Shutt Lab
@mitomorph.bsky.social
Associate Professor at University of Calgary studying mitochondria.
New preprint from our lab! We uncover how a subset of mitophagy proteins BNIP3 and NIX are repressed and protected from turnover, we think so that they can perform a surveillance role to detect mitochondrial dysfunction under basal conditions. t.co/4XKkd4LsFi
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.25.734517v1
t.co
Excited to have been able to collaborate with @labfriedman.bsky.social on this exciting new study that uncovers a new layer of regulation for BNIP3 and NIX!
Jonathan Friedman@labfriedman.bsky.social · 2mo agoNew preprint from our lab! We uncover how a subset of mitophagy proteins BNIP3 and NIX are repressed and protected from turnover, we think so that they can perform a surveillance role to detect mitochondrial dysfunction under basal conditions. t.co/4XKkd4LsFi
Really hyped to share our pre-print on mtDNA replication-fission ! @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social (doi: doi.org/10.64898/202...) 🧵with details below ⤵️
ATAD3A structurally links mtDNA replication and mitochondrial fission
Mitochondrial function depends on the maintenance of its genome, and disruptions in copy number and distribution are hallmarks of mitochondrial disorders. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication is spat...
doi.org
Immunology Collection: MFN2 Q367H drives mtDNA release and inflammation, uncovering a new mechanism of MFN2-linked disease. @mitomorph.bsky.social www.life-science-alliance.org/content/lsa-... Read the full paper here: www.life-science-alliance.org/content/8/6/...
Time-resolved tmFRET reveals GTP-coupled conformational changes in Mfn1 rupress.org/jcb/article-...
Time-resolved tmFRET reveals GTP-coupled conformational changes in Mfn1
Hurwitz et al. leverage a novel FRET-based approach to quantify conformational dynamics of Mfn1, a member of the dynamin superfamily that mediates mitochon
rupress.org
More organelle conversations! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Mitochondrial dysfunction triggers a maladaptive peroxisomal response driving lipid accumulation
Mitochondria and peroxisomes communicate to maintain lipid homeostasis, but how the latter adjust to mitochondrial dysfunction remains unclear. Here, …
sciencedirect.com
Super excited to present out work at @mitotalks.bsky.social this Thursday!! Hope to see you there!
@mitotalks.bsky.social · 6mo agoWe talk a lot about mitochondrial stress, but how about how do they keep themselves balanced? Good thing our speaker @nieminm.bsky.social knows everything about that, and will tell all on the next MITOtalk. Usual time and place. See you there?
We are hiring! Fully funded PhD position on an exciting project to understand a fundamental mechanism of mitochondrial biogenesis. We will primarily rely on cryo-EM and protein-biochemical approaches. Please share! More about us: martinottlab.com Apply here: web103.reachmee.com/ext/I005/103...
5 years of MITOtalks! Feels like it was yesterday when @wanrooij20.bsky.social and @nunoraimundo.bsky.social opened the first MITOtalk to introduce @frezzalab.bsky.social. But it turns out FIVE YEARS have passed. That's 57 MITOtalks, 44 MITOchats, 6000+ followers. Onwards and upwards!
Really thrilled to have our work on mitochondrial presequence strength out today @jcb.org. We establish quantitative parameters to better define "strong" and "weak" presequences both in vitro and in vivo. This work was spearheaded by the ever talented Youmian Yan, a BBSB graduate student in my lab.
Journal of Cell Biology@jcb.org · 8mo agoYan, @ianofbristol.bsky.social, @nieminm.bsky.social et al. define quantitative parameters underlying the strength of mitochondrial-targeting presequences, and demonstrate that yeast require strong presequences to facilitate select metabolic pathways in #mitochondria. rupress.org/jcb/article/...
⚡️Mitochondria make ATP, the energy that powers life. But in neurons, with axons up to a meter long, how do these tiny power plants stay functional in the right places? We went looking. 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Self-renewal of neuronal mitochondria through asymmetric division
Mitochondrial ATP production is essential for life. Mitochondrial function depends on the spatio-temporal coordination of nuclear and mitochondrial genome expression, yet how this coordination occurs ...
biorxiv.org
We are hiring!. If you hold a PhD in natural science and are passionate about mitochondria, reach out!
New paper - MAPL strikes again! Interested in mitochondrial signalling, inflammation, lysosome biology, pyroptosis, and Parkinson's disease? Have a look, there's something for everyone! Feeling grateful! @mitocollier.bsky.social Funded by #CIHR, @asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org. rdcu.be/eKKz1 🇨🇦
We have a new preprint! A major part of Taylor's PhD research is now available to read on bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Hyper-proliferation of Adipose Progenitors During Developmental Adipogenesis Programs Higher Adipocyte Number and Early-onset Obesity in Offspring Born to Obese Dams
Being born to a mother who was obese during pregnancy is one of the strongest predictors of early onset obesity and metabolic syndrome. To identify the developmental mechanism linking maternal obesity...
biorxiv.org
Drug Repurposing Screen Identifies an HRI Activating Compound that Promotes Adaptive Mitochondrial Remodeling in MFN2-deficient Cells https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.23.660251v1
Thanks for including us in this exciting work! Looking forward to the next stages of this fun collaboration.
