The scaffold protein Atg11 recruits fission machinery to drive selective mitochondria degradation by autophagy

Dev Cell. 2013 Jul 15;26(1):9-18. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2013.05.024. Epub 2013 Jun 27.

Abstract

As the cellular power plant, mitochondria play a significant role in homeostasis. To maintain the proper quality and quantity of mitochondria requires both mitochondrial degradation and division. A selective type of autophagy, mitophagy, drives the degradation of excess or damaged mitochondria, whereas division is controlled by a specific fission complex; however, the relationship between these two processes, especially the role of mitochondrial fission during mitophagy, remains unclear. In this study, we report that mitochondrial fission is important for the progression of mitophagy. When mitophagy is induced, the fission complex is recruited to the degrading mitochondria through an interaction between Atg11 and Dnm1; interfering with this interaction severely blocks mitophagy. These data establish a paradigm for selective organelle degradation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Autophagy*
  • Autophagy-Related Proteins
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / genetics
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / metabolism
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Mitochondria / genetics
  • Mitochondria / metabolism
  • Mitochondrial Dynamics*
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / genetics
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / metabolism
  • Mitophagy*
  • Mutation
  • Protein Interaction Mapping
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / genetics
  • Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins / genetics
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Atg11 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Atg32 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Autophagy-Related Proteins
  • Mitochondrial Proteins
  • Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases
  • DNM1 protein, S cerevisiae