Mic19 depletion impairs endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial contacts and mitochondrial lipid metabolism and triggers liver disease

oleh: Jun Dong, Li Chen, Fei Ye, Junhui Tang, Bing Liu, Jiacheng Lin, Pang-Hu Zhou, Bin Lu, Min Wu, Jia-Hong Lu, Jing-Jing He, Simone Engelender, Qingtao Meng, Zhiyin Song, He He

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Nature Portfolio 2024-01-01

Deskripsi

Abstract Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mitochondria contacts are critical for the regulation of lipid transport, synthesis, and metabolism. However, the molecular mechanism and physiological function of endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial contacts remain unclear. Here, we show that Mic19, a key subunit of MICOS (mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system) complex, regulates ER-mitochondria contacts by the EMC2-SLC25A46-Mic19 axis. Mic19 liver specific knockout (LKO) leads to the reduction of ER-mitochondrial contacts, mitochondrial lipid metabolism disorder, disorganization of mitochondrial cristae and mitochondrial unfolded protein stress response in mouse hepatocytes, impairing liver mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation and lipid metabolism, which may spontaneously trigger nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis in mice. Whereas, the re-expression of Mic19 in Mic19 LKO hepatocytes blocks the development of liver disease in mice. In addition, Mic19 overexpression suppresses MCD-induced fatty liver disease. Thus, our findings uncover the EMC2-SLC25A46-Mic19 axis as a pathway regulating ER-mitochondria contacts, and reveal that impairment of ER-mitochondria contacts may be a mechanism associated with the development of NASH and liver fibrosis.