Two sensory neurons coordinate the systemic mitochondrial stress response via GPCR signaling in C. elegans

Mitochondrial perturbations within neurons communicate stress signals to peripheral tissues, coordinating organismal-wide mitochondrial homeostasis for optimal fitness. However, the neuronal control of the systemic stress regulation remains poorly understood. Here, we identified a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), SRZ-75, that couples with Gαq signaling in a pair of chemosensory ADL neurons to drive the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR^mt) activation in the intestine via the release of neuropeptides in Caenorhabditis elegans. Constitutive activation of Gαq signaling in the ADL neurons is sufficient to induce the intestinal UPR^mt, leading to increased stress resistance and metabolic adaptations. Ablation of ADL neurons attenuates the intestinal UPR^mt activation in response to various forms of neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction. Thus, GPCR and its Gαq downstream signaling in two sensory neurons coordinate the systemic UPR^mt activation, representing a previously uncharacterized, but potentially conserved, neuronal signaling for organismal-wide mitochondrial stress regulation.