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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Measurement of Mitochondrial Respiration in Human and Mouse Skeletal Muscle Fibers by High-Resolution Respirometry
Published on: October 4, 2024
Mechanisms controlling mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration through the thermogenic coactivator PGC-1
Z Wu1, P Puigserver, U Andersson
1Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Abstract:
Mitochondrial number and function are altered in response to external stimuli in eukaryotes. While several transcription/replication factors directly regulate mitochondrial genes, the coordination of these factors into a program responsive to the environment is not understood. We show here that PGC-1, a cold-inducible coactivator of nuclear receptors, stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration in muscle cells through an induction of uncoupling protein 2 (UCP-2) and through regulation of the nuclear respiratory factors (NRFs). PGC-1 stimulates a powerful induction of NRF-1 and NRF-2 gene expression; in addition, PGC-1 binds to and coactivates the transcriptional function of NRF-1 on the promoter for mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA), a direct regulator of mitochondrial DNA replication/transcription. These data elucidate a pathway that directly links external physiological stimuli to the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and function.
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