The Carboxy-Terminal Modulator Protein (CTMP) regulates mitochondrial dynamics.
BACKGROUND
Mitochondria are central to the metabolism of cells and participate in many regulatory and signaling events. They are looked upon as dynamic tubular networks. We showed recently that the Carboxy-Terminal Modulator Protein (CTMP) is a mitochondrial protein that may be released into the cytosol under apoptotic conditions.


RESULTS
Here we report an unexpected function of CTMP in mitochondrial homeostasis. In this study, both full length CTMP, and a CTMP mutant refractory to N-terminal cleavage and leading to an immature protein promote clustering of spherical mitochondria, suggesting a role for CTMP in the fission process. Indeed, cellular depletion of CTMP led to accumulation of swollen and interconnected mitochondria, without affecting the mitochondrial fusion process. Importantly, in vivo results support the relevance of these findings, as mitochondria from livers of adult CTMP knockout mice had a similar phenotype to cells depleted of CTMP.


CONCLUSIONS
Together, these results lead us to propose that CTMP has a major function in mitochondrial dynamics and could be involved in the regulation of mitochondrial functions.
Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland.
Arnaud
A
Parcellier
Lionel A
LA
Tintignac
Elena
E
Zhuravleva
Bettina
B
Dummler
Derek P
DP
Brazil
Debby
D
Hynx
Peter
P
Cron
Susanne
S
Schenk
Vesna
V
Olivieri
Brian A
BA
Hemmings
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010170:Palmitoyl-CoA Hydrolase; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000494:pharmacology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C527670:CTMP protein, mouse; D010170:Palmitoyl-CoA Hydrolase