PKA Regulates PINK1 Stability and Parkin Recruitment to Damaged Mitochondria through Phosphorylation of MIC60.

A mitochondrial kinase, PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), selectively recruits the ubiquitin ligase Parkin to damaged mitochondria, which modifies mitochondria by polyubiquitination, leading to mitochondrial autophagy. Here, we report that treatment with an adenylate cyclase agonist or expression of protein kinase A (PKA) impairs Parkin recruitment to damaged mitochondria and decreases PINK1 protein levels. We identified a mitochondrial membrane protein, MIC60 (also known as mitofilin), as a PKA substrate. Mutational and mass spectrometric analyses revealed that the Ser528 residue of MIC60 undergoes PKA-dependent phosphorylation. MIC60 transiently interacts with PINK1, and MIC60 downregulation leads to a reduction in PINK1 and mislocalization of Parkin. Phosphorylation-mimic mutants of MIC60 fail to restore the defect in Parkin recruitment in MIC60-knocked down cells, whereas a phosphorylation-deficient MIC60 mutant facilitates the mitochondrial localization of Parkin. Our findings indicate that PKA-mediated phosphorylation of MIC60 negatively regulates mitochondrial clearance that is initiated by PINK1 and Parkin.

A dimeric PINK1-containing complex on depolarized mitochondria stimulates Parkin recruitment.

Parkinsonism typified by sporadic Parkinson disease is a prevalent neurodegenerative disease. Mutations in PINK1 (PTEN-induced putative kinase 1), a mitochondrial Ser/Thr protein kinase, or PARKIN, a ubiquitin-protein ligase, cause familial parkinsonism. The accumulation and autophosphorylation of PINK1 on damaged mitochondria results in the recruitment of Parkin, which ultimately triggers quarantine and/or degradation of the damaged mitochondria by the proteasome and autophagy. However, the molecular mechanism of PINK1 in dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) has not been fully elucidated. Here we show by fluorescence-based techniques that the PINK1 complex formed following a decrease in ΔΨm is composed of two PINK1 molecules and is correlated with intermolecular phosphorylation of PINK1. Disruption of complex formation by the PINK1 S402A mutation weakened Parkin recruitment onto depolarized mitochondria. The most disease-relevant mutations of PINK1 inhibit the complex formation. Taken together, these results suggest that formation of the complex containing dyadic PINK1 is an important step for Parkin recruitment onto damaged mitochondria.