Biology subjects

Cocheme, H. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Cocheme, H. M..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Redox activation of ATG5 licenses autophagy upon nutrient restriction

Dietary restriction (DR) protects against metabolic disease, extends lifespan, and is associated with remodeling of tissue reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS control biological adaptation through reversible oxidation of protein cysteines, yet the targets of DR-initiated redox signaling are unknown. Here we generate OxiDR, a tissue-resolved atlas of the cysteine redox proteome that quantifies oxidation state under DR. Rather than oxidizing the proteome broadly, DR selectively targets a high-amplitude set of cysteines in a tissue-specific manner, allowing systematic classification of biological processes subject to DR-mediated redox regulation. Among the cysteines most highly oxidized upon DR is Cys19 of the core autophagy protein ATG5. We show oxidation of Cys19 is required for ATG5-mediated autophagosome formation and for autophagy triggered by nutrient restriction in human cells and mice. Reversible oxidation of this cysteine promotes ATG5 binding to ATG10, thus forming the ATG5-ATG12 conjugate that lipidates LC3B/ATG8 and matures the autophagosome. In mice, loss of this redox switch prevents effective initiation of autophagy upon nutrient restriction, resulting in gross tissue pathology and rapid onset of mortality. The autophagic response to nutrient restriction is thus gated by oxidation of a single cysteine.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Mitochondrial dysfunction underlies monocyte immune deficiency in patients with severe alcohol-related hepatitis

Severe alcohol-related hepatitis (sAH) is a life-threatening form of alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) associated with a significant short-term mortality. Opportunistic infections due to impaired immune function are a major cause of patient mortality. Mitochondrial dysfunction within the liver is a well-recognised feature of ARLD and sAH. However, whether these hepatic mitochondrial defects extend to the immune system of sAH patients, underlying their immune dysfunction, remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that sAH monocytes exhibit an increased content of inefficient, dysfunctional mitochondria. These changes were underpinned by abnormal mitochondrial cristae ultrastructure, which were associated with depletion of cristae structural proteins and alterations in cardiolipin profiles. Overall, our study uncovers novel structural and functional mitochondrial defects, which likely contribute to impaired monocyte immune function in sAH.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Systemic extracellular acidification is a hallmark of aging

Understanding the critical pathophysiological processes that promote age-related disease is needed to uncover effective targets for preventive medicine. Here, we investigate how extracellular pH changes with age and its impact on longevity, using fly and mouse models. We find that extracellular acidification occurs in flies during aging and correlates to mortality rate. With age, flies also become more susceptible to die from acidotic stress, which can be prevented by alkalotic treatment. Acidification is caused by insufficient acid elimination, linked to downregulation of genes in the fly excretory tract that control pH and ATP production, essential for active secretion initiation. In mice, we show that lymph-drained interstitial fluids acidify with age. Expression of genes, whose pathogenic loss-of-function variants cause tubular acidosis in humans, is decreased in the kidneys of aging mice. Overall, this study sheds light on dysregulated systemic acid-base balance as a conserved pathophysiological mechanism of aging.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Enhancing autophagy by redox regulation extends lifespan in Drosophila

Dysregulation of redox homeostasis has been implicated in the ageing process and the pathology of age-related diseases. To study redox signalling by H2O2 in vivo, we established a redox-shifted model by manipulating levels of the H2O2-degrading enzyme catalase in Drosophila. Here we report that ubiquitous over-expression of catalase robustly extends lifespan in flies. As anticipated, these flies were strongly resistant to a range of oxidative stress challenges, but interestingly were sensitive to starvation, which could not be explained by differences in levels of energy reserves. This led us to explore the contribution of autophagy, which is an important mechanism for organismal survival in response to starvation. We show that autophagy is essential for the increased lifespan upon catalase up-regulation, as the survival benefits were completely abolished upon global autophagy knock-down. Furthermore, using a specific redox-inactive knock-in mutant, we highlight the in vivo role of a key regulatory cysteine residue in Atg4a, which is required for the lifespan extension in our catalase model. Altogether, these findings confirm the redox regulation of autophagy in vivo as an important modulator of longevity.

molecular biology↗