Mitophagy coordination with retrograde transport ensures the integrity of synaptic mitochondria

Mitochondria sustain various essential functions at synaptic terminals. Synaptic mitochondria deficits have been implicated in early Alzheimer disease (AD) pathophysiology. Mitophagy, a selective autophagy for removal of damaged mitochondria, plays a key role in mitochondrial quality control in neurons. However, fundamental questions remain unanswered as to whether mitophagy regulates synaptic mitochondrial integrity and whether AD-associated early deficits in synaptic mitochondria are attributed to mitophagy failure. We have recently revealed that the integrity of synaptic mitochondria is maintained by a coordination of RHEB-mediated mitophagy with dynein- and SNAPIN-driven retrograde transport. We demonstrate that increased mitophagy initiation, coupled with defective retrograde transport, triggers mitophagy stress at AD synapses. Excitingly, SNAPIN-enhanced retrograde transport reduces synaptic mitophagy stress and ameliorates mitochondrial deficits, thereby counteracting synaptic damage in AD mouse brains. Therefore, our study provides new mechanistic insights into how mitophagy facilitates synaptic mitochondrial maintenance and how mitophagy failure exacerbates AD-linked mitochondrial defects and synaptic degeneration. Abbreviation: AD: Alzheimer disease; Aβ: amyloid-β; APP: amyloid beta precursor protein; CCCP: carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone; LE: late endosome; Δψm, mitochondrial membrane potential; RHEB: Ras homolog enriched in brain; RNAi: RNA interference; shRNA: small hairpin RNA; Tg: transgenic

Broad activation of the Parkin pathway induces synaptic mitochondrial deficits in early tauopathy

Mitochondrial defects are a hallmark of early pathophysiology in Alzheimer’s disease, with pathologically phosphorylated tau reported to induce mitochondrial toxicity. Mitophagy constitutes a key pathway in mitochondrial quality control by which damaged mitochondria are targeted for autophagy. However, few details are known regarding the intersection of mitophagy and pathologies in tauopathy. Here, by applying biochemical and cell biological approaches including time-lapse confocal imaging in live tauopathy neurons, combined with gene rescue experiments via stereotactic injections of adeno-associated virus particles into tauopathy mouse brains, electrophysiological recordings and behavioural tests, we demonstrate for the first time that mitochondrial distribution deficits at presynaptic terminals are an early pathological feature in tauopathy brains. Furthermore, Parkin-mediated mitophagy is extensively activated in tauopathy neurons, which accelerates mitochondrial Rho GTPase 1 (Miro1) turnover and consequently halts Miro1-mediated mitochondrial anterograde movement towards synaptic terminals. As a result, mitochondrial supply at tauopathy synapses is disrupted, impairing synaptic function. Strikingly, increasing Miro1 levels restores the synaptic mitochondrial population by enhancing mitochondrial anterograde movement and thus reverses tauopathy-associated synaptic failure. In tauopathy mouse brains, overexpression of Miro1 markedly elevates synaptic distribution of mitochondria and protects against synaptic damage and neurodegeneration, thereby counteracting impairments in learning and memory as well as synaptic plasticity. Taken together, our study reveals that activation of the Parkin pathway triggers an unexpected effect—depletion of mitochondria from synaptic terminals, a characteristic feature of early tauopathy. We further provide new mechanistic insights into how parkin activation-enhanced Miro1 degradation and impaired mitochondrial anterograde transport drive tauopathy-linked synaptic pathogenesis and establish a foundation for future investigations into new therapeutic strategies to prevent synaptic deterioration in Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies