Beyond mitophagy: cytosolic PINK1 as a messenger of mitochondrial health

Disruptions in mitochondrial homeostasis are implicated in human diseases across the lifespan. Recessive mutations in PINK1, which encodes the mitochondrially targeted PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1), cause an autosomal recessive form of Parkinson's disease. As with all kinases, PINK1 participates in multiple functional pathways, and its dysregulation has been implicated in a growing number of diseases.

In addition to its heavily studied role in mitophagy, PINK1 regulates mitochondrial respiratory function, reactive oxygen species generation, and mitochondrial transport. Moreover, recent studies implicate processed PINK1 in cytosolic signaling cascades that promote cell survival and neuron differentiation. Cytosolic PINK1 is also capable of suppressing autophagy and mitophagy. We propose a working hypothesis that PINK1 is released by functional mitochondria as a signal to coordinate cell growth and differentiation in response to mitochondrial status.

PINK1 biology needs to be better understood in primary neurons, as the stability and subcellular localization of PINK1 is differentially regulated in different cell types. Delineating factors that regulate its mitochondrial import/export, processing by different peptidases, kinase activity, subcellular localization, and degradation will be important for defining relevant downstream kinase targets.

It is becoming clear that different subcellular pools of PINK1 mediate distinct functions. Future studies will undoubtedly expand on the spectrum of cellular functions regulated by PINK1. Continued study of cytosolic PINK1 may offer novel insights into how functional mitochondria communicate their status with the rest of the cell.