title: Drp1 is dispensable for mitochondria biogenesis in induction to pluripotency but required for differentiation of embryonic stem cells.
abstract: Mature mitochondria with high oxidative phosphorylation undergo fission and fusion and morphogenesis to become immature mitochondria during induced pluripotent stem (iPS) induction from somatic cells. Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) is involved in mitochondria fission and biogenesis in somatic cells. We tested the role of Drp1 in the induction and maintenance of pluripotency. We show that Drp1 band shift occurs in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and iPS cells (iPSCs) induced from fibroblasts, in association with mitochondrial morphogenesis. However, knockdown of Drp1 by shRNA does not abrogate mitochondria morphogenesis and induction of iPSCs from fibroblasts. Also, knockdown of Drp1 affects neither mitochondria fission and function as shown by normal mitochondrial membrane potential, nor proliferation and pluripotency of ESCs. Nonetheless, Drp1 knockdown negatively influences terminal differentiation of ESCs, particularly in the lineage of neurogenesis in vitro and in vivo, coincident with delayed reduction of Oct4 and Nanog during mid-differentiation. Our data suggest that Drp1 is not critical for mitochondria biogenesis in stem cell proliferation but it is required for neurogenesis likely by downregulation of pluripotency-associated genes Nanog and Oct4. ESC differentiation model could be used to model role of Drp1 in neuron development and diseases.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University , Tianjin, China .
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaoying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Zhongcheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Jiameng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dan
authors.forename: Yushan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000502:physiology*; D034281:Dynamins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D063154:Mitochondrial Dynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D000071317:Nanog Homeobox Protein; C475540:Nanog protein, mouse; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C494174:Pou5f1 protein, mouse; C486391:Dnm1l protein, mouse; D034281:Dynamins