Mitochondrial protein C15ORF48 is a stress-independent inducer of autophagy that regulates oxidative stress and autoimmunity

Autor: Yuki Takakura, Moeka Machida, Natsumi Terada, Yuka Katsumi, Seika Kawamura, Kenta Horie, Maki Miyauchi, Tatsuya Ishikawa, Nobuko Akiyama, Takao Seki, Takahisa Miyao, Mio Hayama, Rin Endo, Hiroto Ishii, Yuya Maruyama, Naho Hagiwara, Tetsuya J. Kobayashi, Naoto Yamaguchi, Hiroyuki Takano, Taishin Akiyama, Noritaka Yamaguchi
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Nature Communications, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-19 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2041-1723
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45206-1
Popis: Abstract Autophagy is primarily activated by cellular stress, such as starvation or mitochondrial damage. However, stress-independent autophagy is activated by unclear mechanisms in several cell types, such as thymic epithelial cells (TECs). Here we report that the mitochondrial protein, C15ORF48, is a critical inducer of stress-independent autophagy. Mechanistically, C15ORF48 reduces the mitochondrial membrane potential and lowers intracellular ATP levels, thereby activating AMP-activated protein kinase and its downstream Unc-51-like kinase 1. Interestingly, C15ORF48-dependent induction of autophagy upregulates intracellular glutathione levels, promoting cell survival by reducing oxidative stress. Mice deficient in C15orf48 show a reduction in stress-independent autophagy in TECs, but not in typical starvation-induced autophagy in skeletal muscles. Moreover, C15orf48 –/– mice develop autoimmunity, which is consistent with the fact that the stress-independent autophagy in TECs is crucial for the thymic self-tolerance. These results suggest that C15ORF48 induces stress-independent autophagy, thereby regulating oxidative stress and self-tolerance.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals