Deficient Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondrial Phosphatidylserine Transfer Causes Liver Disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver is the most common liver disease worldwide. Here, we show that the mitochondrial protein mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) protects against liver disease. Reduced Mfn2 expression was detected in liver biopsies from patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Regulation of death receptor signaling by the autophagy protein TP53INP2.

TP53INP2 positively regulates autophagy by binding to Atg8 proteins. Here, we uncover a novel role of TP53INP2 in death-receptor signaling. TP53INP2 sensitizes cells to apoptosis induced by death receptor ligands.

Mitochondrial DNA and TLR9 drive muscle inflammation upon Opa1 deficiency.

Opa1 participates in inner mitochondrial membrane fusion and cristae morphogenesis. Here, we show that muscle-specific Opa1 ablation causes reduced muscle fiber size, dysfunctional mitochondria, enhanced Fgf21, and muscle inflammation characterized by NF-κB activation, and enhanced expression of pro-inflammatory genes. Chronic sodium salicylate treatment ameliorated muscle alterations and reduced the muscle expression of Fgf21.

Mfn2 deficiency links age-related sarcopenia and impaired autophagy to activation of an adaptive mitophagy pathway.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and accumulation of damaged mitochondria are considered major contributors to aging. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for these mitochondrial alterations remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) plays a key role in the control of muscle mitochondrial damage.

Autophagy-regulating TP53INP2 mediates muscle wasting and is repressed in diabetes.

A precise balance between protein degradation and synthesis is essential to preserve skeletal muscle mass. Here, we found that TP53INP2, a homolog of the Drosophila melanogaster DOR protein that regulates autophagy in cellular models, has a direct impact on skeletal muscle mass in vivo. Using different transgenic mouse models, we demonstrated that muscle-specific overexpression of Tp53inp2 reduced muscle mass, while deletion of Tp53inp2 resulted in muscle hypertrophy.