STUB1-VCP/p97 complex regulates mitophagy via fine-tuning of PINK1 levels

Mar 28, 2026Cell reports

The STUB1-VCP/p97 complex controls removal of damaged mitochondria by adjusting PINK1 protein levels

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Abstract

PINK1 undergoes ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation during mitophagy through the coordinated action of STUB1 and VCP/p97.

Depletion of STUB1 stabilizes full-length PINK1, which may impair mitophagy by accelerating parkin degradation.
The STUB1-VCP axis is important for neuronal mitophagy-related memory and learning in the roundworm C. elegans.
Impairments in the STUB1-VCP axis are observed in postmortem brain tissues from Alzheimer's disease patients compared to cognitively normal controls.
Precise regulation of PINK1 is essential for orchestrating mitophagy and maintaining mitochondrial health.

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PINK1 is a master regulator of PINK1-parkin-mediated mitophagy, a key process for maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis. The precise regulation of PINK1 is therefore essential for orchestrating mitophagy. While proteolytic processing of PINK1 and degradation of cleaved PINK1 via the N-end rule under basal conditions have been extensively characterized, the mechanisms governing full-length PINK1 degradation upon mitochondrial damage remain enigmatic. Here, we demonstrate that PINK1 undergoes ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation during mitophagy through the coordinated action of STUB1 and VCP/p97. Depletion of STUB1 stabilizes full-length PINK1, which paradoxically impairs mitophagy through the acceleration of parkin degradation. At the organismal level, the STUB1-VCP axis plays an important role in neuronal mitophagy-related memory and learning capacities in the roundworm C. elegans. Congruently, this axis is impaired in the postmortem brain tissues from patients with Alzheimer's disease compared with cognitively normal controls. Collectively, our findings support STUB1-VCP as a molecular calibrator that fine-tunes full-length PINK1 levels to enable efficient mitophagy and maintain mitochondrial homeostasis.

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STUB1-VCP/p97 complex regulates mitophagy via fine-tuning of PINK1 levels

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