Mst1 inhibition attenuates obesity cardiomyopathy via reversing FUNDC1-related mitophagy

Mitophagy dysfunction is an important pathological manifestation of obesity cardiomyopathy, a disease characterized by myocardial hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. Mammalian Ste20-like kinase 1 (Mst1) regulates mitophagy and is involved in diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, the relationship between Mst1 and mitophagy in obesity cardiomyopathy remains unexplored. This study aimed to determine whether Mst1 contributes to obesity cardiomyopathy by modulating FUN14 domain-containing 1 (FUNDC1)-mediated mitophagy. We found that Mst1 expression was significantly upregulated in obesity cardiomyopathy. Mst1 knockdown ameliorated ventricular remodeling, diastolic dysfunction, and subclinical systolic impairment in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. At the molecular level, palmitic acid treatment induced mitochondrial damage, manifested by increased reactive oxygen species production, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, and ATP depletion. Mechanistically, Mst1 activation suppressed FUNDC1 expression, inhibiting mitophagy. Conversely, Mst1 deficiency restored FUNDC1 expression, reactivating protective mitophagy, maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis, and alleviating cardiomyopathy. Finally, we established that Mst1 regulates FUNDC1 through the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha/nuclear respiratory factor 1 (PGC-1α/NRF1) pathway. Inhibition of the PGC-1α/NRF1 pathway reversed the Mst1 knockout-induced FUNDC1 upregulation. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that Mst1 drives obesity cardiomyopathy by suppressing FUNDC1-dependent mitophagy.