Transcriptome analysis of Drosophila larval epidermis containing a deletion in the mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is exposed to multiple insults produced by normal cellular function. We found that the retromer enhances and coordinates the expulsion of mitochondrial matrix components through mitochondrial-derived vesicles and mtDNA with direct transfer to lysosomes. Using a Drosophila model carrying a long deletion on the mtDNA (?mtDNA), we evaluated in vivo the role of the retromer in mtDNA extraction and turnover in the larval epidermis. The presence of ?mtDNA elicits the activation of a specific transcriptome profile related to counteract mitochondrial damage. Expression of the retromer component Vps35 is sufficient to restore mtDNA homoplasmy and mitochondrial defects associated with ?mtDNA. Overall design: To investigate the transcriptome profile activated upon mtDNA damage, we generated drosophila larvae carrying a long deletion in the mtDNA. To do that, we crossed A58-Gal4 driver with UAS-mitoT4lig, UAS-mitoAflIII (BL 84979) (?mtDNA)