How the Mitoprotein-Induced Stress Response Safeguards the Cytosol: A Unified View

Abstract

Mitochondrial and cytosolic proteostasis are of central relevance for cellular stress resistance and organismal health. Recently, a number of individual cellular programs were described that counter the fatal consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction. These programs remove arrested import intermediates from mitochondrial protein translocases, stabilize protein homeostasis within mitochondria, and, in particular, increase the levels and activity of chaperones and the proteasome system in the cytosol. Here, we describe the different responses to mitochondrial perturbation and propose to unify the seemingly distinct mitochondrial-cytosolic quality control mechanisms into a single network, the mitoprotein-induced stress response. This holistic view places mitochondrial biogenesis at a central position of the cellular proteostasis network, emphasizing the importance of mitochondrial protein import processes for development, reproduction, and ageing.

Keywords: ageing; heat shock factor 1; mitochondria; protein import; proteostasis; stress response.