Explore the vast range of titles available.

Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease. The mutation consists of a GAA repeat expansion within the FXN gene, which downregulates frataxin, leading to abnormal mitochondrial iron accumulation, which may in turn cause changes in mitochondrial function. Although, many studies of FRDA patients and mouse models have been conducted in the past two decades, the role of frataxin in mitochondrial pathophysiology remains elusive. Are the mitochondrial abnormalities only a side effect of the increased accumulation of reactive iron, generating oxidative stress? Or does the progressive lack of iron-sulphur clusters (ISCs), induced by reduced frataxin , cause an inhibition of the electron transport chain complexes (CI, II and III) leading to reactive oxygen species escaping from oxidative phosphorylation reactions? To answer these crucial questions, we have characterised the mitochondrial pathophysiology of a group of disease-relevant and readily accessible neurons, cerebellar granule cells, from a validated FRDA mouse model. By using live cell imaging and biochemical techniques we were able to demonstrate that mitochondria are deregulated in neurons from the YG8R FRDA mouse model, causing a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (▵Ψ m ) due to an inhibition of Complex I, which is partially compensated by an overactivation of Complex II. This complex activity imbalance leads to ROS generation in both mitochondrial matrix and cytosol, which results in glutathione depletion and increased lipid peroxidation. Preventing this increase in lipid peroxidation, in neurons, protects against in cell death. This work describes the pathophysiological properties of the mitochondria in neurons from a FRDA mouse model and shows that lipid peroxidation could be an important target for novel therapeutic strategies in FRDA, which still lacks a cure.

Summary Glutathione (GSH) is a key intracellular antioxidant. With regard to mitochondrial function, loss of GSH is associated with impairment of the electron transport chain (ETC). Since GSH biosynthesis is an energy‐dependent process, we postulated that in patients with ETC defects GSH status becomes compromised, leading to further loss of ETC activity. We performed electrochemical HPLC analysis to determine the GSH concentration of 24 skeletal muscle biopsies from patients with defined ETC defects compared to 15 age‐matched disease controls. Comparison of these groups revealed a significant (p <0.001) decrease in GSH concentration in the ETC‐deficient group: 7.7 ± 0.9 vs 12.3 ± 0.6 nmol/mg protein in the control group. Further analysis of the data revealed that patients with multiple defects of the ETC had the most marked GSH deficiency: 4.1 ± 0.9 nmol/mg protein (n = 4, p < 0.05) when compared to the control group. These findings suggest that a deficiency in skeletal muscle GSH concentration is associated with an ETC defect, possibly as a consequence of diminished ATP availability or increased oxidative stress. The decreased ability to combat oxidative stress could therefore cause further loss of ETC activity and hence be a contributing factor in the progressive nature of this group of disorders. Furthermore, restoration of cellular GSH status could prove to be of therapeutic benefit in patients with a GSH deficiency associated with their ETC defects.

Primary mitochondrial dysfunction commonly leads to failure in cellular adaptation to stress. Paradoxically, however, nonsynonymous mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are frequently found in cancer cells and may have a causal role in the development of resistance to genotoxic stress induced by common chemotherapeutic agents, such as cis -diammine-dichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin, CDDP). Little is known about how these mutations arise and the associated mechanisms leading to chemoresistance. Here, we show that the development of adaptive chemoresistance in the A549 non-small-cell lung cancer cell line to CDDP is associated with the hetero- to homoplasmic shift of a nonsynonymous mutation in MT-ND2 , encoding the mitochondrial Complex-I subunit ND2. The mutation resulted in a 50% reduction of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity of the complex, which was compensated by increased biogenesis of respiratory chain complexes. The compensatory mitochondrial biogenesis was most likely mediated by the nuclear co-activators peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator-1α (PGC-1α) and PGC-1β, both of which were significantly upregulated in the CDDP-resistant cells. Importantly, both transient and stable silencing of PGC-1β re-established the sensitivity of these cells to CDDP-induced apoptosis. Remarkably, the PGC-1β-mediated CDDP resistance was independent of the mitochondrial effects of the co-activator. Altogether, our results suggest that partial respiratory chain defects because of mtDNA mutations can lead to compensatory upregulation of nuclear transcriptional co-regulators, in turn mediating resistance to genotoxic stress.

