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research article

Mitochondrial RNA granules are fluid condensates positioned by membrane dynamics

Rey, Timo  
•
Zaganelli, Sofia  
•
Cuillery, Emilie
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September 28, 2020
Nature Cell Biology

Phase separation concentrates mitochondrial RNA granules. Here Rey et al., show that mitochondrial RNA granules (MRGs) behaviour is consistent with liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and their fusion coincides with mitochondrial remodelling. Mitochondria contain the genetic information and expression machinery to produce essential respiratory chain proteins. Within the mitochondrial matrix, newly synthesized RNA, RNA processing proteins and mitoribosome assembly factors form punctate sub-compartments referred to as mitochondrial RNA granules (MRGs)(1-3). Despite their proposed importance in regulating gene expression, the structural and dynamic properties of MRGs remain largely unknown. We investigated the internal architecture of MRGs using fluorescence super-resolution localization microscopy and correlative electron microscopy, and found that the MRG ultrastructure consists of compacted RNA embedded within a protein cloud. Using live-cell super-resolution structured illumination microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, we reveal that MRGs rapidly exchange components and can undergo fusion, characteristic properties of fluid condensates(4). Furthermore, MRGs associate with the inner mitochondrial membrane and their fusion coincides with mitochondrial remodelling. Inhibition of mitochondrial fission or fusion leads to an aberrant accumulation of MRGs into concentrated pockets, where they remain as distinct individual units despite their close apposition. Together, our findings reveal that MRGs are nanoscale fluid compartments, which are dispersed along mitochondria via membrane dynamics.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1038/s41556-020-00584-8
Web of Science ID

WOS:000573461300003

Author(s)
Rey, Timo  
Zaganelli, Sofia  
Cuillery, Emilie
Vartholomaiou, Evangelia
Croisier, Marie  
Martinou, Jean-Claude
Manley, Suliana  
Date Issued

2020-09-28

Published in
Nature Cell Biology
Volume

22

Start page

1180

End page

1186

Subjects

Cell Biology

•

liquid phase-separation

•

stress granules

•

nucleoids

•

contributes

•

component

•

reveals

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contain

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binding

•

bodies

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LEB  
PTBIOEM  
Available on Infoscience
October 14, 2020
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/172442
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