Endosomal mRNA transport coordinates local mitochondrial bioenergetics during polar fungal growth
Mitochondrial function relies on the precise spatial coordination of protein synthesis and import. Most mitochondrial proteins are nuclear-encoded and must be supplied across varying intracellular distances. In highly polarized cells such as fungal hyphae and neurons, active long-distance mRNA transport is thought to sustain distal mitochondrial function, but its mechanistic coupling to protein import and organelle physiology is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that endosomal transport of mRNAs encoding mitochondrial proteins orchestrates local bioenergetics in infectious hyphae of Ustilago maydis. Using the subunit Atp3 of electron transport chain Complex V as a model, we uncover that the endosomal mRNA transporter Rrm4 is required for efficient mitochondrial protein import, particularly at growth poles. Loss of Rrm4 leads to defects in mitochondrial import, resulting in altered physiology. We propose that endosome-coupled mRNA transport constitutes a fundamental layer of subcellular mitochondrial homeostasis, with implications extending from fungal pathogenicity to neuronal disease. Significance StatementFungal pathogens depend on efficient polar growth to execute their infection programs. Consequently, their growing cell poles face a massive local demand of energy, which is supplied by mitochondria. Currently, it is unclear how involved proteins of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) reach these distant organelles. Here, we combine fungal genetics, metabolomics, transcriptomics and minimal invasive live-cell imaging to resolve this spatial challenge in the corn pathogen Ustilago maydis. We discover that long-distance endosomal hitchhiking of mRNAs encoding mitochondrial ETC components is essential to sustain active mitochondria at the expanding pole. Ultimately, this membrane-coupled mRNA trafficking precisely orchestrates subcellular mitochondrial function, disclosing a previously unrecognized Achilles heel for the development of novel fungicides.