Wiseman Lab@wisemanlab.bsky.social · last yr.New work from the lab (w/ @preronabora.bsky.social @mashiatzaman.bsky.social @mitomorph.bsky.social @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social) identifying a compound that activates OMA1-DELE1-HRI signaling to induce mitochondrial remodeling in MFN2-deficient cells. Check it out 👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Congrats to ShuttLab PhD student Mashiat Zaman @mashiatzaman.bsky.social on receiving an award for his short talk at the recent CSMB-PRinCE meeting in Ottawa
Delighted to share our paper describing how type I interferon promotes caspase-11 hyperactivity in models of PolG-related mitochondrial disease. Thanks to all co-authors and the POLG Foundation for for their support. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Caspase-11 drives macrophage hyperinflammation in models of Polg-related mitochondrial disease - Nature Communications
Mitochondrial diseases lead to chronic health impairment, aggravated by infections and other environmental exposures. Here authors show, in a mouse model of polymerase gamma (Polg)-related mitochondri...
nature.com
Very excited to share our latest work, “Mitochondrial presequences harbor variable strengths to maintain organellar function,” led by the fantastically talented @washubbsb.bsky.social graduate student Youmian Yan. A 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Mitochondrial presequences harbor variable strengths to maintain organellar function
Hundreds of mitochondrial-destined proteins rely on N-terminal presequences for organellar targeting and import. While generally described as positively charged amphipathic helices, presequences lack ...
biorxiv.org
Mitochondria Are More Than Powerhouses—They’re the Motherboard of the Cell great work by Martin Picard www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...
The Hidden Social Lives of Mitochondria
When these energy-giving organelles thrive, so do we
scientificamerican.com
Our Special Issue: Cell Biology of Mitochondria is complete. Explore our ToC: journals.biologists.com/jcs/issue/13... Our cover image highlights mitochondria (magenta) and DNA (cyan) in glioblastoma cells from Buckley et al. journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/... #JCSMitoSI #Mitochondria
Happy to see this fun piece finally out. Congrats to Laurie for bringing this all together and thanks to Martin for his contributions.
Journal of Cell Science@jcellsci.bsky.social · last yr.In their Opinion article, Laurie Lee-Glover, Martin Picard and Timothy Shutt @mitomorph.bsky.social argue that mitochondria should be considered as the ‘Chief Executive Organelle’ – the CEO – of the cell. #JCSMitoSI #Mitochondria journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
🚨New preprint!🚨 #teamtomo We expanded Surface Morphometrics to quantify membrane thickness from cryo-ET—revealing local variation across organelles. Led by the lab’s first grad student, @mmedina300kv.bsky.social (defending Monday! 🍾) w/ @attychang.bsky.social @hamid13r.bsky.social & @tomo.science
bioRxivpreprint@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · last yr.Surface morphometrics reveals local membrane thickness variation in organellar subcompartments https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.30.651574v1
Excited to call your attention to a new Fusion Conference this October in Malta. #IOSCD25 will cover: • Organelle Crosstalk • DNA Damage Responses & Inflammation • Organelles in Innate Immune Signaling • Organelle Communication in Disease and Aging More here: bit.ly/4jI458f @fusionconf.bsky.social
Inter-organelle Stress Communication in Inflammation & Disease Conference | Fusion Conferences
Our scientific research conferences support the development of physical, medical and life sciences, providing a powerful platform that encourages discussion and collaboration in luxury locations acros...
bit.ly
This work characterizes the Q367H variant in MFN2, identified in a patient with myopathy but no peripheral, and shows a novel way in which MFN2 dysfunction causes disease by promoting mtDNA release and subsequent inflammation @mitomorph.bsky.social www.life-science-alliance.org/content/8/6/...
I know print journals aren't exactly on everyone's radar these days, but we’re still geeking out that our latest study—led by the brilliant @attychang.bsky.social—landed the cover of the April issue of JCB! 🤩 @zidlab.bsky.social @tomo.science @hamid13r.bsky.social
Journal of Cell Biology@jcb.org · last yr.Our April issue is here! rupress.org/jcb/issue/22... The cover shows a segmented model of cytoplasmic #ribosomes associated with mitochondrial membrane in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell. From Ya-Ting Chang, @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social and colleagues (doi.org/10.1083/jcb....)
New work from Zaman et al., in the Shutt Lab @mitomorph.bsky.social, describes a novel variant in MFN2 linked to mtDNA-mediated inflammation and muscle myopathy www.life-science-alliance.org/content/8/6/...
Are u tired of reading about tariffs? Then take a look to our last work! @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Retromer promotes the lysosomal turnover of mtDNA
Lysosomal uptake of mtDNA controls mitochondrial quality.
science.org
A novel pathomechanism connected to mtDNA-mediated inflammation for CMT2A www.life-science-alliance.org/content/8/6/...
The MFN2 Q367H variant reveals a novel pathomechanism connected to mtDNA-mediated inflammation
Pathogenic variants in the mitochondrial protein MFN2 are typically associated with a peripheral neuropathy phenotype, but can also cause a variety of additional pathologies including myopathy. Here, ...
life-science-alliance.org
Our paper describing a novel MFN2 variant linked to mtDNA-mediated inflammation is now published at Life Science Alliance @lsajournal.org. doi.org/10.26508/lsa...
The MFN2 Q367H variant reveals a novel pathomechanism connected to mtDNA-mediated inflammation
Pathogenic variants in the mitochondrial protein MFN2 are typically associated with a peripheral neuropathy phenotype, but can also cause a variety of additional pathologies including myopathy. Here, ...
doi.org
Shutt Lab@mitomorph.bsky.social · 2y agoCheck out our new preprint characterizing the Q367H MFN2 variant, which we linked to mtDNA-mediated inflammation: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... Congrats to all the authors.