Tissue-specific responses to TFAM and mtDNA copy number manipulation in prematurely ageing mice

Somatic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are heavily implicated as important drivers of ageing and age-related diseases. Their pathological effect can be partially counteracted by increasing the absolute amount of wild-type mtDNA via moderately upregulating TFAM, a protein important for mtDNA packaging and expression. However, strong TFAM overexpression can also have detrimental effects as it results in hypercompaction of the mtDNA and subsequent impairment of mtDNA gene expression. In this study, we have experimentally addressed the propensity of moderate TFAM modulation to improve the premature ageing phenotypes of mtDNA mutator mice, carrying random mtDNA mutations. Surprisingly, we detect tissue-specific endogenous compensatory mechanisms acting in mtDNA mutator mice which largely affects the outcome of TFAM modulation. Accordingly, moderate overexpression of TFAM can have both negative and beneficial effects in different tissues of mtDNA mutator mice. We see a similar behavior for moderate TFAM reduction, which improves brown adipocyte tissue homeostasis, while other tissues are largely unaffected. Our findings highlight that regulation of copy number and gene expression of mtDNA is complex and cause tissue-specific effects that should be considered when modulating TFAM levels. Additionally, we suggest that TFAM is not the sole determinant of mtDNA copy number in situations where oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is compromised but other important players must be involved.