Parkin mitochondria briefs

Mitophagy is the survival program after ultrasound-microbubble perforation, and blocking it kills the cell

Ultrasound-stimulated microbubble (USMB) sonoporation perforates the plasma membrane, leaks ATP and amino acids, fragments mitochondria, and drops mitochondrial membrane potential. Cells that live do so through AMPK-dependent autophagy and Parkin-dependent mitophagy. Parkin silencing or PINK1 inhibition augments death when combined with USMB, which is the combination the authors propose for solid tumors.