Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is caused by a deficit of the mitochondrial protein frataxin. Despite its pivotal effect on biosynthesis of iron-sulfur clusters and mitochondrial energy production, little is known about the influence of frataxin depletion on homeostasis of the cellular mitochondrial network. This group analyzed genetic interactions between genes controlling mitochondrial homeostasis and Drosophila (fly) frataxin. Our screen has identified silencing of Drosophila mitofusin (Marf) as a suppressor of FRDA phenotypes in glia (a type of cell in the nervous system). Drosophila Marf is known to play crucial roles in mitochondrial fusion, mitochondrial degradation and in the interface between mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). They therefore analyzed the effects of frataxin knockdown on mitochondrial morphology, mitophagy and ER function in their fly FRDA model using different histological and molecular markers. Furthermore, they generated a new Drosophila transgenic line to study the progression of the mitophagy process in vivo. Their results indicated that frataxin-deficiency had a small impact on mitochondrial morphology but enhanced mitochondrial clearance and altered the ER stress response in Drosophila. They demonstrate that downregulation of Marf suppresses ER stress in frataxin-deficient cells and this is sufficient to improve locomotor dysfunction, brain degeneration and lipid dyshomeostasis in the fly model. In agreement, chemical reduction of ER stress by means of two different compounds was sufficient to ameliorate the effects of frataxin deficiency in three different fly FRDA models. Altogether, the results strongly suggest that the protection mediated by Marf knockdown in glia is mainly linked to its role in the mitochondrial-ER tethering and not to mitochondrial dynamics or mitochondrial degradation, and that ER stress is a novel and pivotal player in the progression and etiology of FRDA. This work might define a new pathological mechanism in FRDA, linking mitochondrial dysfunction due to frataxin deficiency and mitofusin-mediated ER stress, which might be responsible for characteristic cellular features of the disease and also suggests ER stress as a therapeutic target.
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