery, or inhibition of mitochondrial fission using Mdivi-1 caused significant reduction inM. oryzaepathogenicity. Furthermore, exogenous carbon source(s) but not antioxidant treatment delayed such mitochondrial dynamics/transition during invasive growth. Such nutrient-based regulation of organellar dynamics preceded MoAtg24-mediated mitophagy, which was found to be essential for proper biotrophic development and invasive growthin planta. We propose that precise mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy occur during the transition from biotrophy to necrotrophy, and are required for proper induction and establishment of the blast disease in rice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangen Liu ◽  
Xianjing Song ◽  
Youyou Yan ◽  
Bin Liu

Heart function maintenance requires a large amount of energy, which is supplied by the mitochondria. In addition to providing energy to cardiomyocytes, mitochondria also play an important role in maintaining cell function and homeostasis. Although adult cardiomyocyte mitochondria appear as independent, low-static organelles, morphological changes have been observed in cardiomyocyte mitochondria under stress or pathological conditions. Indeed, cardiac mitochondrial fission and fusion are involved in the occurrence and development of heart diseases. As mitochondrial fission and fusion are primarily regulated by mitochondrial dynamins in a GTPase-dependent manner, GTPase-dependent mitochondrial fusion (MFN1, MFN2, and OPA1) and fission (DRP1) proteins, which are abundant in the adult heart, can also be regulated in heart diseases. In fact, these dynamic proteins have been shown to play important roles in specific diseases, including ischemia-reperfusion injury, heart failure, and metabolic cardiomyopathy. This article reviews the role of GTPase-dependent mitochondrial fusion and fission protein-mediated mitochondrial dynamics in the occurrence and development of heart diseases.


2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qqilong Wang ◽  
Zhonglin Xie ◽  
Huaiping Zhu ◽  
Ye Ding ◽  
Ming-Hui Zou

Introduction: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been reported to regulate mitochondrial biogenesis, function, and turnover. However, the molecular mechanisms by which AMPK regulates mitochondrial dynamics remain poorly characterized. We hypothesized that AMPK deficiency regulates mitochondrial fission that will result in endothelial dysfunction. Methods/Results: Deletion of AMPKα2 resulted in defective autophagy, dynamin-related protein (Drp1) accumulation, and aberrant mitochondrial fragmentation in the aortic endothelium of mice. Furthermore, autophagy inhibition by chloroquine treatment or Atg7 small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection upregulated Drp1 expression and triggered Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fragmentation. In contrast, autophagy activation by overexpression of Atg7 or chronic administration of rapamycin, the mammalian target of rapamycin kinase inhibitor, promoted Drp1 degradation and attenuated mitochondrial fission in AMPKα2 -/- mice, suggesting that defective autophagy contributes to enhanced Drp1 expression and mitochondrial fragmentation. Interesting, the genetic (Drp1 siRNA) or pharmacological (mdivi-1) inhibition of Drp1 ablated mitochondrial fragmentation in the mouse aortic endothelium and prevented the acetylcholine-induced relaxation of isolated mouse aortas from AMPKα2 -/- mice. This suggests that aberrant Drp1 is responsible for enhanced mitochondrial fission and endothelial dysfunction in AMPKα knockout mice. Conclusions: Our results show that AMPKα deletion promoted mitochondrial fission in vascular endothelial cells by inhibiting the autophagy-dependent degradation of Drp1.


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