scholarly journals A Yeast-Based Screening Unravels Potential Therapeutic Molecules for Mitochondrial Diseases Associated with Dominant ANT1 Mutations

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4461
Author(s):  
Giulia di Punzio ◽  
Maria Antonietta Di Noia ◽  
Agnès Delahodde ◽  
Carole Sellem ◽  
Claudia Donnini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Mitochondrial Diseases ◽  
Spontaneous Mutations ◽  
Yeast Mutant ◽  
Heterozygous Condition ◽  
Therapeutic Drugs ◽  
Therapeutic Molecules ◽  
Growth Phenotype

Mitochondrial diseases result from inherited or spontaneous mutations in mitochondrial or nuclear DNA, leading to an impairment of the oxidative phosphorylation responsible for the synthesis of ATP. To date, there are no effective pharmacological therapies for these pathologies. We performed a yeast-based screening to search for therapeutic drugs to be used for treating mitochondrial diseases associated with dominant mutations in the nuclear ANT1 gene, which encodes for the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier. Dominant ANT1 mutations are involved in several degenerative mitochondrial pathologies characterized by the presence of multiple deletions or depletion of mitochondrial DNA in tissues of affected patients. Thanks to the presence in yeast of the AAC2 gene, orthologue of human ANT1, a yeast mutant strain carrying the M114P substitution equivalent to adPEO-associated L98P mutation was created. Five molecules were identified for their ability to suppress the defective respiratory growth phenotype of the haploid aac2M114P. Furthermore, these molecules rescued the mtDNA mutability in the heteroallelic AAC2/aac2M114P strain, which mimics the human heterozygous condition of adPEO patients. The drugs were effective in reducing mtDNA instability also in the heteroallelic strain carrying the R96H mutation equivalent to the more severe de novo dominant missense mutation R80H, suggesting a general therapeutic effect on diseases associated with dominant ANT1 mutations.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial DNA Replacement Techniques to Prevent Human Mitochondrial Diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 551
Author(s):  
Luis Sendra ◽  
Alfredo García-Mares ◽  
María José Herrero ◽  
Salvador F. Aliño
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Genetic Disorders ◽  
Mitochondrial Diseases ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Donor Oocyte ◽  
Legal Position ◽  
Ethical And Legal Issues ◽  
Mitochondrial Replacement Techniques ◽  
Do So

Background: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diseases are a group of maternally inherited genetic disorders caused by a lack of energy production. Currently, mtDNA diseases have a poor prognosis and no known cure. The chance to have unaffected offspring with a genetic link is important for the affected families, and mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) allow them to do so. MRTs consist of transferring the nuclear DNA from an oocyte with pathogenic mtDNA to an enucleated donor oocyte without pathogenic mtDNA. This paper aims to determine the efficacy, associated risks, and main ethical and legal issues related to MRTs. Methods: A bibliographic review was performed on the MEDLINE and Web of Science databases, along with searches for related clinical trials and news. Results: A total of 48 publications were included for review. Five MRT procedures were identified and their efficacy was compared. Three main risks associated with MRTs were discussed, and the ethical views and legal position of MRTs were reviewed. Conclusions: MRTs are an effective approach to minimizing the risk of transmitting mtDNA diseases, but they do not remove it entirely. Global legal regulation of MRTs is required.

scholarly journals THE DISTRIBUTION OF DNA AMONG DIVIDING MITOCHONDRIA OF TETRAHYMENA PYRIFORMIS

1968 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 683-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Parsons ◽  
Ronald C. Rustad
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Dna Synthesis ◽  
Genetic Information ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Tetrahymena Pyriformis ◽  
Population Doubling ◽  
Population Doubling Time ◽  
The Stability

A squash technique was developed for log phase Tetrahymena pyriformis which permitted the resolution of over 100 individual mitochondria from a single cell. Mitochondria incorporated thymidine at all stages of the cell cycle, even when nuclear DNA synthesis was not occurring. During the stage of macronuclear DNA synthesis, however, there was a significant increase in the extent of mitochondrial labeling. Low radioautograph background suggests that mitochondrial DNA is synthesized at the mitochondria themselves. All mitochondria incorporated thymidine-3H within one population-doubling time. Grain counts also showed that the amount of mitochondrial label was retained for four generations and that this label remained randomly distributed among all mitochondria during this time. The results are not consistent with any theory of de-novo or "microbody" origin of mitochondria, but do support the hypothesis that mitochondria are produced by the growth and division of preexisting mitochondria. The stability of the mitochondrial DNA and its distribution among daughter mitochondria satisfy two prerequisites for a genetic material. The possibility is discussed that some of the genetic information for the mitochondrion is contained in the DNA associated with this organelle.

scholarly journals Bottleneck and selection in the germline and maternal age influence transmission of mitochondrial DNA in human pedigrees

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (50) ◽  
pp. 25172-25178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arslan A. Zaidi ◽  
Peter R. Wilton ◽  
Marcia Shu-Wei Su ◽  
Ian M. Paul ◽  
Barbara Arbeithuber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Mitochondrial Diseases ◽  
Clinical Genetics ◽  
De Novo Mutations ◽  
Germline Development ◽  
Older Mothers ◽  
Somatic Development ◽  
Mtdna Mutations ◽  
Mother’S Age

