The integrated stress response suppresses PINK1-dependent mitophagy by preserving mitochondrial import efficiency

Mitophagy is crucial for maintaining mitochondrial health, but how its levels adjust to different stress conditions remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of the DELE1-HRI axis of integrated stress response (ISR) in regulating mitophagy, a key mitochondrial stress pathway. Our findings show that the ISR suppresses mitophagy under non-depolarizing mitochondrial stress by positively regulating mitochondrial protein import, independent of ATF4 activation. Mitochondrial protein import is regulated by the rate of protein synthesis under both depolarizing and non-depolarizing stress. Without ISR, increased protein synthesis overwhelms the mitochondrial import machinery, reducing its efficiency. Under depolarizing stress, mitochondrial import is heavily impaired even with active ISR, leading to significant PINK1 accumulation. In contrast, non-depolarizing stress allows more efficient protein import in the presence of ISR, resulting in lower mitophagy. Without ISR, mitochondrial protein import becomes severely compromised, causing PINK1 accumulation to reach the threshold necessary to trigger mitophagy. These findings reveal a novel link between ISR-regulated protein synthesis, mitochondrial import, and mitophagy, offering potential therapeutic targets for diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.