Biology subjects

Cogliati, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Cogliati, S..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Mitochondria-Lysosomes Crosstalk Shapes Neonatal Metabolic Transition in Neonatal Enterocytes

The neonatal gastrointestinal tract mediates nutrient absorption and the establishment of immune tolerance to commensal microbiota. In early life, lysosome-rich enterocytes (LREs) in the ileum are necessary for the intracellular digestion of maternal milk proteins. However, the molecular mechanisms sustaining their function remain incompletely characterized. Here, we demonstrate that LRE mitochondrial homeostasis and autophagic capacity are critical for efficient nutrient uptake and maintenance of their specialized identity, as disruption of either process leads to premature differentiation into post-weaning enterocytes (PECs) with diminished endolysosomal and metabolic activity. Transcriptomic profiling further revealed that neonatal LREs exhibit a distinctive antioxidant signature, which preserves redox balance and safeguards the expression of the transcriptional regulators MAFB and BLIMP1, both central repressors of the neonatal-to-adult metabolic transition. These findings establish the mitochondria-lysosome axis as a key determinant of LRE function and neonatal metabolic programming. They also provide a mechanistic framework for understanding how organelle dysfunction and redox imbalance may contribute to early-life malnutrition syndromes, such as Kwashiorkor, and suggest therapeutic strategies aimed at preserving mitochondrial and lysosomal integrity.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2025

NSD2 links developmental plasticity to mitochondrial function in muscle and lymphocyte differentiation

Developmental processes require a precise regulation of all the aspects of cellular function to successfully achieve the generation of differentiated cells. This regulation does not only encompass gene expression levels activating the developmental programs, but should also attend the demanding energetic needs of the differentiating cells. Epigenetic regulators are essential for establishing cell-type-specific transcriptional programs, but emerging evidence suggests that they also play a more direct role in regulating metabolism. Nsd2 is a Histone-3-Lysine36 mono- and di-methyltransferase key in the development of several cell types, and is involved in human pathologies both by loss- and gain-of-function alterations. Methylation at H3K36 by proteins of the Nsd family has been shown to be crucial in the maintenance of cell identity by being involved in the establishment and sustained expression of cell-type-specific programs. Here, we demonstrate that Nsd2 is essential for coordinating mitochondrial function and metabolic remodeling during B cell activation and muscle progenitor differentiation. In the terminal differentiation of B cells in the germinal center, the absence of Nsd2 results in defective mitochondrial function, characterized by hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and reduced oxygen consumption and ATP production. Similarly, Nsd2 deficiency in myoblasts disrupts metabolic reprogramming during muscle differentiation, leading to impaired mitochondrial respiration and structural abnormalities. In both cell types, these alterations correlate with widespread changes in the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial function and cellular metabolism. These findings highlight Nsd2 as a central mediator linking epigenetic regulation with mitochondrial function, underscoring its critical role in coupling transcriptional programs with metabolic adaptation during cell differentiation.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Diacylglycerol kinase zeta dictates CD40-mediated immune synapse formation, mTORC1 signaling and plasma cell fate in B lymphocytes

To mount a robust T-dependent immune response, antigen-specific B lymphocytes require CD40 stimulation through immune synapse formation with CD4+ T follicular helper cells. CD40 triggers the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin complex-1 (mTORC1) and remodels the mitochondria to meet increased bioenergetic and anabolic demands. We show that diacylglycerol-kinase-{zeta} (DGK{zeta}) has a crucial role in activating the mTORC1 pathway and remodeling mitochondria downstream of CD40 signaling in B cells. DGK{zeta} governs organelle translocation to the CD40-mediated immune synapse and the recruitment of mTORC1 to lysosomes. DGK{zeta}-/- B cells exhibited impaired mitochondria function, protein biosynthesis, metabolite transporter expression and cell cycle progression, accompanied by dysregulation of the transcriptional network governing B cell fate. These defects lead to a blockage in the progression of the germinal center response and plasma cell differentiation in vivo. Our findings establish DGK{zeta} as a key mediator of CD40 functions in the B cell response.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2019

Functional role of respiratory supercomplexes in mice: segmentation of the Qpool and SCAF1

Mitochondrial respiratory complexes assemble into different forms of supercomplexes (SC). In particular, SC III2+IV require the SCAF1 protein. However, the structural role of this factor in the formation of the respirasome (I+III2+IV) and the physiological role of SCs are controversial. Here, we study C57BL/6J mice harbouring either non-functional SCAF1, the full knock-out for SCAF1 or the wild-type version of the protein and found a growth and exercise phenotype due to the lack of functional SCAF1. By combining quantitative data-independent proteomics, high resolution 2D Blue Native Gel Electrophoresis and functional analysis of enriched respirasome fractions, we show that SCAF1 confers structural attachment between III2 and IV within the respirasome, increases NADH-dependent respiration and reduces ROS production. Furthermore, through the expression of AOX in cells and mice we confirm that CI-CIII superassembly segments the CoQ in two pools and modulates CI-NADH oxidative capacity. These data demonstrate that SC assembly, regulated by SCAF1, modulates the functionality of the electron transport chain.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Respiratory supercomplexes provide metabolic efficiency in zebrafish

The oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system is a dynamic system in which the respiratory complexes coexist with super-assembled quaternary structures called supercomplexes (SCs). The physiological role of SCs is still disputed. Here we used zebrafish to study the relevance of respiratory SCs. We combined immunodetection analysis and deep data-independent proteomics to characterize these structures and found similar SCs to those described in mice, as well as novel SCs including III2+IV2, I+IV and I+III2+IV2. To study the physiological role of SCs, we generated two null allele zebrafish lines for supercomplex assembly factor 1 (SCAF1). SCAF1-/- fish displayed altered OXPHOS activity due to the disrupted interaction of complex III and IV. SCAF1-/- fish were smaller in size, and showed abnormal fat deposition and decreased female fertility. These physiological phenotypes were rescued by doubling the food supply, which correlated with improved bioenergetics and alterations in the metabolic gene expression program. These results reveal that SC assembly by SCAF1 modulates OXPHOS efficiency and allows for the optimization of metabolic resources.

physiology↗