Mitochondrial genome instability disrupts brown adipose tissue through pseudohypoxia-iron-NAD⁺ axis

Abstract

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a mitochondria-rich thermogenic organ whose function depends on high oxidative capacity, yet how primary mitochondrial dysfunction remodels BAT identity and metabolism remains poorly defined. Using the Deletor mouse model of progressive mtDNA deletion disease, we identify a pseudohypoxiairon-NAD+ axis as a central organiser of BAT pathology. Deletor BAT underwent profound structural, transcriptional and metabolic remodelling, characterised by mitochondrial ultrastructural damage, loss of thermogenic identity, PHD3/HIF associated pseudohypoxic signalling, iron dysregulation and NAD+/NADH redox imbalance. Indirect calorimetry confirmed that this molecular disease program translates to functional thermogenic failure under physiological demand. Deletor mice showed significantly reduced heat production under acute cold challenge and failed to switch to fatty acid oxidation Metabolomic profiling revealed altered TCA cycle intermediates, glycolytic rewiring and selective amino acid accumulation. Pharmacological perturbation showed that the PHD inhibitor roxadustat worsened disease-associated features, whereas HIF-1 suppression with PX-478 attenuated the integrated stress response, indicating that pseudohypoxic signalling is maladaptive in this setting. Nicotinamide riboside broadly attenuated the disease metabolome and transcriptome, restoring NAD+/NADH balance, suppressing ISRmt, iron-stress and pseudohypoxic gene programs, and correcting selective carnitine and acylcarnitine abnormalities consistent with impaired fatty-acid handling. These findings define a therapeutically tractable pseudohypoxia-iron-NAD+ axis as a core determinant of BAT dysfunction in mitochondrial disease.