The role of the mitochondrial protein dimer CHCHD2/10 in health and disease

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R01 · $69,480 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

Abstract

Skeletal muscle, heart, and brain are high-energy requiring tissues that are severely affected by mitochondrial dysfunction. Recently a novel form of genetic disease affecting mitochondria has been associated with mutations in a mitochondrial protein, CHCHD10 (D10), whose function is still largely unknown. Mutant D10 causes severe autosomal dominant mitochondrial diseases, with diverse phenotypic features, ranging from myopathy and cardiomyopathy to motor neuron disease and frontotemporal dementia. The parent R01 that is linked to this application for Diversity Supplement investigates the normal function of D10 and the mechanisms underlying mitochondrial alterations in D10 S55L mutant mice. The supplement will support the work of Ms. Nneka Southwell, a graduate student in the Neuroscience Program in Dr. Manfredi’s group. The focus of the studies proposed in the supplement is on the metabolic rewiring involving 1C metabolism and nucleotide imbalance, which she has observed in the D10 S55L mutant mouse, starting from the most affected tissue, the heart, but also exploring metabolic alterations in various brain regions. The latter is highly innovative because very little is known about mitochondrial metabolic stress responses in the CNS and it is possible that some pathways are shared with heart and other tissues, while other could differ entirely. Maladaptive metabolic rewiring is an emerging and fascinating field, which holds exciting promise to provide novel disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets, not only for this mitochondrial disorder, but also for many other diseases that share metabolic adaptation mechanisms. The studies proposed for this Diversity Supplement will provide ample opportunities for Ms. Southwell to become an expert in metabolism and disease, an area of research that is gaining tremendous momentum in the biomedical space, as a role for metabolic dysregulation is increasingly being linked to a broad spectrum of diseases. The knowledge and technical skills that she will accumulate working on this project will position her well to being able to develop her independent, cutting-edge research on the role of metabolic dysfunction in degenerative diseases.

Key facts

NIH application ID
10164492
Project number
3R01NS112672-02S1
Recipient
WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
Principal Investigator
Giovanni Manfredi
Activity code
R01
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2020
Award amount
$69,480
Award type
3
Project period
2020-07-01 → 2021-03-31