Antioxidants & redox signaling
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Antioxid. Redox Signal. · Jul 2020
Nix-Mediated Mitophagy Modulates Mitochondrial Damage During Intestinal Inflammation.
Aims: Mitochondrial stress and dysfunction within the intestinal epithelium are known to contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the importance of mitophagy during intestinal inflammation remains poorly understood. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how the mitophagy protein BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa protein-interacting protein 3-like (BNIP3L/NIX) mitigates mitochondrial damage during intestinal inflammation in the hopes that these data will allow us to target mitochondrial health in the intestinal epithelium as an adjunct to immune-based treatment strategies. ⋯ In addition, Nix-/- mice were found to exhibit increased mitochondrial mass, likely due to the inability to clear damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria. Innovation: These results demonstrate the importance of mitophagy within the intestinal epithelium during IBD pathogenesis. Conclusion: NIX-mediated mitophagy is required to maintain intestinal homeostasis during inflammation, highlighting the impact of mitochondrial damage on IBD progression.