FSHR-1/GPCR activates the mitochondrial unfolded protein response in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

The mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) is an evolutionarily conserved adaptive response that functions to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis following mitochondrial damage. In C. elegans, the nervous system plays a central role in responding to mitochondrial stress by releasing endocrine signals that act upon distal tissues to activate the UPRmt. The mechanisms by which mitochondrial stress is sensed by neurons and transmitted to distal tissues is not fully understood. Here, we identify a role for the conserved follicle-stimulating hormone G protein coupled receptor (GPCR), FSHR-1, in promoting UPRmt activation. Genetic deficiency of fshr-1 severely attenuates UPRmt activation and organism-wide survival in response to mitochondrial stress. FSHR-1 functions in a common genetic pathway with SPHK-1/sphingosine kinase to promote UPRmt activation, and FSHR-1 regulates the mitochondrial association of SPHK-1 in the intestine. Through tissue-specific rescue assays, we show that FSHR-1 functions in neurons to activate the UPRmt, to promote mitochondrial association of SPHK-1 in the intestine, and to promote organism-wide survival in response to mitochondrial stress. We propose that FSHR-1 functions cell non-autonomously in neurons to activate UPRmt upstream of SPHK-1 signaling in the intestine.