NARILIS lunch seminar | Dr. Guy LENAERS, Université d'Angers

We are pleased to invite you to a seminar given by

Dr. Guy LENAERS

Université d'Angers, Unité MitoVasc, MitoLab - Mitochondrial Pathophysiology

His seminar is entitled:

A mitochondrial isoform of TRPV1 controls mitochondrial maximal temperature; clinical, evolutionary and climatic implications.

Mitochondria, the cell powerhouses, produce ATP and thermogenesis with a temperature possibly reaching 50°C, but whether a thermostat exists to restrict mitochondrial thermogenesis is unknown. Our research has uncovered a novel human TRPV1 mRNA displaying a predicted amino-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence, conserved among mammalian species, which effectively drives TRPV1 into the mitochondrial inner membrane. mitoTRPV1, as we named it, acts as a thermostat, restricting mitochondrial temperature by driving a Ca²⁺ efflux from mitochondria upon pharmacological stimulation. Surprisingly, these effects are not associated with changes in respiration or mitochondrial ATP content, while they were abolished by a loss-of-function genetic variant identified in a patient who experienced an exertional heat stroke. Our results demonstrate that mitoTRPV1 simultaneously regulates mitochondrial temperature and Ca²⁺, thereby protecting mitochondrial physiology by preventing its overheating. Clinical, evolutionary and climatic implications will be discussed.

Invited by Prof. Thierry Arnould and Prof. Patsy Renard, UNamur, URBC