Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE122067: RNA-seq of Mus musculus: WT and MTCH2 KO Nave & Primed mouse embryonic stem cells

Bulk RNA sequencing

The role of mitochondria dynamics and its molecular regulators remains largely unknown during nave-to-primed pluripotent cell interconversion. Here we report that mitochondrial MTCH2 is a regulator of mitochondrial fusion, essential for the nave-to-primed interconversion of murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs). During this interconversion, wild-type ESCs elongate their mitochondria and slightly alter their glutamine utilization. In contrast, MTCH2-/- ESCs fail to elongate their mitochondria and to alter their metabolism, maintaining high levels of histone acetylation and expression of nave pluripotency markers. Importantly, enforced mitochondria elongation by the pro-fusion protein Mitofusin (MFN) 2 or by a dominant negative form of the pro-fission protein dynamin-related protein (DRP) 1 is sufficient to drive the exit from nave pluripotency of both MTCH2-/- and wild-type ESCs. Taken together, our data indicate that mitochondria elongation, governed by MTCH2, plays a critical role and constitutes an early driving force in the nave-to-primed pluripotency interconversion of murine ESCs. SOURCE: Amir Bahat (amir.bahat@weizmann.ac.il) - prof. Atan Gross Weizmann institute of science