WIREs RNA

Volume 13, Issue 3 e1690
Advanced Review

Mitochondrial RNA, a new trigger of the innate immune system

Joanna Grochowska

Joanna Grochowska

Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Writing - original draft (lead), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Jolanta Czerwinska

Jolanta Czerwinska

Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Writing - original draft (lead), Writing - review & editing (equal)

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Lukasz S. Borowski

Lukasz S. Borowski

Faculty of Biology, Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Funding acquisition (supporting), Writing - original draft (supporting), Writing - review & editing (supporting)

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Roman J. Szczesny

Corresponding Author

Roman J. Szczesny

Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

Correspondence

Roman J. Szczesny, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5A, Warsaw, 02-106, Poland.

Email: [email protected]

Contribution: Conceptualization (lead), Funding acquisition (lead), Supervision (lead), Writing - review & editing (lead)

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First published: 08 September 2021
Citations: 4

Joanna Grochowska and Jolanta Czerwinska contributed equally to this study.

Edited by: Jeff Wilusz, Editor-in-Chief

Funding information: Fundacja na rzecz Nauki Polskiej, Grant/Award Number: POIR.04.04.00-00-5E63/18-00; Narodowe Centrum Nauki, Grant/Award Number: 2018/31/D/NZ2/03901

Abstract

Mitochondria play a pivotal role in numerous cellular processes. One of them is regulation of the innate immune pathway. In this instance, mitochondria function in two different aspects of regulatory mechanisms. First, mitochondria are part of the antiviral signaling cascade that is triggered in the cytoplasm and transmitted to effector proteins through mitochondria-localized proteins. Second, mitochondria can become an endogenous source of innate immune stimuli. Under some pathophysiological conditions, mitochondria release to the cytoplasm immunogenic factors, such as mitochondrial nucleic acids. Here, we focus on immunogenic mitochondrial double-stranded RNA (mt-dsRNA) and its origin and metabolism. We discuss factors that are responsible for regulating mt-dsRNA and its escape from mitochondria, emphasizing the contribution of polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase, PNPT1). Finally, we review current knowledge of the role of PNPase in human health and disease.

This article is categorized under:

  • RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease

Graphical Abstract

Mitochondria act as a double-edged sword when it comes to innate immunity. On the one hand, they help cells to deal with infection; on the other, they can activate sterile immune response by releasing double-stranded RNA. Cells recognize these mislocalized molecules as an enemy and trigger an immune response.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.