scholarly journals MITOCHONDRIAL DISEASE THERAPY

Author(s):  
KANIKA KHAJURIA ◽  
VIJAY KHAJURIA ◽  
VINEETA SAWHNEY

Mitochondria perform number of important functions, including synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Most of the organs depend on ATP to perform. Therefore, in depleted or dysfunctional mitochondrial states, there is less energy production coupled with the accumulation of oxidants. Oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of various disorders especially involving neurons and the cardiovascular system. Mitochondrial diseases are a clinically heterogeneous group of disorders resulting from either inherited or spontaneous mutations in mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) or nuclear DNA. In primary mitochondrial dysfunction disease, the mutation affects the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) functioning, while secondary mitochondrial dysfunction does not involve OXPHOS genes. Since mutations of genes are involved, therefore, therefore the mitochondrial dysfunctional states are not easy to treat. However, number of strategies that lead to increase ATP production, counter ROS facilitates improvement. The current strategy is to focus on stimulating the biogenesis of mitochondria, antioxidants, and cofactors to enhance ATP synthesis. The role of non-pharmaceuticals cannot be underestimated either. The exercise, diet, and environment influence have well-established beneficial outcome in these disorders. Gene therapy holds promise in the future management of these complex disorders.

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 609
Author(s):  
Nunzia Mollo ◽  
Matteo Esposito ◽  
Miriam Aurilia ◽  
Roberta Scognamiglio ◽  
Rossella Accarino ◽  
...  

Background: The presence of mitochondrial alterations in Down syndrome suggests that it might affect neuronal differentiation. We established a model of trisomic iPSCs, differentiating into neural precursor cells (NPCs) to monitor the occurrence of differentiation defects and mitochondrial dysfunction. Methods: Isogenic trisomic and euploid iPSCs were differentiated into NPCs in monolayer cultures using the dual-SMAD inhibition protocol. Expression of pluripotency and neural differentiation genes was assessed by qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence. Meta-analysis of expression data was performed on iPSCs. Mitochondrial Ca2+, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ATP production were investigated using fluorescent probes. Oxygen consumption rate (OCR) was determined by Seahorse Analyzer. Results: NPCs at day 7 of induction uniformly expressed the differentiation markers PAX6, SOX2 and NESTIN but not the stemness marker OCT4. At day 21, trisomic NPCs expressed higher levels of typical glial differentiation genes. Expression profiles indicated that mitochondrial genes were dysregulated in trisomic iPSCs. Trisomic NPCs showed altered mitochondrial Ca2+, reduced OCR and ATP synthesis, and elevated ROS production. Conclusions: Human trisomic iPSCs can be rapidly and efficiently differentiated into NPC monolayers. The trisomic NPCs obtained exhibit greater glial-like differentiation potential than their euploid counterparts and manifest mitochondrial dysfunction as early as day 7 of neuronal differentiation.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 532
Author(s):  
Dorota Wesół-Kucharska ◽  
Dariusz Rokicki ◽  
Aleksandra Jezela-Stanek

Mitochondrial diseases are a heterogeneous group of diseases resulting from energy deficit and reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production due to impaired oxidative phosphorylation. The manifestation of mitochondrial disease is usually multi-organ. Epilepsy is one of the most common manifestations of diseases resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction, especially in children. The onset of epilepsy is associated with poor prognosis, while its treatment is very challenging, which further adversely affects the course of these disorders. Fortunately, our knowledge of mitochondrial diseases is still growing, which gives hope for patients to improve their condition in the future. The paper presents the pathophysiology, clinical picture and treatment options for epilepsy in patients with mitochondrial disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Ferrero ◽  
Jessica M Pfleger ◽  
Kurt Chuprun ◽  
Eric Barr ◽  
Erhe Gao ◽  
...  

The GPCR kinase GRK2 is highly expressed the heart; importantly, during cardiac injury or heart failure (HF) both levels and activity of GRK2 increase. The role of GRK2 during HF is canonically studied upstream of β-adrenergic desensitization. However, GRK2 has a large interactome and noncanonical functions for this kinase are being uncovered. We have discovered that in the heart, GRK2 translocates to mitochondria ( mtGRK2 ) following injury and is associated with negative effects on cardiac metabolism. Thus, we have sought to identify the mechanism(s) by which GRK2 can regulate mitochondrial function. We hypothesize that mtGRK2 interacts with proteins which regulate bioenergetics and substrate utilization, and this never-before-described role may partially explain the altered mitochondrial phenotype seen following cardiac injury or HF. Stress-induced mitochondrial translocation of GRK2 was validated in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, murine heart tissue and a cardiac-derived cell line. Consequently, the GRK2 interactome was mapped basally and under stress conditions in vitro, in vivo , and with tagged recombinant peptides. GRK2-interacting proteins were isolated via immunoprecipitation and analyzed via liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LCMS). Proteomics analysis (IPA; Qiagen) identified mtGRK2 interacting proteins which were also involved in mitochondrial dysfunction. Excitingly, Complexes I, II, IV and V (ATP synthase) of the electron transport chain (ETC) were identified in the subset of mtGRK2-dysfunction partners. Several mtGRK2-ETC interactions were increased following stress, particularly those in Complex V. We further established that mtGRK2 phosphorylates some of the subunits of Complex V, particularly the ATP synthase barrel which is critical for ATP production in the heart. Specific amino acid residues on these subunits have been identified using PTM-LCMS and are currently being validated in a murine model of myocardial infarction. To support these data, we have also determined that alterations in either the levels or kinase activity of GRK2 appear to alter the enzymatic activity of Complex V in vitro , thus altering ATP production. In summary, the phosphorylation of the ATP synthesis machinery by mtGRK2 may be regulating some of the phenotypic effects of injured or failing hearts such as increased ROS production and reduced fatty acid metabolism. Research is ongoing in our lab to elucidate the novel role of GRK2 in regulating mitochondrial bioenergetics and cell death, thus uncovering an exciting, druggable novel target for rescuing cardiac function in patients with injured and/or failing hearts.


