TOM20 Mitophagy Assay

Aberrant mitochondrial degradation dependent on mitophagy plays a key role in mitochondrial homeostasis. Dysregulation of mitophagy in neurons has been reported to contribute to a variety of diseases. Therefore, exploring the mechanism of mitochondrial autophagy is an important and urgent task. However, methods to accurately detect mitophagy have been challenging to develop. As an expert in the field of mitophagy research, Creative Biolabs has successfully established a rapid in vitro TOM20 mitophagy assay platform to provide comprehensive mitochondrial function characterization services to customers around the world.

Overview of Mitophagy

As we all know, mitophagy is the process by which cells remove damaged or aged mitochondria and recycle their constituent elements. Mitophagy is widely linked to metabolic diseases, premature aging syndromes, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), or Huntington's disease (HD). Dysregulation of phagocytosis is one of the important factors leading to neuronal cell death. Exploring the mitophagy pathways is not only beneficial to understanding the process of mitochondrial removal but also to better explain the pathogenesis of diseases caused by dysregulated mitophagy. Measurements of mitophagy often rely on specific mitochondrial marker proteins. Among various mitophagy-related protein markers, TOM20 has gradually emerged as a promising focus.

Fig.1 Axis of Mitophagy. (Zhang, et al., 2018)

TOM20 Mitophagy Assay

TOM20, the mitochondrial signaling anchoring protein, is a subunit of the Translocase of outer membrane (TOM) receptor complex. Aberrant TOM20 protein expression serves as a hallmark of mitophagy. In general, TOM20 is used to monitor mitochondrial clearance through confocal imaging or western blotting. In addition to traditional methods, mitophagy TOM20 loss assay is available, which is suitable for screening a large number of compounds for their ability to enhance mitophagy in a neuronal context. In this assay, target cells were treated with test compounds for a period of time in the absence and presence of mitochondrial triggers, followed by immunocytochemical staining for TOM20. The optimal compound was determined by quantifying TOM20 immunostaining intensity and nuclear counts.

Advances in the molecular mechanisms of mitophagy have facilitated the development of novel mitophagy detection techniques. These mitophagy detection techniques will improve the accuracy of mitophagy measurements and contribute to a better understanding of the role of mitophagy in health and disease. Based on our advanced platform and professional team, Creative Biolabs focus on providing cost-effective TOM20 mitophagy assay services to customers around the world. If you have any difficulties in the mitophagy project, please contact us in time for reasonable advice and professional assistance.

Reference

1. Zhang, J.; et al. Mitochondrial function and autophagy: integrating proteotoxic, redox, and metabolic stress in Parkinson's disease. Journal of neurochemistry. 2018, 144(6): 691-709.