Article
Plant Sciences
Jessica A. S. Barros, Elizabeth C. Chatt, Robert C. Augustine, Fionn McLoughlin, Faqiang Li, Marisa S. Otegui, Richard D. Vierstra
Summary: Autophagy plays a minor role in starch and protein accumulation during maize endosperm development, but helps protect against oxidative stress and clear dysfunctional mitochondria.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhenqi Liu, Geng Qin, Jie Yang, Wenjie Wang, Wenting Zhang, Boxun Lu, Jinsong Ren, Xiaogang Qu
Summary: Researchers have developed a biochemical method called mito-ATTECs to modulate mitophagy by directly interacting with LC3 on mitochondrial membranes. This approach bypasses the detrimental effects of traditional inducers on mitochondrial membrane integrity and can be used to investigate the physiological roles of mitophagy.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Jose Perez, Dina Ivanyuk, Vasiliki Panagiotakopoulou, Gabriele Di Napoli, Stefanie Kalb, Dario Brunetti, Rawaa Al-Shaana, Stephan A. Kaeser, Sabine Anne-Kristin Fraschka, Mathias Jucker, Massimo Zeviani, Carlo Viscomi, Michela Deleidi
Summary: Mutations in the PITRM1 gene lead to a slow-progressing syndrome characterized by cerebellar ataxia and cognitive decline. Studies using PITRM1-knockout iPSCs show induction of mitochondrial unfolded protein response and increased mitochondrial clearance in neurons, as well as elevated levels of amyloid precursor protein and amyloid beta. Astrocytes also show dysregulated immune transcriptional signatures in PITRM1-knockout cerebral organoids.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Samuel A. Killackey, Yuntian Bi, Dana J. Philpott, Damien Arnoult, Stephen E. Girardin
Summary: Mitochondrial protein import stress has been identified as a potential common trigger for mitophagy, offering new avenues for therapeutic exploration and mechanistic insights.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Parsa Alan, Kurt R. Vandevoorde, Bharat Joshi, Ben Cardoen, Guang Gao, Yahya Mohammadzadeh, Ghassan Hamarneh, Ivan R. Nabi
Summary: Mitochondria are a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are cytotoxic and contribute to cancer progression when uncontrolled. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying mitophagic control of mitochondrial homeostasis, and found that the E3 ubiquitin ligase Gp78 plays a role in promoting both basal and damage-induced mitophagy. Knockout of Gp78 increased mitochondrial volume and ROS production, and rendered cells resistant to mitophagy. This study highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy mitochondrial population in limiting ROS production and tumor cell proliferation.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Liwei Gu, Jiaxing Zhang, Dandan Liu, Jiayun Chen, Shuzhi Liu, Qing Peng, Ya Tian, Maobo Du, Junzhe Zhang, Wei Xiao, Shuo Shen, Jigang Wang
Summary: This study successfully improved the anti-tumor efficacy of artemisinin drugs by preparing liposomes that target tumor cells and mitochondria, providing new research strategies for the development of new anti-tumor drugs.
JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Haiyang Chen, Chenlin Wu, Qin Lv, Mingjie Li, Lu Ren
Summary: This article summarizes the research progress on acupuncture targeting mitochondrial homeostasis in the treatment of depression. Acupuncture has been found to regulate mitochondrial homeostasis and alleviate depression-like behavior by modulating various mitochondrial processes.
NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISEASE AND TREATMENT
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Rui Filipe Malheiro, Helena Carmo, Felix Carvalho, Joao Pedro Silva
Summary: Mitochondria play a critical role in multiple biological processes, and recent studies have shown that cannabinoids can modulate mitochondrial function and dynamics. Cannabinoids can target different mitochondrial processes through complex signaling pathways, affecting cell homeostasis and disease.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Peiyuan Chai, Yiru Cheng, Chuyi Hou, Lei Yin, Donghui Zhang, Yingchun Hu, Qingzhou Chen, Pengli Zheng, Junlin Teng, Jianguo Chen
Summary: The study demonstrates that the ER-resident deubiquitinase USP19 accumulates at ER-mitochondria contact sites under hypoxia, promoting hypoxia-induced mitochondrial fission by binding to and deubiquitinating FUNDC1, facilitating Drp1 oligomerization and activity. The findings reveal a unique hypoxia response pathway mediated by an ER protein regulating mitochondrial dynamics.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Pierre - Hadrien Becker, Patrice Therond, Pauline Gaignard
Summary: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is caused by chronic arterial injury due to hyperlipidemia, hypertension, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Mitochondrial dysfunction and accumulation of mitochondrial alterations within macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress. Macrophages play a pivotal role in atherogenesis, with their anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory effects affecting cholesterol efflux, efferocytosis, and polarization. Oxidized LDL can impair macrophage mitochondrial function, leading to a pro-inflammatory state and loss of atheroprotective capacity. Preservation of mitochondrial function is considered a legitimate therapeutic strategy, and emerging therapies aim to improve macrophage mitochondrial function to counteract atherosclerotic lesion progression and induce regression.
PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Soohyun Lee, Yoonjeong Jeong, Jae-Seok Roe, Hoyoung Huh, Sang Hoon Paik, Jaewhan Song
Summary: Callyspongiolide R form induces caspase-independent cancer cell death by inhibiting mitochondrial complex, leading to autophagy, and shows synergistic effects when combined with other anti-cancer drugs.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Ugochukwu Kelvin Ihenacho, Kelsey A. Meacham, Megan Cleland Harwig, Michael E. Widlansky, R. Blake Hill
Summary: The exact function of Fis1 in mitochondrial fission in humans remains unclear, but it is believed to play multiple important roles potentially impacting endocrine and neurological disorders.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Boyu Zhang, Qingxin Liu, Weijie Wen, Han Gao, Wenxia Wei, Aiwen Tang, Baifu Qin, Haiwen Lyu, Xiangqi Meng, Kai Li, Huilin Jin, Fenghai Yu, Qihao Pan, Junzhong Lin, Mong-Hong Lee
Summary: Chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 6 (CHD6) is highly expressed in colorectal cancer and plays a critical role in regulating cancer cell proliferation and invasion through its stability and chromatin remodeling activity. The CHD6-TMEM65 axis is regulated by both Wnt and EGF signaling pathways, and targeting this axis may be effective for cancer intervention.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yi Qian, Meimei Zhao, Qinghua Han, Jingkang Wang, Lixi Liao, Heng Yang, Dan Liu, Pengfei Tu, Hong Liang, Kewu Zeng
Summary: This study demonstrated the potential of targeting the molecular motor consisting of myosin and actin proteins for anti-cancer therapy. A natural-derived small molecule, J13, was found to directly target the MYH9 and actin molecular motor to inhibit cancer cells survival, proliferation, and migration. Mechanism analysis revealed that J13 disrupted the interaction between MYH9 and actin, leading to cytoskeleton-dependent mitochondrial dynamics imbalance.
ACTA PHARMACEUTICA SINICA B
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Kaili Xue, Dongmei Wu, Yushuang Wang, Yiheng Zhao, Hongyu Shen, Jingfei Yao, Xun Huang, Xinmeng Li, Zhao Zhou, Zihao Wang, Yifu Qiu
Summary: In this study, the researchers uncover a thermoporter, formed by the MCU-EMRE-UCP1 complex, which plays a crucial role in regulating thermogenesis by modulating mitochondrial calcium uptake and uncoupled respiration. Manipulation of this thermoporter may offer a potential strategy for combating obesity and associated metabolic disorders.