Melatonin Attenuates Cardiac Reperfusion Stress by Improving OPA1-Related Mitochondrial Fusion in a Yap-Hippo Pathway-Dependent Manner

J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2019 Jan;73(1):27-39. doi: 10.1097/FJC.0000000000000626.

Abstract

The role of OPA1-related mitochondrial fusion in cardiac reperfusion stress has remained elusive. The aim of our study is to explore whether melatonin alleviates cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury by modulating OPA1-related mitochondrial fusion. We found that melatonin reduced infarct area, sustained myocardial function, and suppressed cardiomyocyte death during cardiac reperfusion stress. Biological studies have revealed that IR-inhibited mitochondrial fusion was largely reversed by melatonin through upregulated OPA1 expression. Knocking down OPA1 abrogated the protective effects of melatonin on mitochondrial energy metabolism and mitochondrial apoptosis. In addition, we also found that melatonin modified OPA1 expression through the Yap-Hippo pathway; blockade of the Yap-Hippo pathway induced cardiomyocyte death and mitochondrial damage despite treatment with melatonin. Altogether, our data demonstrated that cardiac IR injury is closely associated with defective OPA1-related mitochondrial fusion. Melatonin supplementation enhances OPA1-related mitochondrial fusion by activating the Yap-Hippo pathway, ultimately reducing cardiac reperfusion stress.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Energy Metabolism / drug effects
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / genetics
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / metabolism*
  • Hippo Signaling Pathway
  • Melatonin / pharmacology*
  • Mice
  • Mitochondria, Heart / drug effects*
  • Mitochondria, Heart / metabolism
  • Mitochondria, Heart / pathology
  • Mitochondrial Dynamics / drug effects*
  • Myocardial Infarction / metabolism
  • Myocardial Infarction / pathology
  • Myocardial Infarction / prevention & control*
  • Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / metabolism
  • Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / pathology
  • Myocardial Reperfusion Injury / prevention & control*
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / drug effects*
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / metabolism
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / pathology
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction
  • YAP-Signaling Proteins

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • YAP-Signaling Proteins
  • Yap1 protein, mouse
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases
  • Opa1 protein, mouse
  • Melatonin