The mitochondrial members of the highly conserved AAA family, Yta10p and Yta12p, constitute a membrane-embedded complex of about 850 kDa. As an ATP dependent metallopeptidase (AAA protease), the YTA10-12 complex mediates the degradation of nonassembled inner membrane proteins. In contrast to nucleotide-dependent complex formation and substrate binding, proteolysis of bound polypeptides depends on the hydrolysis of ATP and the metallopeptidase activity of both subunits. Independent of its proteolytic function, the chaperone-like activity of the YTA10-12 complex is required for assembly of the membrane-associated ATP synthase. We propose that proteolytic and chaperone-like activities in the YTA10-12 complex mediate assembly and degradation processes of membrane protein complexes and thereby exert key functions in the maintenance of membrane integrity.

ATP dependent proteolytic degradation of misfolded proteins in the mitochondrial matrix is mediated by the PIM1 protease and depends on the molecular chaperone proteins mt-hsp7O and Mdjlp. Chaperone function is essential to maintain misfolded proteins in a soluble state, a prerequisite for their degradation by PIM1 protease. In the absence of functional mt-hsp7O or Mdjlp misfolded proteins either remain associated with mt-hsp7O or form aggregates and thereby are no longer substrates for PIM1 protease. Mdjlp is shown to regulate the ATP dependent association of an unfolded polypeptide chain with mt-hsp7O affecting binding to as well as release from mt-hsp7O. These findings establish a central role of molecular chaperone proteins in the degradation of misfolded proteins by PIM1 protease and thereby demonstrate a functional interrelation between components of the folding machinery and the proteolytic system within mitochondria.

Tumor cells display fundamental changes in metabolism and nutrient uptake in order to utilize additional nutrient sources to meet their enhanced bioenergetic requirements. Glutamine (Gln) is one such nutrient that is rapidly taken up by tumor cells to fulfill this increased metabolic demand. A vital step in the catabolism of glutamine is its conversion to glutamate by the mitochondrial enzyme glutaminase (GLS). This study has identified GLS a potential therapeutic target in breast cancer, specifically in the basal subtype that exhibits a deregulated glutaminolysis pathway. Using inducible shRNA mediated gene knockdown, we discovered that loss of GLS function in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines with a deregulated glutaminolysis pathway led to profound tumor growth inhibition in vitro and in vivo. GLS knockdown had no effect on growth and metabolite levels in non-TNBC cell lines. We rescued the anti-tumor effect of GLS knockdown using shRNA resistant cDNAs encoding both GLS isoforms and by addition of an α-ketoglutarate (αKG) analog thus confirming the critical role of GLS in TNBC. Pharmacological inhibition of GLS with the small molecule inhibitor CB-839 reduced cell growth and led to a decrease in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity and an increase in the stress response pathway driven by activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Finally, we found that GLS inhibition synergizes with mTOR inhibition, which introduces the possibility of a novel therapeutic strategy for TNBC. Our study revealed that GLS is essential for the survival of TNBC with a deregulated glutaminolysis pathway. The synergistic activity of GLS and mTOR inhibitors in TNBC cell lines suggests therapeutic potential of this combination for the treatment of vulnerable subpopulations of TNBC.

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