Biology subjects

Barone, F. G.

Publications and source records attributed to Barone, F. G..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Whole organism and tissue specific analysis of pexophagy in Drosophila

Peroxisomes are essential organelles involved in critical metabolic processes in animals such as fatty acid oxidation, ether phospholipid production and reactive oxygen species detoxification. We have generated transgenic Drosophila melanogaster models expressing fluorescent reporters for the selective autophagy of peroxisomes, a process known as pexophagy. Using light sheet microscopy, we have been able to obtain a global overview of pexophagy levels, across the entire organism at different stages of development. Tissue specific control of pexophagy is exemplified by areas of peroxisome abundance but minimal pexophagy observed in clusters of oenocytes, which are the major site of long chain fatty acid synthesis. They are surrounded by epithelial cells where pexophagy is much more evident. Enhancement of pexophagy was achieved by feeding flies with the iron chelator deferiprone, in line with past results using mammalian cells. Specific drivers were used to visualise pexophagy in neurons, in which we tested the role of two proteins proposed to regulate pexophagy. Firstly, depletion of CG8814, the Drosophila homologue of the yeast protein Atg37, had no noticeable impact on pexophagy. In contrast, specific depletion in the larval central nervous system of Hsc70-5, the Drosophila homologue of the chaperone HSPA9/Mortalin, led to a substantial elevation in pexophagy.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Segregation of pathways leading to pexophagy

Peroxisomes are organelles with key roles in metabolism including long-chain fatty acid production. Their metabolic functions overlap and interconnect with mitochondria, with which they share an overlapping but distinct proteome. Both organelles are degraded by selective autophagy processes termed pexophagy and mitophagy. Whilst mitophagy has received intense attention, the pathways linked to pexophagy and associated tools are less well developed. We have identified the neddylation inhibitor, MLN4924, as a potent activator of pexophagy and show that this is mediated by the HIF1-dependent upregulation of BNIP3L/NIX, a known adaptor for mitophagy. We show that this pathway is distinct from pexophagy induced by the USP30 deubiquitylase inhibitor, CMPD-39, for which we identify the adaptor NBR1 as a central player. Our work suggests a level of complexity to the regulation of peroxisome turnover that includes the capacity to co-ordinate with mitophagy, via NIX, which acts as a rheostat for both processes.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Benchmarking a highly selective USP30 inhibitor for enhancement of mitophagy and pexophagy.

The deubiquitylase USP30 is an actionable target considered for treatment of conditions associated with defects in the PINK1/Parkin pathway leading to mitophagy. These include Parkinsons disease and pulmonary fibrosis. We provide a detailed cell biological characterisation of a benzenesulphonamide molecule, compound 39, that has previously been reported to inhibit USP30 in an in vitro enzymatic assay. The current compound offers increased selectivity over previously described inhibitors. It enhances mitophagy and generates a signature response for USP30 inhibition following mitochondrial depolarisation. This includes enhancement of TOM20 and SYNJ2BP ubiquitylation and phosphoubiquitin accumulation, alongside increased mitophagy. In dopaminergic neurons, generated from Parkinsons disease patients carrying loss of function Parkin mutations, compound 39 could significantly restore mitophagy to a level approaching control values. USP30 is located on both mitochondria and peroxisomes and has also been linked to the PINK1 independent pexophagy pathway. Using a fluorescence reporter of pexophagy expressed in U20S cells, we observe increased pexophagy upon application of compound 39 that recapitulates the previously described effect for USP30 depletion. This provides the first pharmacological intervention with a synthetic molecule to enhance peroxisome turnover.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

A novel USP30 inhibitor recapitulates genetic loss of USP30 and sets the trigger for PINK1-PARKIN amplification of mitochondrial ubiquitylation.

The mitochondrial deubiquitylase USP30 negatively regulates the selective autophagy of damaged mitochondria. It has been proposed as an actionable target to alleviate the loss of function of the mitophagy pathway governed by the Parkinsons Disease associated genes PINK1 and PRKN. We present the characterisation of a N-cyano pyrrolidine derived compound, FT3967385, with high selectivity for USP30. The compound is well tolerated with no loss of total mitochondrial mass. We demonstrate that ubiquitylation of TOM20, a component of the outer mitochondrial membrane import machinery that directly interacts with USP30, represents a robust biomarker for both USP30 loss and inhibition. We have conducted proteomics analyses on a SHSY5Y neuroblastoma cell line model to directly compare the effects of genetic loss of USP30 with selective inhibition in an unbiased fashion. We have thereby identified a subset of ubiquitylation events consequent to mitochondrial depolarisation that are USP30 sensitive. Within responsive elements of the ubiquitylome, several components of the outer mitochondrial membrane transport (TOM) complex are most prominent. Thus, our data support a model whereby USP30 can regulate the availability of ubiquitin at the specific site of mitochondrial PINK1 accumulation following membrane depolarisation. In this model, USP30 deubiquitylation of TOM complex components dampens the trigger for the Parkin-dependent amplification of mitochondrial ubiquitylation leading to mitophagy. Accordingly, PINK1 generation of phospho-Ser65 Ubiquitin proceeds more rapidly and to a greater extent in cells either lacking USP30 or subject to USP30 inhibition.

cell biology↗