ß-Cell Succinate Dehydrogenase Deficiency Triggers Metabolic Dysfunction and Insulinopenic Diabetes.

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, the pathogenic mechanisms in pancreatic ß-cells are incompletely elucidated. Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) is a key mitochondrial enzyme with dual functions in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and electron transport chain. Using samples from human with diabetes and a mouse model of ß-cell-specific SDH ablation (SDHBßKO), we define SDH deficiency as a driver of mitochondrial dysfunction in ß-cell failure and insulinopenic diabetes. ß-Cell SDH deficiency impairs glucose-induced respiratory oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial membrane potential collapse, thereby compromising glucose-stimulated ATP production, insulin secretion, and ß-cell growth. Mechanistically, metabolomic and transcriptomic studies reveal that the loss of SDH causes excess succinate accumulation, which inappropriately activates mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1-regulated metabolic anabolism, including increased SREBP-regulated lipid synthesis. These alterations, which mirror diabetes-associated human ß-cell dysfunction, are partially reversed by acute mTOR inhibition with rapamycin. We propose SDH deficiency as a contributing mechanism to the progressive ß-cell failure of diabetes and identify mTOR complex 1 inhibition as a potential mitigation strategy.

p53 deficiency triggers dysregulation of diverse cellular processes in physiological oxygen.

The mechanisms by which TP53, the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer, suppresses tumorigenesis remain unclear. p53 modulates various cellular processes, such as apoptosis and proliferation, which has led to distinct cellular mechanisms being proposed for p53-mediated tumor suppression in different contexts. Here, we asked whether during tumor suppression p53 might instead regulate a wide range of cellular processes. Analysis of mouse and human oncogene-expressing wild-type and p53-deficient cells in physiological oxygen conditions revealed that p53 loss concurrently impacts numerous distinct cellular processes, including apoptosis, genome stabilization, DNA repair, metabolism, migration, and invasion. Notably, some phenotypes were uncovered only in physiological oxygen. Transcriptomic analysis in this setting highlighted underappreciated functions modulated by p53, including actin dynamics. Collectively, these results suggest that p53 simultaneously governs diverse cellular processes during transformation suppression, an aspect of p53 function that would provide a clear rationale for its frequent inactivation in human cancer.