NDUFA4L2 – Connecting Metabolic Signals and Mitochondrial Function in Cardiac and Skeletal Muscle

The nuclear-encoded mitochondrial protein NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) 1 alpha subcomplex, 4-like 2 (NDUFA4L2) was recently identified. NDUFAe4L2 is shown to be induced by hypoxia via HIF1α and is thought to inhibit production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species in fibroblasts exposed to hypoxia. Here the aim was to characterize the role of NDUFA4L2 in the mitochondria-rich tissues skeletal and cardiac muscle. We show hypoxia induced NDUFA4L2 expression in isolated muscle fibers and in cardiomyocytes with full activation after ~3-6 h in hypoxia. The half-maximal O 2 level for NDUFA4L2 expression (~4.6 % of ambient O 2 ) suggests sensitivity to changes in O 2 tension that occur under physiological conditions (e.g. exercise, moderate ischemia). We identified that the NDUFA4L2 gene promoter has binding sites for transcription factors other than HIF-1α; repetitive sites for PPARα,γ and one for Nrf2. NDUFA4L2 overexpression resulted in functional effects on skeletal and cardiac muscle; e.g. it alters cellular Ca 2+ signaling and the expression of Ca 2+ handling genes. Further, NDUFA4L2 overexpression reduces muscle mass (~20%), leading to a decreased force production in skeletal muscle. The NDUFA4L2-induced loss of muscle mass was associated with increases in mRNA levels of e.g. MurF1, Mul1, caspase-3 and Bax. Additionally, femoral artery ligation (FAL) induced NDUFA4L2 expression, which correlates with the decreased force production eight days post-FAL in skeletal muscle. Moreover, NDUFA4L2 upregulates antioxidant gene expression and silencing NDUFA4L2 makes cardiac cells less tolerant to hypoxia/re-oxygenation. Our results suggest that NDUFA4L2 expression affects vital functions in muscle cells and at least part of this effect is mediated by a link between NDUFA4L2 and nuclear gene expression. Thus, NDUFA4L2 might act as an integrator of the nutritional, environmental and functional status in muscle cells.