Mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel regulates mitochondrial dynamics to participate in neurodegeneration of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been the focus of the pathogenesis of PD. The mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel (mitoKATP) plays a significant role in mitochondrial physiology and has been extensively shown to protect against ischemic and brain reperfusion injury. However, there have long been controversies regarding its role in Parkinson's disease. We investigated the role of mitoKATP channels in rotenone-induced PD model in vivo and vitro and the interactions of mitoKATP channels, mitochondrial dynamics and PD. The results indicated that the use of diazoxide to activate mitoKATP channels resulted in the aggravation of rotenone-induced dopamine neurodegeneration in PC12 cells and SD rats. In contrast, the use of 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD) to inhibit mitoKATP channels improved rotenone-induced dopamine neurodegeneration, which was not consistent with mitoKATP channels in ischemic and brain reperfusion injury. Further analysis determined that the mitoKATP channel was involved in PD mainly via the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and fission/fusion. And the pore subunits of Kir6.1, the major component of mitoKATP channels, was the key contributor in its interaction with mitochondrial dynamics in rotenone-induced dopamine neurodegeneration. Therefore, it can be concluded that mitoKATP channels regulate mitochondrial dynamics to participate in rotenone-induced PD mainly attributes to the pore subunits of Kir6.1. And additionally, though mitoKATP channels may represent a direction of one potential target for neuroprotection, it should be noted that the effects are different in the activation or inhibition of mitoKATP channels in different models.