Regulation of Ca2+ signalling and Ca2+-mediated cell death by the transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α

Mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake controls cellular functions as diverse as aerobic metabolism, cytosolic Ca2+ signalling and mitochondrial participation in apoptosis. Modulatory inputs converging on the organelle can regulate this process, determining the final outcome of Ca2+-mediated cell stimulation. We investigated in HeLa cells and primary skeletal myotubes the effect on Ca2+ signalling of the transcriptional peroxisome-proliferator-activated-receptor-gamma-coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha), which triggers organelle biogenesis and modifies the mitochondrial proteome. PGC-1 alpha selectively reduced mitochondrial Ca2+ responses to cell stimulation by reducing the efficacy of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake sites and increasing organelle volume. In turn, this affected ER Ca2+ release and cytosolic responses in HeLa cells. Most importantly, the modulation of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake significantly reduced cellular sensitivity to the Ca2+-mediated proapoptotic effect of C-2 ceramide. These results reveal a primary role of PGC-1 alpha in shaping mitochondrial participation in calcium signalling, that underlies its protective role against stress and proapoptotic stimuli in pathophysiological conditions.