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Persistent injury-induced mtDNA mutations compromise organ fitness by suppressing nucleotide biosynthesis

ABSTRACT: The mitochondrial genome is present at thousands of copies/cell in metabolically active tissues. In organs such as the kidney that are exposed to frequent sublethal insults, the impact on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) quality is unknown. Here we show that acute kidney injury induces a burst of persistent random mtDNA mutations (mtDNA) that impair mitochondrial function, induce fibrosis, and increase subsequent injury risk in cells, mice, and humans, implicating a feed-forward loop of accumulating mtDNA mutations driving chronic disease. Multi-omic interrogation of mtDNA settings implicates marked reduction of energy-intensive nucleotide biosynthesis. Strikingly, repletion of adenosine, but not other nucleosides, restores ATP and ameliorates injury risk via the purine biosynthetic enzyme adenylate kinase 4. mtDNA may therefore be a durable remnant of acute injuries that compromise future health and both a genetic and tissue-based indicator of organ fitness. Augmented purine biosynthesis may protect vulnerable organs from acute insults.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE239772 | GEO | 2025/09/20

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes (MDS) encompass a heterogeneous set of metabolic disorders caused by defects in enzymes responsible for maintaining mitochondrial nucleotide pools and genome integrity. Among these, deoxyguanosine kinase (DGUOK) acts within the mitochondrial purine-salvage pathway and loss-of-function mutations give rise to DGUOK deficiency, a severe hepatocerebral form of MDS marked by liver failure, neurodevelopmental impairment, and systemic metabolic inflammation. Although the clinical manifestations of DGUOK deficiency have been primarily ascribed to defective mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication, some patients exhibit hepatic steatosis and inflammation despite preserved mtDNA content, suggesting that DGUOK deficiency may deregulate additional metabolic and immune pathways. Here we show that DGUOK depletion reprograms hepatocellular metabolism and innate immune signaling through a purine-dependent mechanism operating independently of mtDNA depletion. In Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HEPG2) hepatocytes subjected to siRNA-mediated DGUOK silencing, mitochondrial architecture and respiration remained intact but cells exhibited pronounced lipid droplet accumulation and a robust cell-intrinsic innate immune type I interferon response. Bulk RNA sequencing revealed widespread transcriptional reprogramming, including upregulation of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), suppression of lipid metabolic pathways, and changes in purine, methionine, and methylation-associated gene networks. Perturbing purine homeostasis through deoxyadenosine (dAdo) supplementation in wild-type cells phenocopied DGUOK disruption, causing cellular DNA hypomethylation and activation of viral mimicry pathways. Together, these findings identify DGUOK as a central regulator of the purine-regulated lipid-immune axis in hepatocytes, demonstrating that mitochondrial nucleotide salvage preserves hepatic immune and metabolic homeostasis beyond its canonical role in mtDNA synthesis. By linking purine imbalances to steatosis and type I interferon activation, this study establishes a mechanistic framework for immunometabolic pathology in DGUOK deficiency.

Project description:Heteroplasmic pathogenic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are known to cause mitochondrial diseases with varied clinical symptoms. The tissue-specific selection of heteroplasmic pathogenic mtDNA mutations and its correlation with clinical and pathological outcomes remains to be elucidated. To date, negative selection of pathogenic mutations has been observed in a limited range of cell types, including female germ cells, blood cells, particularly T cells, and intestinal epithelial cells. However, evidence of positive selection in any tissue or cell type has not been reported. In this study, we utilized the DddA-derived cytosine base editor (DdCBE) technique to generate a heteroplasmic pathogenic mutant mouse model harboring a mutation in the mito-tRNA Glu anticodon arm site. Over a two-year longitudinal investigation, we assessed the mutational selection dynamics in eight solid organs and blood from this model. Our findings reveal a significant positive selection for pathogenic mtDNA in the kidney and liver. Notably, the kidney exhibited mitochondrial kidney disease during aging, reflecting the clinical kidney defects observed in patients with mito-tRNA mutations. Intriguingly, disparate selection patterns emerged within multiple cell types of kidneys, with tubular epithelial cells and podocytes presenting positive selection, whereas immune cells exhibited purifying selection. Leveraging Sc-RNA seq and Stereo-seq, we identified Clu and Spp1 as molecular markers of the high mutant kidney tubular epithelial cells and suggest that up-regulation of these markers may activate the p-AKT pathway, thereby increasing the proliferation of high mutant tubular epithelial cells, hence leads to the positive selection on this site in mutant kidneys during aging. Our comprehensive analysis provides compelling evidence for the significance of tissue-specific selection of pathogenic mtDNA mutations. This study enhances our understanding of the mechanistic links between tissue-specific selection and mitochondrial disease pathogenesis, paving the way for the development of targeted therapeutic strategies in the future.

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Persistent injury-induced mtDNA mutations compromise organ fitness by suppressing nucleotide biosynthesis

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