Summary The pathogenesis of mitochondrial disorders has largely focused on the impairment of cellular energy metabolism. However, mitochondrial dysfunction has also been implicated as a factor in the initiation of apoptosis due to the translocation of cytochrome c , from mitochondria to the cytosol, and the subsequent cleavage of pro-caspase 3. In this study, we determined the cytochrome c content of cytosols (skeletal muscle) prepared from 22 patients with evidence of compromised mitochondrial electron transport chain enzyme activity and 26 disease controls. The cytochrome c content of the mitochondrial electron transport chain-deficient group was found to be significantly ( p  < 0.02) elevated when compared with the control group (63.7 ± 15.5 versus 27.7 ± 2.5 ng/mg protein). Furthermore, a relationship between the cytosolic cytochrome c content of skeletal muscle and complex I and complex IV activities was demonstrated. Such data raise the possibility that mitochondrial cytochrome c release may be a feature of mitochondrial disorders, particularly for those patients with marked deficiencies of respiratory chain enzymes. Whether initiation of apoptosis occurs as a direct consequence of this cytochrome c release has not been fully evaluated here. However, for one patient with the greatest documented cytosolic cytochrome c content, caspase 3 could be demonstrated in the cytosolic preparation. Further work is required in order to establish whether a relationship also exists between caspase 3 formation and the magnitude of respiratory chain deficiency.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion syndrome (McKusick 251880) is characterized by a progressive quantitative loss of mtDNA resulting in severe mitochondrial dysfunction. A diagnosis of mtDNA depletion can only be confirmed after Southern blot analysis of affected tissue. Only a limited number of centres have the facilities to offer this service, and this is frequently on an irregular basis. There is therefore a need for a test that can refine sample selection as well as complementing the molecular analysis. In this study we compared the activities of the nuclear‐encoded succinate ubiquinone reductase (complex II) to the activities of the combined mitochondrial and nuclear‐encoded mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complexes; NADH:ubiquinone reductase (complex I), ubiquinol‐cytochrome‐c reductase (complex III), and cytochrome‐c oxidase (complex IV), in skeletal muscle biopsies from 7 patients with confirmed mtDNA depletion. In one patient there was no evidence of an ETC defect. However, the remaining 6 patients exhibited reduced complex I and IV activities. Five of these patients also displayed reduced complex II[ndash]III (succinate:cytochrome‐c reductase) activity. Individual measurement of complex II and complex III activities demonstrated normal levels of complex II activity compared to complex III, which was reduced in the 5 biopsies assayed. These findings suggest a possible diagnostic value for the detection of normal levels of complex II activity in conjunction with reduced complex I, III and IV activity in the identification of likely candidates for mtDNA depletion syndrome

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) serves as an electron carrier within the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC), where it is integrally involved in oxidative phosphorylation and consequently ATP production. It has recently been suggested that phenylketonuria (PKU) patients may be susceptible to a CoQ10 deficiency as a consequence of their phenylalanine‐restricted diet, which avoids foods rich in CoQ10 and its precursors. Furthermore, the high phenylalanine level in PKU patients not on dietary restriction may also result in impaired endogenous CoQ10 production, as previous studies have suggested an inhibitory effect of phenylalanine on HMG‐CoA reductase, the rate‐controlling enzyme in CoQ10 biosynthesis. We investigated the effect of both dietary restriction and elevated plasma phenylalanine concentration on blood mononuclear cell CoQ10 concentration and the activity of MRC complex II+III (succinate:cytochrome‐c reductase; an enzyme that relies on endogenous CoQ10) in a PKU patient population. The concentrations of CoQ10 and MRC complex II+III activity were not found to be significantly different between the PKU patients on dietary restriction, PKU patients off dietary restriction and the control group, although plasma phenylalanine levels were markedly different. The results from this investigation suggest that dietary restriction and the elevated plasma phenylalanine levels of PKU patients do not effect mononuclear cell CoQ10 concentration and consequently the activity of complex II+III of the MRC.

Measurement of plasma total cysteine rather than free dimeric cystine gives a better indication of cysteine status in homocystinuric patients. This is the result of displacement of cysteine from albumin by homocysteine and is related to the plasma homocysteine concentration. In control subjects the free/bound cyst(e)ine ratio was independent of albumin and total cysteine concentrations. In homocystinuric (HCU) patients both free and total cyst(e)ine values differed significantly from control values (P < 0.001) but whilst free cystine considerably overlapped control values the total cysteine concentrations were almost invariably lower. The possible consequences of this on glutathione synthesis was explored by assay of plasma total glutathione but no evidence for glutathione deficiency was found. Measurement of total cysteine, rather than free cystine, provides a better indication of cysteine status in HCU.

A case of pyruvate dehydrogenase E3 binding protein deficiency is reported in a 24-year-old male with encephalomyopathy. Blood lactate was only minimally elevated, as was alanine.A case of pyruvate dehydrogenase E3 binding protein deficiency is reported in a 24-year-old male with encephalomyopathy. Blood lactate was only minimally elevated, as was alanine.

Both the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and the quantity of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) protein have been reported to be increased in fibroblasts from individuals with mitochondrial electron transport chain defects. To ascertain whether this is a general phenomenon, we have determined the specific activities of these enzymes in skeletal muscle biopsies from control individuals and patients with defined electron transport chain defects. On investigation, both LDH and MnSOD activities were not found to be elevated. These findings suggest a possible fundamental difference between skeletal muscle preparations and fibroblasts with regard to their metabolic response to an electron transport chain defect.