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Molecular Cell Nov 2023Lactate has long been considered a cellular waste product. However, we found that as extracellular lactate accumulates, it also enters the mitochondrial matrix and...
Lactate has long been considered a cellular waste product. However, we found that as extracellular lactate accumulates, it also enters the mitochondrial matrix and stimulates mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) activity. The resulting increase in mitochondrial ATP synthesis suppresses glycolysis and increases the utilization of pyruvate and/or alternative respiratory substrates. The ability of lactate to increase oxidative phosphorylation does not depend on its metabolism. Both L- and D-lactate are effective at enhancing ETC activity and suppressing glycolysis. Furthermore, the selective induction of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation by unmetabolized D-lactate reversibly suppressed aerobic glycolysis in both cancer cell lines and proliferating primary cells in an ATP-dependent manner and enabled cell growth on respiratory-dependent bioenergetic substrates. In primary T cells, D-lactate enhanced cell proliferation and effector function. Together, these findings demonstrate that lactate is a critical regulator of the ability of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to suppress glucose fermentation.
Topics: Lactic Acid; Electron Transport; Energy Metabolism; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Glycolysis; Adenosine Triphosphate
PubMed: 37879334
DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.09.034 -
Cell Research Jan 2024Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) consumes oxygen to produce ATP. However, the mechanism that balances OXPHOS activity and intracellular oxygen availability remains...
Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) consumes oxygen to produce ATP. However, the mechanism that balances OXPHOS activity and intracellular oxygen availability remains elusive. Here, we report that mitochondrial protein lactylation is induced by intracellular hypoxia to constrain OXPHOS. We show that mitochondrial alanyl-tRNA synthetase (AARS2) is a protein lysine lactyltransferase, whose proteasomal degradation is enhanced by proline 377 hydroxylation catalyzed by the oxygen-sensing hydroxylase PHD2. Hypoxia induces AARS2 accumulation to lactylate PDHA1 lysine 336 in the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT2) lysine 457/8, inactivating both enzymes and inhibiting OXPHOS by limiting acetyl-CoA influx from pyruvate and fatty acid oxidation, respectively. PDHA1 and CPT2 lactylation can be reversed by SIRT3 to activate OXPHOS. In mouse muscle cells, lactylation is induced by lactate oxidation-induced intracellular hypoxia during exercise to constrain high-intensity endurance running exhaustion time, which can be increased or decreased by decreasing or increasing lactylation levels, respectively. Our results reveal that mitochondrial protein lactylation integrates intracellular hypoxia and lactate signals to regulate OXPHOS.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Mitochondrial Proteins; Lysine; Hypoxia; Oxygen; Lactates
PubMed: 38163844
DOI: 10.1038/s41422-023-00864-6 -
Blood Jul 2023Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematological malignancy. Nearly 50% of patients who receive the most intensive treatment inevitably experience disease...
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematological malignancy. Nearly 50% of patients who receive the most intensive treatment inevitably experience disease relapse, likely resulting from the persistence of drug-resistant leukemia stem cells (LSCs). AML cells, especially LSCs, are highly dependent on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for survival, but the mechanism involved in OXPHOS hyperactivity is unclear, and a noncytotoxic strategy to inhibit OXPHOS is lacking. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that ZDHHC21 palmitoyltransferase serves as a key regulator of OXPHOS hyperactivity in AML cells. The depletion/inhibition of ZDHHC21 effectively induced myeloid differentiation and weakened stemness potential by inhibiting OXPHOS in AML cells. Interestingly, FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD)-mutated AML cells expressed significantly higher levels of ZDHHC21 and exhibited better sensitivity to ZDHHC21 inhibition. Mechanistically, ZDHHC21 specifically catalyzed the palmitoylation of mitochondrial adenylate kinase 2 (AK2) and further activated OXPHOS in leukemic blasts. Inhibition of ZDHHC21 arrested the in vivo growth of AML cells and extended the survival of mice inoculated with AML cell lines and patient derived xenograft AML blasts. Moreover, targeting ZDHHC21 to suppress OXPHOS markedly eradicated AML blasts and enhanced chemotherapy efficacy in relapsed/refractory leukemia. Together, these findings not only uncover a new biological function of palmitoyltransferase ZDHHC21 in regulating AML OXPHOS but also indicate that ZDHHC21 inhibition is a promising therapeutic regimen for patients with AML, especially relapsed/refractory leukemia.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Mice; Cell Differentiation; fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Mutation; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Protein Kinase Inhibitors
PubMed: 37216691
DOI: 10.1182/blood.2022019056 -
Nature Sep 2023Protective immunity against pathogens or cancer is mediated by the activation and clonal expansion of antigen-specific naive T cells into effector T cells. To sustain...
