Tom70–mediated mitochondria–nuclear envelope contacts regulate nuclear pore complex inheritance during gametogenesis
Abstract
Gametogenesis rejuvenates the cellular lineage and excludes senescence-associated factors from gametes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae , this involves sequestration of nuclear constituents into the Gametogenesis Uninherited Nuclear Compartment (GUNC), which is excluded from gametes. Here we identify the conserved mitochondrial import receptor Tom70 as a key regulator of GUNC-mediated exclusion. Loss of TOM70 disrupts the sequestration of nuclear pore complexes, but not senescence-associated aggregates and nucleolar components, into the GUNC. Tom70’s role appears independent of its canonical function in mitochondrial import and instead reflects a meiosis-specific requirement for mitochondria-nuclear envelope tethering. During meiosis II, Tom70 concentrates around the GUNC, where it recruits the nuclear envelope tethering protein Cnm1. Loss of CNM1 partially phenocopies tom70 ∆, consistent with parallel tethering interactions. These findings uncover a previously unrecognized organelle contact-dependent pathway that remodels the nuclear envelope to support selective nuclear inheritance. More broadly, they highlight how organelle contacts integrate with nuclear quality control to safeguard gamete integrity.
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BibTeX
@article{ruediger2026tom70mediated,
title = {{Tom70–mediated mitochondria–nuclear envelope contacts regulate nuclear pore complex inheritance during gametogenesis}},
author = {Cyrus T. Ruediger and Benjamin S. Styler and Eric M. Sawyer and Silvan Spiri and Grant A. King and Madison E. Walsh and Gloria A. Brar and Danielle M. Jorgens and Elçin Ünal},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-78562-1},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78562-1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Tom70–mediated mitochondria–nuclear envelope contacts regulate nuclear pore complex inheritance during gametogenesis
AU - Cyrus T. Ruediger
AU - Benjamin S. Styler
AU - Eric M. Sawyer
AU - Silvan Spiri
AU - Grant A. King
AU - Madison E. Walsh
AU - Gloria A. Brar
AU - Danielle M. Jorgens
AU - Elçin Ünal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-78562-1
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78562-1
AB - Gametogenesis rejuvenates the cellular lineage and excludes senescence-associated factors from gametes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae , this involves sequestration of nuclear constituents into the Gametogenesis Uninherited Nuclear Compartment (GUNC), which is excluded from gametes. Here we identify the conserved mitochondrial import receptor Tom70 as a key regulator of GUNC-mediated exclusion. Loss of TOM70 disrupts the sequestration of nuclear pore complexes, but not senescence-associated aggregates and nucleolar components, into the GUNC. Tom70’s role appears independent of its canonical function in mitochondrial import and instead reflects a meiosis-specific requirement for mitochondria-nuclear envelope tethering. During meiosis II, Tom70 concentrates around the GUNC, where it recruits the nuclear envelope tethering protein Cnm1. Loss of CNM1 partially phenocopies tom70 ∆, consistent with parallel tethering interactions. These findings uncover a previously unrecognized organelle contact-dependent pathway that remodels the nuclear envelope to support selective nuclear inheritance. More broadly, they highlight how organelle contacts integrate with nuclear quality control to safeguard gamete integrity.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -