-
[
Autophagy,
2016]
ATM is a 350kDa serine/threonine kinase best known for its role in DNA repair and multiple cellular homeostasis pathways. Mutation in ATM causes the disease ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) with clinical features including ataxia, severe cerebellar atrophy and Purkinje cell loss. In a cross-species study, using primary rat neurons, the roundworm C. elegans, and a mouse model of A-T, we showed that loss of ATM induces mitochondrial dysfunction and compromised mitophagy due to NAD(+) insufficiency. Remarkably, NAD(+) repletion mitigates both the DNA repair defect and mitochondrial dysfunction in ATM-deficient neurons. In C. elegans, NAD(+) repletion can clear accumulated dysfunctional mitochondria through restoration of compromised mitophagy via upregulation of DCT-1. Thus, NAD(+) ties together DNA repair and mitophagy in neuroprotection and intimates immediate translational applications for A-T and related neurodegenerative DNA repair-deficient diseases.
-
[
PLoS One,
2012]
Calcium (Ca) is a ubiquitous messenger in eukaryotes including Caenorhabditis. Ca-mediated signalling processes are usually carried out through well characterized proteins like calmodulin (CaM) and other Ca binding proteins (CaBP). These proteins interact with different targets and activate it by bringing conformational changes. Majority of the EF-hand proteins in Caenorhabditis contain Ca binding motifs. Here, we have performed homology modelling of CaM-like proteins using the crystal structure of Drosophila melanogaster CaM as a template. Molecular docking was applied to explore the binding mechanism of CaM-like proteins and IQ1 motif which is a 25 residues and conform to the consensus sequence (I, L, V)QXXXRXXXX(R,K) to serve as a binding site for different EF hand proteins. We made an attempt to identify all the EF-hand (a helix-loop-helix structure characterized by a 12 residues loop sequence involved in metal coordination) containing proteins and their Ca binding affinity in Caenorhabditis by analysing the complete genome sequence. Docking studies revealed that F165, F169, L29, E33, F44, L57, M61, M96, M97, M108, G65, V115, F93, N104, E144 of CaM-like protein is involved in the interaction with IQ1 motif. A maximum of 170 EF-hand proteins and 39 non-EF-hand proteins with Ca/metal binding motif were identified. Diverse proteins including enzyme, transcription, translation and large number of unknown proteins have one or more putative EF-hands. Phylogenetic analysis revealed seven major classes/groups that contain some families of proteins. Various domains that we identified in the EF-hand proteins (uncharacterized) would help in elucidating their functions. It is the first report of its kind where calcium binding loop sequences of EF-hand proteins were analyzed to decipher their calcium affinities. Variation in Ca-binding affinity of EF-hand CaBP could be further used to study the behaviour of these proteins. Our analyses postulated that Ca is likely to be key player in Caenorhabditis cell signalling.
-
[
ACS Chem Neurosci,
2017]
The societal burden presented by Alzheimer's disease warrants both innovative and expedient means by which its underlying molecular causes can be both identified and mechanistically exploited to discern novel therapeutic targets and strategies. The conserved characteristics, defined neuroanatomy and advanced technological application of Caenorhabditis elegans render this metazoan an unmatched tool for probing neurotoxic factors. In addition, its short lifespan and importance in the field of aging make it an ideal organism for modeling age-related neurodegenerative disease. As such, this nematode system has demonstrated its value in predicting functional modifiers of human neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we review how C. elegans has been utilized to model Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, we present how the causative neurotoxic peptides, amyloid- and tau, contribute to disease-like neurodegeneration in C. elegans and how they translate to human disease. Furthermore, we describe how a variety of transgenic animal strains, each with distinct utility, have been used to identify both genetic and pharmacological modifiers of toxicity in C. elegans. As technological advances improve the prospects for intervention, the rapidity, unparalleled accuracy, and scale that C. elegans offers researchers for defining functional modifiers of neurodegeneration should speed the discovery of improved therapies for Alzheimer's disease.
-
[
Biochemistry,
2006]
In canonical translation systems, the single elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) recognizes all elongator tRNAs. However, in Caenorhabditis elegans mitochondria, two distinct EF-Tu species, EF-Tu1 and EF-Tu2, recognize 20 species of T armless tRNA and two species of D armless tRNA(Ser), respectively. We previously reported that C. elegans mitochondrial EF-Tu2 specifically recognizes the serine moiety of serylated-tRNA. In this study, to identify the critical residues for the serine specificity in EF-Tu2, several residues in the amino acid binding pocket of bacterial EF-Tu were systematically replaced with corresponding EF-Tu2 residues, and the mutants were analyzed for their specificity for esterified amino acids attached to tRNAs. In this way, we obtained a bacterial EF-Tu mutant that acquired serine specificity after the introduction of 10 EF-Tu2 residues into its amino acid binding pocket. C. elegans EF-Tu2 mutants lacking serine specificity were also created by replacing seven or eight residues with bacterial residues. Further stressing the importance of these residues, we found that they are almost conserved in EF-Tu2 sequences of closely related nematodes. Thus, these three approaches reveal the critical residues essential for the unique serine specificity of C. elegans mitochondrial EF-Tu2.
-
[
Cell,
2014]
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a common feature in neurodegeneration and aging. We identify mitochondrial dysfunction in xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XPA), a nucleotide excision DNA repair disorder with severe neurodegeneration, in silico and in vivo. XPA-deficient cells show defective mitophagy with excessive cleavage of PINK1 and increased mitochondrial membrane potential. The mitochondrial abnormalities appear to be caused by decreased activation of the NAD(+)-SIRT1-PGC-1 axis triggered by hyperactivation of the DNA damage sensor PARP-1. This phenotype is rescued by PARP-1 inhibition or by supplementation with NAD(+) precursors that also rescue the lifespan defect in
xpa-1 nematodes. Importantly, this pathogenesis appears common to ataxia-telangiectasia and Cockayne syndrome, two other DNA repair disorders with neurodegeneration, but absent in XPC, a DNA repair disorder without neurodegeneration. Our findings reveal a nuclear-mitochondrial crosstalk that is critical for the maintenance of mitochondrial health.
-
Bohr VA, Fivenson EM, Nilsen H, Kassahun H, Dombi E, Spangler RD, Cordonnier SA, Tavernarakis N, Hou Y, Poulton J, Fang EF, Kerr JS, Sun N, Palikaras K
[
J Vis Exp,
2017]
Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells and produce cellular energy in the form of ATP. Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to biological aging and a wide variety of disorders including metabolic diseases, premature aging syndromes, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). Maintenance of mitochondrial health depends on mitochondrial biogenesis and the efficient clearance of dysfunctional mitochondria through mitophagy. Experimental methods to accurately detect autophagy/mitophagy, especially in animal models, have been challenging to develop. Recent progress towards the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of mitophagy has enabled the development of novel mitophagy detection techniques. Here, we introduce several versatile techniques to monitor mitophagy in human cells, Caenorhabditis elegans (e.g., Rosella and DCT-1/ LGG-1 strains), and mice (mt-Keima). A combination of these mitophagy detection techniques, including cross-species evaluation, will improve the accuracy of mitophagy measurements and lead to a better understanding of the role of mitophagy in health and disease.
-
[
Nucleic Acids Res,
2005]
Nematode mitochondria expresses two types of extremely truncated tRNAs that are specifically recognized by two distinct elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) species named EF-Tu1 and EF-Tu2. This is unlike the canonical EF-Tu molecule that participates in the standard protein biosynthesis systems, which basically recognizes all elongator tRNAs. EF-Tu2 specifically recognizes Ser-tRNA(Ser) that lacks a D arm but has a short T arm. Our previous study led us to speculate the lack of the D arm may be essential for the tRNA recognition of EF-Tu2. However, here, we showed that the EF-Tu2 can bind to D arm-bearing Ser-tRNAs, in which the D-T arm interaction was weakened by the mutations. The ethylnitrosourea-modification interference assay showed that EF-Tu2 is unique, in that it interacts with the phosphate groups on the T stem on the side that is opposite to where canonical EF-Tu binds. The hydrolysis protection assay using several EF-Tu2 mutants then strongly suggests that seven C-terminal amino acid residues of EF-Tu2 are essential for its aminoacyl-tRNA-binding activity. Our results indicate that the formation of the nematode mitochondrial (mt) EF-Tu2/GTP/aminoacyl-tRNA ternary complex is probably supported by a unique interaction between the C-terminal extension of EF-Tu2 and the tRNA.
-
Caponio D, Fang EF, Yokote K, SenGupta T, Lautrup S, Khezri R, Maezawa Y, Demarest TG, Croteau DL, Kassahun H, Rusten TE, Aman Y, Okur MN, Morevati M, Hou Y, Mangerich A, Tao J, Kato H, Figueroa D, Filippelli D, Jensen MB, Yang B, Jasper H, Lee JH, Bohr VA, Lyssiotis CA, Mattson MP, Nilsen H, Lee HJ
[
Nat Commun,
2019]
Metabolic dysfunction is a primary feature of Werner syndrome (WS), a human premature aging disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding the Werner (WRN) DNA helicase. WS patients exhibit severe metabolic phenotypes, but the underlying mechanisms are not understood, and whether the metabolic deficit can be targeted for therapeutic intervention has not been determined. Here we report impaired mitophagy and depletion of NAD<sup>+</sup>, a fundamental ubiquitous molecule, in WS patient samples and WS invertebrate models. WRN regulates transcription of a key NAD<sup>+</sup> biosynthetic enzyme nicotinamide nucleotide adenylyltransferase 1 (NMNAT1). NAD<sup>+</sup> repletion restores NAD<sup>+</sup> metabolic profiles and improves mitochondrial quality through DCT-1 and ULK-1-dependent mitophagy. At the organismal level, NAD<sup>+</sup> repletion remarkably extends lifespan and delays accelerated aging, including stem cell dysfunction, in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster models of WS. Our findings suggest that accelerated aging in WS is mediated by impaired mitochondrial function and mitophagy, and that bolstering cellular NAD<sup>+</sup> levels counteracts WS phenotypes.
-
Iser WB, Morevati M, Lu H, Sinclair DA, Wollman BN, Nilsen H, Waltz TB, Scheibye-Knudsen M, Wilson MA, Shamanna RA, Tian J, Lu Q, Croteau DL, Kerr JS, Fang EF, Li J, Mattson MP, Kalyanasundaram S, Marosi K, Kassahun H, Bohr VA, Bollineni RC
[
Cell Metab,
2016]
Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and cerebellar ataxia. A-T is causally linked to defects in ATM, a master regulator of the response to and repair of DNA double-strand breaks. The molecular basis of cerebellar atrophy and neurodegeneration in A-T patients is unclear. Here we report and examine the significance of increased PARylation, low NAD(+), and mitochondrial dysfunction in ATM-deficient neurons, mice, and worms. Treatments that replenish intracellular NAD(+) reduce the severity of A-T neuropathology, normalize neuromuscular function, delay memory loss, and extend lifespan inboth animal models. Mechanistically, treatments that increase intracellular NAD(+) also stimulate neuronal DNA repair and improve mitochondrial quality via mitophagy. This work links two major theories on aging, DNA damage accumulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction through nuclear DNA damage-induced nuclear-mitochondrial signaling, and demonstrates that they are important pathophysiological determinants in premature aging of A-T, pointing to therapeutic interventions.
-
Hou Y, Bohr VA, Yang B, Adriaanse BA, Palikaras K, Mattson MP, Akbari M, Hasan-Olive MM, Kerr JS, Tavernarakis N, Fladby T, Rocktaschel P, Croteau DL, Caponio D, Dan X, Fang EF, Cader MZ, Greig NH, Nilsen H, Lautrup S
[
Nat Neurosci,
2019]
Accumulation of damaged mitochondria is a hallmark of aging and age-related neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The molecular mechanisms of impaired mitochondrial homeostasis in AD are being investigated. Here we provide evidence that mitophagy is impaired in the hippocampus of AD patients, in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived human AD neurons, and in animal AD models. In both amyloid- (A) and tau Caenorhabditis elegans models of AD, mitophagy stimulation (through NAD<sup>+</sup> supplementation, urolithin A, and actinonin) reverses memory impairment through PINK-1 (PTEN-induced kinase-1)-, PDR-1 (Parkinson's disease-related-1; parkin)-, or DCT-1 (DAF-16/FOXO-controlled germline-tumor affecting-1)-dependent pathways. Mitophagy diminishes insoluble A<sub>1-42</sub> and A<sub>1-40</sub> and prevents cognitive impairment in an APP/PS1 mouse model through microglial phagocytosis of extracellular A plaques and suppression of neuroinflammation. Mitophagy enhancement abolishes AD-related tau hyperphosphorylation in human neuronal cells and reverses memory impairment in transgenic tau nematodes and mice. Our findings suggest that impaired removal of defective mitochondria is a pivotal event in AD pathogenesis and that mitophagy represents a potential therapeutic intervention.