Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Nat Aging. 2022 Jun;2(6):494-507. doi: 10.1038/s43587-022-00214-y. Epub 2022 May 16.
The effects of aging on the brain are widespread and can have dramatic implications on the overall health of an organism. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of brain aging, but, the interplay between mitochondrial quality control, neuronal aging, and organismal health is not well understood. Here, we show that aging leads to a decline in mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy) in the brain with a concomitant increase in mitochondrial content. We find that induction of BCL2-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3), a mitochondrial outer membrane protein, in the adult nervous system induces mitophagy and prevents the accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria in the aged brain. Importantly, neuronal induction of BNIP3-mediated mitophagy increases organismal longevity and healthspan. Furthermore, BNIP3-mediated mitophagy in the nervous system improves muscle and intestinal homeostasis in aged flies, indicating cell non-autonomous effects. Our findings identify BNIP3 as a therapeutic target to counteract brain aging and prolong overall organismal health with age.
衰老对大脑的影响是广泛的,可能对生物体的整体健康产生巨大影响。线粒体功能障碍是大脑衰老的标志,但线粒体质量控制、神经元衰老和生物体健康之间的相互作用尚不清楚。在这里,我们发现衰老会导致大脑中线粒体自噬(mitophagy)的下降,同时线粒体含量增加。我们发现,在成年神经系统中诱导 BCL2 相互作用蛋白 3(BNIP3),一种线粒体外膜蛋白,会诱导自噬并防止功能失调的线粒体在衰老的大脑中积累。重要的是,神经元诱导 BNIP3 介导的自噬会增加生物体的寿命和健康跨度。此外,神经细胞中 BNIP3 介导的自噬可改善衰老果蝇的肌肉和肠道稳态,表明存在细胞非自主性效应。我们的研究结果确定 BNIP3 是一种治疗靶点,可以对抗大脑衰老,随着年龄的增长延长整体生物体的健康。