Patients with mitochondrial disease suffer from metabolic abnormalities but are also highly susceptible to bacterial infections. Here, Lisa Francione and colleagues use Dictyostelium with altered mitochondria to show a positive correlation between AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling and the intracellular growth of Legionella. AMPK activity serves as an internal sensor to coordinate energy synthesis with energy needs, and thus acts as a stress signal in cells with diseased mitochondria. Chronic activation of AMPK in cells with compromised mitochondria facilitates the proliferation of infectious bacteria. These findings indicate that the cellular stress response to mitochondrial dysfunction may predispose patients to secondary disease.

Page 479

2009