Abstract
Mitochondrial morphology changes in response to various stimuli but the significance of this is unclear. In a screen for mutants with abnormal mitochondrial morphology, we identified MMA-1, the Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of the French Canadian Leigh Syndrome protein LRPPRC (leucine-rich pentatricopeptide repeat containing). We demonstrate that reducing mma-1 or LRPPRC function causes mitochondrial hyperfusion. Reducing mma-1/LRPPRC function also decreases the activity of complex IV of the electron transport chain, however without affecting cellular ATP levels. Preventing mitochondrial hyperfusion in mma-1 animals causes larval arrest and embryonic lethality. Furthermore, prolonged LRPPRC knock-down in mammalian cells leads to mitochondrial fragmentation and decreased levels of ATP. These findings indicate that in a mma-1/LRPPRC-deficient background, hyperfusion allows mitochondria to maintain their functions despite a reduction in complex IV activity. Our data reveal an evolutionary conserved mechanism that is triggered by reduced complex IV function and that induces mitochondrial hyperfusion to transiently compensate for a drop in the activity of the electron transport chain.