2008 ◽  
Vol 294 (6) ◽  
pp. H2516-H2523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey G. Williams ◽  
Caroline Ojaimi ◽  
Khaled Qanud ◽  
Suhua Zhang ◽  
Xiaobin Xu ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to examine the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the control of cardiac metabolism at 60 days of pregnancy (P60) in the dog. There was a basal increase in diastolic coronary blood flow during pregnancy and a statistically significant increase in cardiac output (55 ± 4%) and in cardiac NOx production (44 ± 4 to 59 ± 3 nmol/min, P < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry of the left ventricle showed an increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase staining in the endothelial cells at P60. NO-dependent coronary vasodilation (Bezold-Jarisch reflex) was increased by 20% and blocked by NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME). Isotopically labeled substrates were infused to measure oleate, glucose uptake, and oxidation. Glucose oxidation was not significantly different in P60 hearts (5.4 ± 0.5 vs. 6.2 ± 0.4 μmol/min) but greatly increased in response to l-NAME injection (to 19.9 ± 0.9 μmol/min, P < 0.05). Free fatty acid (FFA) oxidation was increased in P60 (from 5.3 ± 0.6 to 10.4 ± 0.5 μmol/min, P < 0.05) and decreased in response to l-NAME (to 4.5 ± 0.5 μmol/min, P < 0.05). There was an increased oxidation of FFA for ATP production but no change in the respiratory quotient during pregnancy. Genes associated with glucose and glycogen metabolism were downregulated, whereas genes involved in FFA oxidation were elevated. The acute inhibition of NO shifts the heart away from FFA and toward glucose metabolism despite the downregulation of the carbohydrate oxidative pathway. The increase in endothelium-derived NO during pregnancy results in a tonic inhibition of glucose oxidation and reliance on FFA uptake and oxidation to support ATP synthesis in conjunction with upregulation of FFA metabolic enzymes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (40) ◽  
pp. 5578-5587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Desler ◽  
Meryl S. Lillenes ◽  
Tone Tønjum ◽  
Lene Juel Rasmussen

The current molecular understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has still not resulted in successful interventions. Mitochondrial dysfunction of the AD brain is currently emerging as a hallmark of this disease. One mitochondrial function often affected in AD is oxidative phosphorylation responsible for ATP production, but also for production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and for the de novo synthesis of pyrimidines. This paper reviews the role of mitochondrial produced ROS and pyrimidines in the aetiology of AD and their proposed role in oxidative degeneration of macromolecules, synthesis of essential phospholipids and maintenance of mitochondrial viability in the AD brain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Gonzalez

It has been postulated that mitochondrial dysfunction has a significant role in the underlying pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD). Mitochondrial functioning plays an important role in regulating synaptic transmission, brain function, and cognition. Neuronal activity is energy dependent and neurons are particularly sensitive to changes in bioenergetic fluctuations, suggesting that mitochondria regulate fundamental aspects of brain function. Vigorous evidence supports the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the etiology of BD, including dysregulated oxidative phosphorylation, general decrease of energy, altered brain bioenergetics, co-morbidity with mitochondrial disorders, and association with genetic variants in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes. Despite these advances, the underlying etiology of mitochondrial dysfunction in BD is unclear. A plausible evolutionary explanation is that mitochondrial-nuclear (mitonuclear) incompatibility leads to a desynchronization of machinery required for efficient electron transport and cellular energy production. Approximately 1,200 genes, encoded from both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, are essential for mitochondrial function. Studies suggest that mitochondrial and nuclear genomes co-evolve, and the coordinated expression of these interacting gene products are essential for optimal organism function. Incompatibilities between mtDNA and nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes results in inefficiency in electron flow down the respiratory chain, differential oxidative phosphorylation efficiency, increased release of free radicals, altered intracellular Ca2+ signaling, and reduction of catalytic sites and ATP production. This review explores the role of mitonuclear incompatibility in BD susceptibility and resilience against environmental stressors.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (2) ◽  
pp. C423-C435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R. Territo ◽  
Vamsi K. Mootha ◽  
Stephanie A. French ◽  
Robert S. Balaban

