Although it is widely accepted that mitochondria in living cells can efficiently uptake Ca(2+) during stimulation because of their vicinity to microdomains of high [Ca(2+)], the direct proof of Ca(2+) hot spots' existence is still lacking. Thanks to a GFP-based Ca(2+) probe localized on the cytosolic surface of the outer mitochondrial membrane, we demonstrate that, upon Ca(2+) mobilization, the [Ca(2+)] in small regions of the mitochondrial surface reaches levels 5- to 10-fold higher than in the bulk cytosol. We also show that the [Ca(2+)] to which mitochondria are exposed during capacitative Ca(2+) influx is similar between near plasma membrane mitochondria and organelles deeply located in the cytoplasm, whereas it is 2- to 3-fold higher in subplasma membrane mitochondria upon activation of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels. These results demonstrate that mitochondria are exposed to Ca(2+) hot spots close to the ER but are excluded from the regions where capacitative Ca(2+) influx occurs.

Presenilin mutations are the main cause of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD). Presenilins also play a key role in Ca 2+ homeostasis, and their FAD-linked mutants affect cellular Ca 2+ handling in several ways. We previously have demonstrated that FAD-linked presenilin 2 (PS2) mutants decrease the Ca 2+ content of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by inhibiting sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ -ATPase (SERCA) activity and increasing ER Ca 2+ leak. Here we focus on the effect of presenilins on mitochondrial Ca 2+ dynamics. By using genetically encoded Ca 2+ indicators specifically targeted to mitochondria (aequorin-and GFP-based probes) in SH-SY5Y cells and primary neuronal cultures, we show that overexpression or down-regulation of PS2, but not of presenilin 1 (PS1), modulates the Ca 2+ shuttling between ER and mitochondria, with its FAD mutants strongly favoring Ca 2+ transfer between the two organelles. This effect is not caused by a direct PS2 action on mitochondrial Ca 2+ -uptake machinery but rather by an increased physical interaction between ER and mitochondria that augments the frequency of Ca 2+ hot spots generated at the cytoplasmic surface of the outer mitochondrial membrane upon stimulation. This PS2 function adds further complexity to the multifaceted nature of presenilins and to their physiological role within the cell. We also discuss the importance of this additional effect of FAD-linked PS2 mutants for the understanding of FAD pathogenesis.fluorescent Ca 2+ probe | intracellular organelle tethering | fluorescence resonance energy transfer A lzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in developed countries. The pathogenesis of AD is still largely mysterious, and most basic research in the field is concentrated on rare genetic forms of familial AD (FAD). The majority of FAD cases are caused by point mutations in genes for two homologous proteins, presenilin 1 (PS1) and presenilin 2 (PS2), that are essential components of the γ-secretase complex responsible for the production of the amyloid β peptides (Aβ) (1).Evidence has accumulated suggesting that FAD is linked to an imbalance of cellular Ca 2+ homeostasis (see refs. 2 and 3 for recent reviews). In particular, presenilins appear to play a key role in the control of Ca 2+ concentration within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), [Ca 2+ ] ER : (i) Several FAD-linked presenilin mutants altered the expression or sensitivity of ER Ca 2+ release channels [ryanodine receptor (RyR) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP 3 R)] in cell lines, neurons, and brain microsomes (see ref. 4 for a recent review); (ii) the sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ ATPase (SERCA) has been proposed as a target of presenilins, although opposite regulatory effects have been reported (5, 6); and (iii) it has been suggested that WT presenilins, but not FAD-linked presenilin mutants, form low-conductance Ca 2+ leak channels in the ER membrane (7,8). This last finding supports the "Ca 2+ overload" hypothesis for FAD, which proposes that the reduced ER Ca 2+ leak c...

cAMP/PKA signalling is compartmentalised with tight spatial and temporal control of signal propagation underpinning specificity of response. The cAMP-degrading enzymes, phosphodiesterases (PDEs), localise to specific subcellular domains within which they control local cAMP levels and are key regulators of signal compartmentalisation. Several components of the cAMP/PKA cascade are located to different mitochondrial sub-compartments, suggesting the presence of multiple cAMP/PKA signalling domains within the organelle. The function and regulation of these domains remain largely unknown. Here, we describe a novel cAMP/PKA signalling domain localised at mitochondrial membranes and regulated by PDE2A2. Using pharmacological and genetic approaches combined with real-time FRET imaging and high resolution microscopy, we demonstrate that in rat cardiac myocytes and other cell types mitochondrial PDE2A2 regulates local cAMP levels and PKA-dependent phosphorylation of Drp1. We further demonstrate that inhibition of PDE2A, by enhancing the hormone-dependent cAMP response locally, affects mitochondria dynamics and protects from apoptotic cell death.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21374.001