Onraet, T. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

Germline mitophagy selectively eliminates deleterious mitochondrial DNA across generations

Faithful transmission of genetic information through the immortal germline is essential for organismal health and species survival, yet how mutant mitochondrial genomes (mtDNAs) are selectively eliminated across generations remains unclear. Here, we show that germline mitophagy functions as a mutation-responsive surveillance system that selectively eliminates mutant mtDNAs and shapes inheritance across generations. In C. elegans, mitochondria enriched for mutant mtDNAs are selectively removed in the maternal germline prior to oocyte fertilization via PINK1/Parkin-dependent and BNIP3-mediated mitophagy pathways activated by mtDNA defects. Germline mitophagy declines with age, resulting in offspring that inherit increased burdens of mutant mtDNAs. Conversely, enhancing mitophagy within germ cells restricts the transmission of deleterious genomes in a compounding manner, ultimately driving their complete elimination from the matrilineal lineage. Together, our findings demonstrate that germline mitophagy is a critical determinant of intergenerational mitochondrial genome inheritance, establishing its role in restricting the transmission of defective genetic information.

Cell Biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Misregulation of mitochondrial 6mA promotes the propagation of mutant mtDNA and causes aging in C. elegans

In virtually all eukaryotes, the mitochondrial genome (mitochondrial DNA, mtDNA) encodes proteins necessary for oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and the RNA machinery required for their synthesis inside the mitochondria. Appropriate regulation of mtDNA copy number and expression is essential for ensuring the correct stoichiometric formation of OXPHOS complexes assembled from both nuclear- and mtDNA-encoded subunits. The mechanisms of mtDNA regulation are not completely understood but are essential to organismal viability and lifespan. Here, using multiple approaches, we identify the presence of N6-methylation (6mA) on the mtDNA of diverse animal and plant species. Importantly, we also demonstrate that this modification is regulated in C. elegans by the DNA methyltransferase DAMT-1, and DNA demethylase ALKB-1, which localize to mitochondria. Misregulation of mtDNA 6mA through targeted overexpression of these enzymatic activities inappropriately alters mtDNA copy number and expression, impairing OXPHOS function and producing increased oxidative stress, as well as a shortened lifespan. Compounding defects in mtDNA regulation, reductions in mtDNA 6mA methylation promote the propagation of a deleterious mitochondrial genome across generations. Together, these results reveal that mtDNA 6mA is highly conserved among eukaryotes and regulates lifespan by influencing mtDNA copy number, expression, and heritable mutation levels in vivo.

molecular biology↗