PGC-1α regulation by FBXW7 through a novel mechanism linking chaperone-mediated autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome system.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) is a key regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidative defenses, and it may play a critical role in Parkinson's disease (PD). F-box/WD repeat domain-containing protein (FBXW7), an E3 protein ligase, promotes the degradation of substrate proteins through the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and leads to the clearance of PGC-1α. Here, we elucidate a novel post-translational mechanism for regulating PGC-1α levels in neurons. We show that enhancing chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) activity promotes the CMA-mediated degradation of FBXW7 and consequently increases PGC-1α. We confirm the relevance of this pathway in vivo by showing decreased FBXW7 and increased PGC-1α as a result of boosting CMA selectively in dopaminergic (DA) neurons by overexpressing lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2A (LAMP2A) in TH-Cre-LAMP2-loxp conditional mice. We further demonstrate that these mice are protected against MPTP-induced oxidative stress and neurodegeneration. These results highlight a novel regulatory pathway for PGC-1α in DA neurons and suggest targeted increasing of CMA or decreasing FBXW7 in DA neurons as potential neuroprotective strategies in PD.