Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

FRIENDLY is required for efficient dark-induced mitophagy and controlled senescence in Arabidopsis

Kacprzak, Sylwia M. LU and Van Aken, Olivier LU (2023) In Free Radical Biology and Medicine 204. p.1-7
Abstract

Mitochondria play essential roles in plant metabolism, supporting both development and stress responses. To maintain a healthy pool of mitochondria, several quality control systems are in place. Selected degradation of mitochondria by autophagy -mitophagy- has been extensively studied in yeast and animals, but information on mitophagy components in plants is limited. The ‘Friendly Mitochondria’ (FRIENDLY; FMT) protein, homologous to ‘clustered mitochondria protein homolog’ CLU in animals, was recently suggested to mediate mitophagy of depolarized mitochondria. In this study, we evaluated the role of FMT in carbon starvation- and dark senescence-induced mitophagy in Arabidopsis. Using mitophagy flux assays, we show that loss of FMT... (More)

Mitochondria play essential roles in plant metabolism, supporting both development and stress responses. To maintain a healthy pool of mitochondria, several quality control systems are in place. Selected degradation of mitochondria by autophagy -mitophagy- has been extensively studied in yeast and animals, but information on mitophagy components in plants is limited. The ‘Friendly Mitochondria’ (FRIENDLY; FMT) protein, homologous to ‘clustered mitochondria protein homolog’ CLU in animals, was recently suggested to mediate mitophagy of depolarized mitochondria. In this study, we evaluated the role of FMT in carbon starvation- and dark senescence-induced mitophagy in Arabidopsis. Using mitophagy flux assays, we show that loss of FMT results in decreased mitophagy during dark-induced senescence. Mitophagy induced by inhibition of Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signalling is also partially impaired in fmt mutants. The FMT protein is mostly localised in the cytosol, but we show that during darkness FMT is redistributed into speckles, some of which associate with mitochondria. Fmt mutants were initially identified for their abnormal mitochondrial morphology, with mitochondria often forming clusters. We found that dark senescence strongly increases the number and size of mitochondrial clusters in fmt mutants. In agreement with a role for FMT in mitophagy, we show that fmt mutants show accelerated senescence phenotypes comparable to autophagy 11 (atg11) mutants, but less prominent than in atg5 mutants. Furthermore, FMT prevents excessive dark-induced cell death and hydrogen peroxide production, and supports mitophagy and greening in etiolated seedlings. Our findings thus indicate that FMT contributes to mitophagy and provide evidence that mitophagy is required for controlled senescence and prevention of accelerated cell death. We propose that FMT mediates efficient mitophagy by preventing mitochondrial clustering, thereby allowing mitochondria to be captured more effectively by autophagosomes, rather than by acting as a direct mitophagy receptor.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Arabidopsis, Autophagy, Clustered mitochondria, Mitochondria oxidative stress, Mitophagy, Senescence
in
Free Radical Biology and Medicine
volume
204
pages
7 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:37085125
  • scopus:85153088489
ISSN
0891-5849
DOI
10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2023.04.007
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9b899171-29ed-48ac-84b9-8aa7405423b1
date added to LUP
2023-06-21 14:30:50
date last changed
2024-04-19 23:03:49
@article{9b899171-29ed-48ac-84b9-8aa7405423b1,
  abstract     = {{<p>Mitochondria play essential roles in plant metabolism, supporting both development and stress responses. To maintain a healthy pool of mitochondria, several quality control systems are in place. Selected degradation of mitochondria by autophagy -mitophagy- has been extensively studied in yeast and animals, but information on mitophagy components in plants is limited. The ‘Friendly Mitochondria’ (FRIENDLY; FMT) protein, homologous to ‘clustered mitochondria protein homolog’ CLU in animals, was recently suggested to mediate mitophagy of depolarized mitochondria. In this study, we evaluated the role of FMT in carbon starvation- and dark senescence-induced mitophagy in Arabidopsis. Using mitophagy flux assays, we show that loss of FMT results in decreased mitophagy during dark-induced senescence. Mitophagy induced by inhibition of Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signalling is also partially impaired in fmt mutants. The FMT protein is mostly localised in the cytosol, but we show that during darkness FMT is redistributed into speckles, some of which associate with mitochondria. Fmt mutants were initially identified for their abnormal mitochondrial morphology, with mitochondria often forming clusters. We found that dark senescence strongly increases the number and size of mitochondrial clusters in fmt mutants. In agreement with a role for FMT in mitophagy, we show that fmt mutants show accelerated senescence phenotypes comparable to autophagy 11 (atg11) mutants, but less prominent than in atg5 mutants. Furthermore, FMT prevents excessive dark-induced cell death and hydrogen peroxide production, and supports mitophagy and greening in etiolated seedlings. Our findings thus indicate that FMT contributes to mitophagy and provide evidence that mitophagy is required for controlled senescence and prevention of accelerated cell death. We propose that FMT mediates efficient mitophagy by preventing mitochondrial clustering, thereby allowing mitochondria to be captured more effectively by autophagosomes, rather than by acting as a direct mitophagy receptor.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kacprzak, Sylwia M. and Van Aken, Olivier}},
  issn         = {{0891-5849}},
  keywords     = {{Arabidopsis; Autophagy; Clustered mitochondria; Mitochondria oxidative stress; Mitophagy; Senescence}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{1--7}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Free Radical Biology and Medicine}},
  title        = {{FRIENDLY is required for efficient dark-induced mitophagy and controlled senescence in Arabidopsis}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2023.04.007}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2023.04.007}},
  volume       = {{204}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}