Journal
EMBO JOURNAL
Volume 24, Issue 14, Pages 2700-2713Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1038/sj.emboj.7600721
Keywords
Bcl-2; cell death; mitochondrial function; neurodegeneration; polyglutamine disease
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Bcl-2 family proteins regulate cell death through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Here, we show that the Drosophila Bax-like Bcl-2 family protein Drob-1 maintains mitochondrial function to protect cells from neurodegeneration. A pan-neuronal knockdown of Drob-1 results in lower locomotor activity and a shorter lifespan in adult flies. Either the RNAi-mediated downregulation of Drob-1 or overexpression of Drob-1 antagonist Buffy strongly enhances the polyglutamine-induced accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and subsequent neurodegeneration. Furthermore, ectopic expression of Drob-1 suppresses the neurodegeneration and premature death of flies caused by expanded polyglutamine. Drob-1 knockdown decreases cellular ATP levels, and enhances respiratory inhibitor-induced mitochondrial defects such as loss of membrane potential (Delta psi(m)), morphological abnormalities, and reductions in activities of complex I+III and complex II+III, as well as cell death. Taken together, these results suggest that Drob-1 is essential for neuronal cell function, and that Drob-1 protects neurons from expanded polyglutamine-mediated neurodegeneration through the regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis.
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