Mieap suppresses murine intestinal tumor via its mitochondrial quality control

Mieap, a novel p53-inducible protein, plays a key role in maintaining healthy mitochondria in various pathophysiological states. Here, we show that Mieap deficiency in Apc(Min/+) mice is strikingly associated with the malignant progression of murine intestinal tumors. To understand the role that Mieap plays in in vivo tumorigenesis, we generated Mieap heterozygous (Apc(Min/+) Mieap(+/−)) and homozygous (Apc(Min/+) Mieap(−/−)) Apc(Min/+) mice. Interestingly, the Apc(Min/+) mice with the Mieap(+/−) and Mieap(−/−) genetic background revealed remarkable shortening of the lifetime compared to Apc(Min/+) mice because of severe anemia. A substantial increase in the number and size of intestinal polyps was associated with Mieap gene deficiency. Histopathologically, intestinal tumors in the Mieap-deficient Apc(Min/+) mice clearly demonstrated advanced grades of adenomas and adenocarcinomas. We demonstrated that the significant increase in morphologically unhealthy mitochondria and trace accumulations of reactive oxygen species may be mechanisms underlying the increased malignant progression of the intestinal tumors of Mieap-deficient Apc(Min/+) mice. These findings suggest that the Mieap-regulated mitochondrial quality control plays a critical role in preventing mouse intestinal tumorigenesis.