The proton motive force maintains mtDNA euploidy by balancing mtDNA replication with cell proliferation

Abstract

Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes 13 essential components of the electron transport chain (ETC)1. A typical cell contains [~]1000s of copies of mtDNA, but how this copy number is stably maintained is unclear. Here, we track mtDNA copy number (mtCN) recovery in K562 cells following transient, chemically induced depletion to uncover principles of mtCN stability. Below a critical mtCN, ETC activity fails to sustain the proton motive force (PMF) and de novo pyrimidine synthesis--both required for mtDNA replication. PMF-dependent processes like Fe-S cluster biogenesis are also disrupted and stress responses are activated that impair cell proliferation and limit further mtCN dilution by cell division. Nonetheless, mtDNA replication and recovery remain possible via mtDNA-independent PMF, generated by complex V reversal, and uridine salvage. Once mtCN is restored, the ETC and forward complex V activity re-engage, stress responses subside, and proliferation recommences. Each cell division then dilutes mtDNA, serving as a built- in brake on mtCN. Our findings suggest that mtCN homeostasis emerges from the balance of two opposing PMF-driven processes -- mtDNA replication and cell proliferation -- revealing a bioenergetic logic that preserves mtDNA euploidy through repeated cell divisions.