SENP3 Promotes an Mff-Primed Bcl-xL-Drp1 Interaction Involved in Cell Death Following Ischemia

Abstract

Dysregulation of the mitochondrial fission machinery has been linked to cell death following ischemia. Fission is largely dependent on recruitment of Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) to the receptor Mitochondrial fission factor (Mff) located on the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM). Drp1 is a target for SUMOylation and its deSUMOylation, mediated by the SUMO protease SENP3, enhances the Drp1-Mff interaction to promote cell death in an oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD) model of ischemia. Another interacting partner for Drp1 is the Bcl-2 family member Bcl-xL, an important protein in cell death and survival pathways. Here we demonstrate that preventing Drp1 SUMOylation by mutating its SUMO target lysines enhances the Drp1-Bcl-xL interaction in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, SENP3-mediated deSUMOylation of Drp1 promotes the Drp1-Bcl-xL interaction. Our data suggest that Mff primes Drp1 binding to Bcl-xL at the mitochondria and that Mff and Bcl-xL can interact directly, independent of Drp1, through their transmembrane domains. Importantly, SENP3 loss in cells subjected to OGD correlates with reduced Drp1-Bcl-xL interaction, whilst recovery of SENP3 levels in cells subjected to reoxygenation following OGD correlates with increased Drp1-Bcl-xL interaction. Expressing a Bcl-xL mutant with defective Drp1 binding reduces OGD plus reoxygenation-evoked cell death. Taken together, our results indicate that SENP3-mediated deSUMOlyation promotes an Mff-primed Drp1-Bcl-xL interaction that contributes to cell death following ischemia.