Publication Details

Authors: Isabel W. Kenny-Ganzert, Lena P. Basta, Lianzijun Wang, Qiuyi Chi, Caitlin Su, Katherine S. Morton, Joel N. Meyer, David R. Sherwood

Journal: bioRxiv preprint (posted May 2, 2025)

Year: 2025

DOI: 10.1101/2025.05.02.651978

Abstract

Cell invasion through basement membrane (BM) is energetically intensive. By generating 20 endogenously tagged mitochondrial proteins, the authors identified a specialized mitochondrial subpopulation within the C. elegans anchor cell (AC) that localizes to the BM breaching site and produces elevated ATP to power invasion. These ETC-enriched high-capacity mitochondria are compositionally unique, enriched with protein-import machinery and dense cristae. They emerge upon AC specification and depend on the pro-invasive transcriptional program. Netrin signaling through Src kinase directs microtubule polarization, enabling metaxin-dependent mitochondrial trafficking to the invasive front. The study reveals a conserved mechanism for energizing invasive cells.

Keywords

mitochondria, ATP production, cell invasion, anchor cell, basement membrane, C. elegans

Citation

Kenny-Ganzert, I. W., Basta, L. P., Wang, L., Chi, Q., Su, C., Morton, K. S., Meyer, J. N., & Sherwood, D. R. (2025). Specialized high-capacity mitochondria fuel cell invasion. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.02.651978

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