Oxidative stress-induced mitophagy is suppressed by the miR-106b-93-25 cluster in a protective manner

Cell Death Dis. 2021 Feb 24;12(2):209. doi: 10.1038/s41419-021-03484-3.

Abstract

Increased reactive oxygen species levels in the mitochondrial matrix can induce Parkin-dependent mitophagy, which selectively degrades dysfunctional mitochondria via the autolysosome pathway. Phosphorylated mitofusin-2 (MFN2), a receptor of parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase (Parkin), interacts with Parkin to promote the ubiquitination of mitochondrial proteins; meanwhile, the mitophagy receptors Optineurin (OPTN) and nuclear dot protein 52 (NDP52) are recruited to damaged mitochondria to promote mitophagy. However, previous studies have not investigated changes in the levels of OPTN, MFN2, and NDP52 during Parkin-mediated mitophagy. Here, we show that mild and sustained hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) stimulation induces Parkin-dependent mitophagy accompanied by downregulation of the mitophagy-associated proteins OPTN, NDP52, and MFN2. We further demonstrate that H2O2 promotes the expression of the miR-106b-93-25 cluster and that miR-106b and miR-93 synergistically inhibit the translation of OPTN, NDP52, and MFN2 by targeting their 3' untranslated regions. We further reveal that compromised phosphorylation of MYC proto-oncogene protein (c-Myc) at threonine 58 (T58) (producing an unstable form of c-Myc) caused by reduced nuclear glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3β) levels contributes to the promotion of miR-106b-93-25 cluster expression upon H2O2 induction. Furthermore, miR-106b-mediated and miR-93-mediated inhibition of mitophagy-associated proteins (OPTN, MFN2, and NDP52) restrains cell death by controlling excessive mitophagy. Our data suggest that microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting mitophagy-associated proteins maintain cell survival, which is a novel mechanism of mitophagy control. Thus, our findings provide mechanistic insight into how miRNA-mediated regulation alters the biological process of mitophagy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / genetics
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta / metabolism
  • HEK293 Cells
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen Peroxide / toxicity
  • Membrane Transport Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Transport Proteins / metabolism
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Mitochondria / drug effects
  • Mitochondria / genetics
  • Mitochondria / metabolism*
  • Mitochondria / pathology
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / genetics
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / metabolism
  • Mitophagy* / drug effects
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Oxidative Stress* / drug effects
  • Phosphorylation
  • Proto-Oncogene Mas
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / metabolism
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / genetics
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism

Substances

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • CALCOCO2 protein, human
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • MAS1 protein, human
  • MIRN106 microRNA, human
  • MIRN25 microRNA, human
  • MIRN93 microRNA, human
  • MYC protein, human
  • Membrane Transport Proteins
  • MicroRNAs
  • Mitochondrial Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • OPTN protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Mas
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
  • Hydrogen Peroxide
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
  • parkin protein
  • GSK3B protein, human
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases
  • MFN2 protein, human