Abstract 438: Hydrogen Sulfide Promotes Mitochondrial Biogenesis Through the Regulation of AMP-activated Protein Kinase
Background: Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) possesses numerous cellular actions that account for its cardioprotective effects. A mechanism of particular interest is its effects on the mitochondria. At low concentrations, H 2 S donates electrons to the electron transport chain, whereas at high concentrations it inhibits mitochondrial respiration. H 2 S therapy improves mitochondrial function and prevents the loss of mitochondria following the onset of myocardial ischemia. However, it is not known if these improvements are associated with simply a reduction in injury or if mitochondrial biogenesis is involved. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if H 2 S regulates/induces mitochondrial biogenesis in the heart. Methods and Results: C57BL/6J mice (8 weeks of age) were given an orally active H 2 S donor (SG-1002; 20 mg/kg/day) in their chow for 4 weeks. For these studies we focused our analysis on an AMPK-PGC1α signaling cascade. SG-1002 significantly increased the phosphorylation of AMPK, the serine phosphorylation of PGC1α, and increased the nuclear localization of PGC1α. This was associated with an increase in the gene expression of PGC1α target genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis, an increase in mitochondrial to nuclear DNA ratios and an increase in citrate synthase activity. SG-1002 failed to elicit these changes in AMPK deficient mice. Therefore, we sought to determine how SG-1002 activated AMPK. SG-1002 did not alter the phosphorylation of LKB1, an upstream kinase of AMPK, and did not alter the levels of AMP (activator of AMPK). SG-1002 did not alter the expression of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A; dephosphorylates AMPK), but it did significantly decrease the activity of PP2A). This decrease was accompanied by an increase in the sulfhydration of PP2A, suggesting that this modification is inhibitory. Conclusion: These data suggest that H 2 S augments mitochondrial biogenesis in the heart via an AMPK-PGC1α signaling cascade. This is important because mitochondrial abnormalities are associated with a number of disease states (diabetes and heart failure) where H 2 S levels are decreased. Therefore, strategies aimed at increasing H 2 S levels could potentially induce the generation of new, healthy mitochondria.