Ca2+ has been postulated as a cytosolic second messenger in the regulation of cardiac oxidative phosphorylation. This hypothesis draws support from the well-known effects of Ca2+ on muscle activity, which is stimulated in parallel with the Ca2+-sensitive dehydrogenases (CaDH). The effects of Ca2+ on oxidative phosphorylation were further investigated in isolated porcine heart mitochondria at the level of metabolic driving force (NADH or Δψ) and ATP production rates (flow). The resulting force-flow (F-F) relationships permitted the analysis of Ca2+ effects on several putative control points within oxidative phosphorylation, simultaneously. The F-F relationships resulting from additions of carbon substrates alone provided a model of pure CaDH activation. Comparing this curve with variable Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]) effects revealed an approximate twofold higher ATP production rate than could be explained by a simple increase in NADH or Δψ via CaDH activation. The half-maximal effect of Ca2+ at state 3 was 157 nM and was completely inhibited by ruthenium red (1 μM), indicating matrix dependence of the Ca2+ effect. Arsenate was used as a probe to differentiate between F0/F1-ATPase and adenylate translocase activity by a futile recycling of ADP-arsenate within the matrix, catalyzed by the F0/F1-ATPase. Ca2+increased the ADP arsenylation rate more than twofold, suggesting a direct effect on the F0/F1-ATPase. These results suggest that Ca2+ activates cardiac aerobic respiration at the level of both the CaDH and F0/F1-ATPase. This type of parallel control of both intermediary metabolism and ATP synthesis may provide a mechanism of altering ATP production rates with minimal changes in the high-energy intermediates as observed in vivo.


2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (4) ◽  
pp. 1041-1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Helling

ABSTRACT Many microorganisms have sets of parallel pathways for ATP production in respiration and for ATP utilization in glutamate synthesis. The alternatives differ in efficiency of ATP production and utilization. The choice among these parallel pathways has been hypothesized to control the speed and efficiency of growth. Thus, the organism should be able to alleviate (or exaggerate) deficiency in one pathway by deleting another. I show here that in Escherichia coli the effect of lack of the glutamate-synthesizing enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase on glucose-limited growth is altered predictably by ndh, cyo, and cyd mutations affecting parallel pathways leading to ATP synthesis in respiration.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Wang ◽  
Yaya Guan ◽  
Jiaojiao Zhang ◽  
Xinyu Cao ◽  
Shuang Shen ◽  
...  

AbstractIF1 (ATPIF1) is a nuclear DNA-encoded protein with an activity in the inhibition of catalytic activity of F1Fo-ATP synthase (ATPase), an enzyme for ATP synthesis in mitochondria. A role of IF1 remains unknown in the metabolic disorder in obesity. In this study, IF1 was examined in the diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and a decrease in IF1 protein was observed in several tissues including the skeletal muscle, liver and intestine in the absence of mRNA alteration. Significance of the reduction was investigated in the IF1-KO mice, in which insulin sensitivity was improved in the absence of body weight alteration on Chow diet. On a high fat diet (HFD), the IF1-KO mice gain more body weight as a result of enhanced fat tissue growth. The energy expenditure and locomotion activity were decreased in the KO mice without an alteration in food intake. The increase in insulin sensitivity remained in the obese KO mice. The colon tissue exhibited a resistance to the HFD-induced atrophy with less cell apoptosis and more secretion of GLP-1. Mitochondria exhibited an enhanced ATP production and maximal oxygen consumption without an alteration in the respiratory chain proteins. However, the ATP level was reduced in the fasting condition in the muscle as well as the liver. Mitophagy was enhanced with elevated accumulation of PINK1 and Parkin proteins in the mitochondria. The protein abundance of ADP/ATP translocase 2 (ANT2) was decreased in the inner membrane of mitochondria to account for the reduced apoptosis and enhanced mitophagy. The data suggest that the IF1 reduction in obesity leads to reprogramming of mitochondrial metabolism in a compensatory response to maintain the insulin sensitivity through down-regulation of ANT2 protein.


1980 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minocher Reporter ◽  
Mary L Skotnicki ◽  
Barry G Rolfe

The influence of substances from a conditioned medium of cultured plant cells on nitrogenase activity, respiration and ATP synthesis was investigated in R. tri/olii strain Tl. Nitrogenase activity in strain Tl was dependent on the addition of the plant cell conditioned medium. Studies showed that the initial effects of the plant substances on rhizobial cells was to increase their respiration rate and ATP production. Mutants of strain Tl which were uncoupled in their oxidative phosphorylation, were also tested. However, the plant factors had no effect on respiration and ATP synthesis and also failed to elicit in vitro nitrogenase activity in these mutants. It is proposed that these plant factors act by increasing the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation, making more ATP available, and thus stimulating nitrogenase activity of R. tri/olii cells.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document