Protective immunity against pathogens or cancer is mediated by the activation and clonal expansion of antigen-specific naive T cells into effector T cells. To sustain their rapid proliferation and effector functions, naive T cells switch their quiescent metabolism to an anabolic metabolism through increased levels of aerobic glycolysis, but also through mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation, generating energy and signalling molecules. However, how that metabolic rewiring drives and defines the differentiation of T cells remains unclear. Here we show that proliferating effector CD8 T cells reductively carboxylate glutamine through the mitochondrial enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2). Notably, deletion of the gene encoding IDH2 does not impair the proliferation of T cells nor their effector function, but promotes the differentiation of memory CD8 T cells. Accordingly, inhibiting IDH2 during ex vivo manufacturing of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells induces features of memory T cells and enhances antitumour activity in melanoma, leukaemia and multiple myeloma. Mechanistically, inhibition of IDH2 activates compensating metabolic pathways that cause a disequilibrium in metabolites regulating histone-modifying enzymes, and this maintains chromatin accessibility at genes that are required for the differentiation of memory T cells. These findings show that reductive carboxylation in CD8 T cells is dispensable for their effector response and proliferation, but that it mainly produces a pattern of metabolites that epigenetically locks CD8 T cells into a terminal effector differentiation program. Blocking this metabolic route allows the increased formation of memory T cells, which could be exploited to optimize the therapeutic efficacy of CAR T cells.
Topics: CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cell Differentiation; Lymphocyte Activation; Citric Acid Cycle; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Immunologic Memory
PubMed: 37730993
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06546-y -
Nature Neuroscience Dec 2023It is generally thought that under basal conditions, neurons produce ATP mainly through mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and glycolytic activity only...
It is generally thought that under basal conditions, neurons produce ATP mainly through mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and glycolytic activity only predominates when neurons are activated and need to meet higher energy demands. However, it remains unknown whether there are differences in glucose metabolism between neuronal somata and axon terminals. Here, we demonstrated that neuronal somata perform higher levels of aerobic glycolysis and lower levels of OXPHOS than terminals, both during basal and activated states. We found that the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase 2 (PKM2) is localized predominantly in the somata rather than in the terminals. Deletion of Pkm2 in mice results in a switch from aerobic glycolysis to OXPHOS in neuronal somata, leading to oxidative damage and progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons. Our findings update the conventional view that neurons uniformly use OXPHOS under basal conditions and highlight the important role of somatic aerobic glycolysis in maintaining antioxidant capacity.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Glycolysis; Phosphotransferases; Oxidative Stress; Glucose
PubMed: 37996529
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01476-4 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Cellular metabolism plays a critical role in determining the fate and function of cells. Metabolic reprogramming and its byproducts have a complex impact on cellular... (Review)
Review
Cellular metabolism plays a critical role in determining the fate and function of cells. Metabolic reprogramming and its byproducts have a complex impact on cellular activities. In quiescent T cells, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is the primary pathway for survival. However, upon antigen activation, T cells undergo rapid metabolic reprogramming, characterized by an elevation in both glycolysis and OXPHOS. While both pathways are induced, the balance predominantly shifts towards glycolysis, enabling T cells to rapidly proliferate and enhance their functionality, representing the most distinctive signature during activation. Metabolic processes generate various small molecules resulting from enzyme-catalyzed reactions, which also modulate protein function and exert regulatory control. Notably, recent studies have revealed the direct modification of histones, known as lactylation, by lactate derived from glycolysis. This lactylation process influences gene transcription and adds a novel variable to the regulation of gene expression. Protein lactylation has been identified as an essential mechanism by which lactate exerts its diverse functions, contributing to crucial biological processes such as uterine remodeling, tumor proliferation, neural system regulation, and metabolic regulation. This review focuses on the metabolic reprogramming of T cells, explores the interplay between lactate and the immune system, highlights the impact of lactylation on cellular function, and elucidates the intersection of metabolic reprogramming and epigenetics.
Topics: Glycolysis; Histones; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Lactates; Protein Processing, Post-Translational
PubMed: 37457701
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1211221 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Aug 2023Lactate has long been considered a cellular waste product. However, we found that as extracellular lactate accumulates, it also enters the mitochondrial matrix and...
