Transporters of the SLC25 mitochondrial carrier superfamily bridge cytoplasmic and mitochondrial metabolism by channeling metabolites across mitochondrial membranes and are pivotal for metabolic homeostasis. Despite their physiological relevance as gatekeepers of cellular metabolism, most of the SLC25 family members remain uncharacterized. During my PhD studies, I investigated the function of SLC25A47, an orphan carrier uniquely expressed in hepatocytes.
We used a murine loss-of-function (LOF) model to unravel the role of this transporter in mitochondrial and hepatic homeostasis. Slc25a47hep-/- mice displayed a wide variety of metabolic abnormalities, as a result of sustained energy deficiency in the liver originating from impaired mitochondrial respiration in this organ. This mitochondrial phenotype was associated with a robust activation of the mitochondrial stress response (MSR) in the liver, which in turn, induced the secretion of several mitokines, amongst which FGF21 played a preponderant role in the translation of the effects of the MSR on systemic physiology. To dissect the FGF21-dependent and -independent physiological changes induced by the loss of Slc25a47, we generated a double Slc25a47-Fgf21 LOF mouse model, and demonstrated that several aspects of the hypermetabolic state were entirely driven by hepatic secretion of FGF21. On the other hand, the metabolic fuel inflexibility induced by loss of Slc25a47 could not be rescued by genetic removal of Fgf21. Finally, we challenged Slc25a47hep-/- mice with high-fat high-sucrose (HFHS) diet and observed the development of liver fibrosis.
Collectively, the data presented in this thesis show that SLC25A47 is a novel determinant of hepatic metabolism and place this carrier at the center of mitochondrial homeostasis.