Metabolic alterations caused by the mutation and overexpression of the Tmem135 gene

Abstract

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that undergo fission and fusion. While they are essential for cellular metabolism, the effect of dysregulated mitochondrial dynamics on cellular metabolism is not fully understood. We previously found that transmembrane protein 135 (Tmem135) plays a role in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics in mice. Mice homozygous for a Tmem135 mutation (Tmem135FUN025/FUN025) display accelerated aging and age-related disease pathologies in the retina including the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). We also generated a transgenic mouse line globally overexpressing the Tmem135 gene (Tmem135 TG). In several tissues and cells that we studied such as the retina, heart, and fibroblast cells, we observed that the Tmem135 mutation causes elongated mitochondria, while overexpression of Tmem135 results in fragmented mitochondria. To investigate how abnormal mitochondrial dynamics affect metabolic signatures of tissues and cells, we identified metabolic changes in primary RPE cell cultures as well as heart, cerebellum, and hippocampus isolated from Tmem135FUN025/FUN025 mice (fusion > fission) and Tmem135 TG mice (fusion fission) and over-fragmented (fusion < fission) mitochondria that display age-related disease pathologies. Our results indicated tissue-dependent sensitivity to these mitochondrial changes, and metabolic pathways likely affected by aberrant mitochondrial dynamics. This study provides new insights into how dysregulated mitochondrial dynamics could lead to functional abnormalities of tissues and cells.