Lactate has long been considered a cellular waste product. However, we found that as extracellular lactate accumulates, it also enters the mitochondrial matrix and stimulates mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) activity. The resulting increase in mitochondrial ATP synthesis suppresses glycolysis and increases the utilization of pyruvate and/or alternative respiratory substrates. The ability of lactate to increase oxidative phosphorylation does not depend on its metabolism. Both L- and D-lactate are effective at enhancing ETC activity and suppressing glycolysis. Furthermore, the selective induction of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation by unmetabolized D-lactate reversibly suppressed aerobic glycolysis in both cancer cell lines and proliferating primary cells in an ATP-dependent manner and enabled cell growth on respiratory-dependent bioenergetic substrates. In primary T cells, D-lactate enhanced cell proliferation and effector function. Together, these findings demonstrate that lactate is a critical regulator of the ability of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to suppress glucose fermentation.
PubMed: 37577602
DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.02.551712 -
Genes & Diseases Jan 2024Ferroptosis is a novel form of regulated cell death characterized by iron-dependent excessive lipid peroxidation. The core organelle involved in ferroptosis is... (Review)
Review
Ferroptosis is a novel form of regulated cell death characterized by iron-dependent excessive lipid peroxidation. The core organelle involved in ferroptosis is mitochondria. Mitochondria undergoing ferroptosis are distinct from normal mitochondria in terms of morphology, biochemistry, gene expression, and energy metabolism. An increasing number of studies have shown that mitochondria and their associated metabolic pathways mediate ferroptosis in the development and progression of breast cancer. In this review, we discuss the relevant research about ferroptosis in breast cancer and provide a comprehensive summary of mitochondrial regulation in ferroptosis from the perspective of lipid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, ion metabolism, glycometabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. We also summarize the application of mitochondrial metabolism-related pathways as ferroptosis treatment targets. Here we provide new insights into the relationship between mitochondria, ferroptosis, and breast cancer treatment.
PubMed: 37588231
DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2023.03.019 -
Nature Communications Jul 2023Resistance to endocrine treatments and CDK4/6 inhibitors is considered a near-inevitability in most patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancers...
Resistance to endocrine treatments and CDK4/6 inhibitors is considered a near-inevitability in most patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancers (ER + BC). By genomic and metabolomics analyses of patients' tumours, metastasis-derived patient-derived xenografts (PDX) and isogenic cell lines we demonstrate that a fraction of metastatic ER + BC is highly reliant on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Treatment by the OXPHOS inhibitor IACS-010759 strongly inhibits tumour growth in multiple endocrine and palbociclib resistant PDX. Mutations in the PIK3CA/AKT1 genes are significantly associated with response to IACS-010759. At the metabolic level, in vivo response to IACS-010759 is associated with decreased levels of metabolites of the glutathione, glycogen and pentose phosphate pathways in treated tumours. In vitro, endocrine and palbociclib resistant cells show increased OXPHOS dependency and increased ROS levels upon IACS-010759 treatment. Finally, in ER + BC patients, high expression of OXPHOS associated genes predict poor prognosis. In conclusion, these results identify OXPHOS as a promising target for treatment resistant ER + BC patients.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Female; Breast Neoplasms; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Receptors, Estrogen; Disease Models, Animal
PubMed: 37452026
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40022-5 -
Nature Cell Biology Nov 2023Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes are assembled from proteins encoded by both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. These dual-origin enzymes pose a...
Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes are assembled from proteins encoded by both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. These dual-origin enzymes pose a complex gene regulatory challenge for cells requiring coordinated gene expression across organelles. To identify genes involved in dual-origin protein complex synthesis, we performed fluorescence-activated cell-sorting-based genome-wide screens analysing mutant cells with unbalanced levels of mitochondrial- and nuclear-encoded subunits of Complex IV. We identified genes involved in OXPHOS biogenesis, including two uncharacterized genes: PREPL and NME6. We found that PREPL specifically impacts Complex IV biogenesis by acting at the intersection of mitochondrial lipid metabolism and protein synthesis, whereas NME6, an uncharacterized nucleoside diphosphate kinase, controls OXPHOS biogenesis through multiple mechanisms reliant on its NDPK domain. Firstly, NME6 forms a complex with RCC1L, which together perform nucleoside diphosphate kinase activity to maintain local mitochondrial pyrimidine triphosphate levels essential for mitochondrial RNA abundance. Secondly, NME6 modulates the activity of mitoribosome regulatory complexes, altering mitoribosome assembly and mitochondrial RNA pseudouridylation. Taken together, we propose that NME6 acts as a link between compartmentalized mitochondrial metabolites and mitochondrial gene expression.
Topics: DNA, Mitochondrial; RNA, Mitochondrial; Mitochondria; Gene Expression Regulation; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase; Mitochondrial Proteins
PubMed: 37770567
DOI: 10.1038/s41556-023-01244-3