Loss of mitochondrial fission depletes axonal mitochondria in midbrain dopamine neurons

Amandine Berthet, Elyssa B. Margolis, Jue Zhang, Ivy Hsieh, Jiasheng Zhang, Thomas S. Hnasko, Jawad Ahmad, Robert H. Edwards, Hiromi Sesaki, Eric J. Huang, Ken Nakamura

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

111 Scopus citations

Abstract

Disruptions in mitochondrial dynamics may contribute to the selective degeneration of dopamine (DA) neurons in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, little is known about the normal functions of mitochondrial dynamics in these neurons, especially in axons where degeneration begins, and this makes it difficult to understand the disease process. To study one aspect of mitochondrial dynamics— mitochondrial fission—in mouseDAneurons, we deleted the central fission protein dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1). Drp1 loss rapidly eliminates theDAterminals in the caudate-putamen and causes cell bodies in the midbrain to degenerate and lose[1]-synuclein. Without Drp1, mitochondrial mass dramatically decreases, especially in axons, where the mitochondrial movement becomes uncoordinated. However, in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a subset of midbrain DA neurons characterized by small hyperpolarization-activated cation currents (Ih) is spared, despite near complete loss of their axonal mitochondria. Drp1 is thus critical for targeting mitochondria to the nerve terminal, and a disruption in mitochondrial fission can contribute to the preferential death of nigrostriatal DA neurons.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)14304-14317
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Neuroscience
Volume34
Issue number43
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 22 2014

Keywords

  • Axon
  • Drp1
  • Mitochondria
  • Neurodegeneration
  • Parkinson’s disease

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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