Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

mito -QC illuminates mitophagy and mitochondrial architecture in vivo

2016; Rockefeller University Press; Volume: 214; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1083/jcb.201603039

1540-8140

Thomas G. McWilliams, Alan R. Prescott, G Allen, J. Tamjar, Michael J. Munson, Calum Thomson, Miratul M. K. Muqit, Ian G. Ganley,

Adipose Tissue and Metabolism

Autophagic turnover of mitochondria, termed mitophagy, is proposed to be an essential quality-control (QC) mechanism of pathophysiological relevance in mammals. However, if and how mitophagy proceeds within specific cellular subtypes in vivo remains unclear, largely because of a lack of tractable tools and models. To address this, we have developed "mito-QC," a transgenic mouse with a pH-sensitive fluorescent mitochondrial signal. This allows the assessment of mitophagy and mitochondrial architecture in vivo. Using confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that mito-QC is compatible with classical and contemporary techniques in histochemistry and allows unambiguous in vivo detection of mitophagy and mitochondrial morphology at single-cell resolution within multiple organ systems. Strikingly, our model uncovers highly enriched and differential zones of mitophagy in the developing heart and within specific cells of the adult kidney. mito-QC is an experimentally advantageous tool of broad relevance to cell biology researchers within both discovery-based and translational research communities.