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  • Deficient Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondrial Phosphatidylserine Transfer Causes Liver Disease.

Deficient Endoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondrial Phosphatidylserine Transfer Causes Liver Disease.

Cell (2019-05-06)
María Isabel Hernández-Alvarez, David Sebastián, Sara Vives, Saška Ivanova, Paola Bartoccioni, Pamela Kakimoto, Natalia Plana, Sónia R Veiga, Vanessa Hernández, Nuno Vasconcelos, Gopal Peddinti, Anna Adrover, Mariona Jové, Reinald Pamplona, Isabel Gordaliza-Alaguero, Enrique Calvo, Noemí Cabré, Rui Castro, Antonija Kuzmanic, Marie Boutant, David Sala, Tuulia Hyotylainen, Matej Orešič, Joana Fort, Ekaitz Errasti-Murugarren, Cecilia M P Rodrígues, Modesto Orozco, Jorge Joven, Carles Cantó, Manuel Palacin, Sonia Fernández-Veledo, Joan Vendrell, Antonio Zorzano
ABSTRACT

Non-alcoholic fatty liver is the most common liver disease worldwide. Here, we show that the mitochondrial protein mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) protects against liver disease. Reduced Mfn2 expression was detected in liver biopsies from patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Moreover, reduced Mfn2 levels were detected in mouse models of steatosis or NASH, and its re-expression in a NASH mouse model ameliorated the disease. Liver-specific ablation of Mfn2 in mice provoked inflammation, triglyceride accumulation, fibrosis, and liver cancer. We demonstrate that Mfn2 binds phosphatidylserine (PS) and can specifically extract PS into membrane domains, favoring PS transfer to mitochondria and mitochondrial phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) synthesis. Consequently, hepatic Mfn2 deficiency reduces PS transfer and phospholipid synthesis, leading to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the development of a NASH-like phenotype and liver cancer. Ablation of Mfn2 in liver reveals that disruption of ER-mitochondrial PS transfer is a new mechanism involved in the development of liver disease.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Hanks′ Balanced Salt solution, Modified, with sodium bicarbonate, without phenol red, calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate, liquid, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
Sigma-Aldrich
Medium 199, With Earle′s salts and sodium bicarbonate, without L-glutamine, liquid, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
Avanti
16:0-12:0 NBD PE, Avanti Research - A Croda Brand 810154P, powder
Sigma-Aldrich
Mouse IL-6 ELISA Kit, for serum, plasma and cell culture supernatant
Sigma-Aldrich
1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, ≥97.0% (HPLC)
Sigma-Aldrich
Mouse IL-1 β ELISA Kit, for cell and tissue lysates