Researchers discover a new PARP-like enzyme in mitochondria

For the first time, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified an ADP-ribosyl transferase (ADPRT or ADPRT) that is active in mitochondria, the organelles that generate most of the chemical energy required for biochemical reactions in cells.

To characterize the enzymatic activity of NEURL4, a team led by first and co-corresponding author Maria Dafne Cardamone, Ph.

According to the researchers, this approach allowed them to identify a number of mitochondrial proteins as targets of NEURL4, including mitochondrial LIG3, a protein involved in the repair of damaged mitochondrial DNA, and confirmed that the activity of NEURL4 is to maintain mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) required for completeness

While the study does not have any immediate implications for clinical treatment, the team said it represents an important step in understanding how cells maintain homeostasis and respond to oxidative stress

The researchers believe that future studies of how NEURL4-mediated modification of specific mitochondrial proteins affects mitochondrial function may lead to the identification of new regulatory strategies for therapeutic purposes

article title

Neuralized-like protein 4 (NEURL4) mediates ADP-ribosylation of mitochondrial proteins.