Watch the talk of the TUM-IAS Wednesday Coffee Talk “Mitophagy in axons” by Angelika Harbauer

On 28 January 2026, Angelika Harbauer (Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, Martinsried; Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology, TUM) talked about “Mitophagy in axons”.

Abstract: Neurons with their elaborate and extended morphology must employ homeostatic mechanisms that allow neuronal mitochondria to exist far away from the cell body while still retaining a functional proteome. This process, called “Mitostasis”, is most likely a finely tuned concert of mitochondrial transport, local protein synthesis and local degradation by proteasomal and autophagic mechanisms. Modulation of these processes may prove beneficial in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

However, the processes that allow local translation of mRNAs encoding for mitochondrial proteins are only partially understood. Using the transcript of PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) as a model substrate, we have discovered that this RNA associates with mitochondria specifically in neurons and uses mitochondria as a means of transport into axons and dendrites. This is a neuron specific mechanism driven by selective expression of an mRNA anchoring complex at the outer mitochondrial membrane which we termed mitochondrial hitch-hiking. 

To get an unbiased insight into the amount of mitochondrial RNA hitch-hiking, we performed RNAseq of mitochondria isolated from retinal ganglion cell axons and motorneuron axons. This revealed a cell-type specific adaption of the amount of RNA hitch-hiking not only of the mRNA encoding Pink1, but of an entire class of proteins involved in mitophagy, synaptic and cytoskeletal processes, that may be driven by the local availability (or absence) of these transcripts. This suggests fundamental difference in axonal biology between glutamatergic and cholinergic axons. 

THE TUM-IAS WEDNESDAY COFFEE TALKS

Every Wednesday after lunch, it's all about a new topic - current research highlights at TUM, insights into the work of our Fellows from all over the world, sometimes even topics not usually found at TUM, such as history or theology.

The talks held online start every Wednesday during TUM lecture time at 13:00 CE(S)T. Everyone is welcome - TUM researchers of all levels, students, visiting scholars, and anyone interested!

Each final Wednesday of the month, a topic related to the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals will be featured as a part of the Seminar Series of European Universities on Sustainability, a new initiative of the TUM-IAS in partnership with universities across Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe.

Would you like to receive regular updates on the TUM-IAS Wednesday Coffee Talk and the online link? Just send a short note to events@ias.tum.de.

An overview of upcoming and past TUM-IAS Wednesday Coffee Talks can be found at the TUM-IAS Wednesday Coffee Talk Overview.