Heteroplasmy—the presence of multiple mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes in an individual—can lead to numerous mitochondrial diseases. The presentation of such diseases depends on the frequency of the heteroplasmic variant in tissues, which, in turn, depends on the dynamics of mtDNA transmissions during germline and somatic development. Thus, understanding and predicting these dynamics between generations and within individuals is medically relevant. Here, we study patterns of heteroplasmy in 2 tissues from each of 345 humans in 96 multigenerational families, each with, at least, 2 siblings (a total of 249 mother–child transmissions). This experimental design has allowed us to estimate the timing of mtDNA mutations, drift, and selection with unprecedented precision. Our results are remarkably concordant between 2 complementary population-genetic approaches. We find evidence for a severe germline bottleneck (7–10 mtDNA segregating units) that occurs independently in different oocyte lineages from the same mother, while somatic bottlenecks are less severe. We demonstrate that divergence between mother and offspring increases with the mother’s age at childbirth, likely due to continued drift of heteroplasmy frequencies in oocytes under meiotic arrest. We show that this period is also accompanied by mutation accumulation leading to more de novo mutations in children born to older mothers. We show that heteroplasmic variants at intermediate frequencies can segregate for many generations in the human population, despite the strong germline bottleneck. We show that selection acts during germline development to keep the frequency of putatively deleterious variants from rising. Our findings have important applications for clinical genetics and genetic counseling.

scholarly journals Insertions of mitochondrial DNA into the nucleus—effects and role in cell evolution

Genome ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 365-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
María J. Puertas ◽  
Mónica González-Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Genomic Variation ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Cell Evolution ◽  
Non Homologous End Joining ◽  
Germinal Cells ◽  
Harmful Effects

We review the insertion of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) fragments into nuclear DNA (NUMTS) as a general and ongoing process that has occurred many times during genome evolution. Fragments of mtDNA are generated during the lifetime of organisms in both somatic and germinal cells, by the production of reactive oxygen species in the mitochondria. The fragments are inserted into the nucleus during the double-strand breaks repair via the non-homologous end-joining machinery, followed by genomic instability, giving rise to the high variability observed in NUMT patterns among species, populations, or genotypes. Some de novo produced mtDNA insertions show harmful effects, being involved in human diseases, carcinogenesis, and ageing. NUMT generation is a non-stop process overpassing the Mendelian transmission. This parasitic property ensures their survival even against their harmful effects. The accumulation of mtDNA fragments mainly at pericentromeric and subtelomeric regions is important to understand the transmission and integration of NUMTs into the genomes. The possible effect of female meiotic drive for mtDNA insertions at centromeres remains to be studied. In spite of the harmful feature of NUMTs, they are important in cell evolution, representing a major source of genomic variation.

scholarly journals Does egg donation for mitochondrial replacement techniques generate parental responsibilities?

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 817-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
César Palacios-González
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Mitochondrial Diseases ◽  
Egg Donation ◽  
Genetic Composition ◽  
Numerical Identity ◽  
Egg Donor ◽  
Egg Donors ◽  
Mitochondrial Replacement Techniques

Children created through mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) are commonly presented as possessing 50% of their mother’s nuclear DNA, 50% of their father’s nuclear DNA and the mitochondrial DNA of an egg donor. This lab-engineered genetic composition has prompted two questions: Do children who are the product of an MRT procedure have three genetic parents? And, do MRT egg donors have parental responsibilities for the children created? In this paper, I address the second question and in doing so I also address the first one. First, I present a brief account of mitochondrial diseases and MRTs. Second, I examine how MRTs affect the numerical identity of eggs and zygotes. Third, I investigate two genetic accounts of parenthood and MRT egg donation. Fourth, I explore three causal accounts of parenthood and MRT egg donation. My conclusion is that, under the appropriate circumstances, MRT egg donors are parentally responsible for the children created under genetic accounts of parenthood and under causal accounts of parenthood.

scholarly journals Chasing a moving target: Detection of mitochondrial heteroplasmy for clinical diagnostics

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J. White ◽  
Tristen Ross ◽  
Edgardo Lopez ◽  
Anastasia Nikiforov ◽  
Christopher Gault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Clinical Diagnostics ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Large Deletions ◽  
Mucosal Cells ◽  
Mtdna Variants

AbstractClinical interpretation of human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants has been challenging for technical and biological reasons but the involvement of dysfunctional mitochondria in many diseases makes it imperative to have a validated assay for detecting pathogenic variants. We have tested several methods to identify those best suited to detect and confirm mtDNA variants. The choice of methods is dependent on the amount of DNA available for testing and the sensitivity required for detecting low-level heteroplasmies. There is a tradeoff between a polymerase’s ability to amplify small amounts of DNA and its ability to generate accurate sequence. We report a simple method to measure heteroplasmy levels of large deletions from NGS data alone without need for qPCR or other methods. Use of HapMap samples for standardization needs to be done with caution as most have novel heteroplasmic sites that have arisen during immortalization/cell culture processes. Different batches of DNA can have variable sequence. In contrast, we observed no de novo heteroplasmies in healthy mother-child pairs studied using blood or saliva though the frequency of pre-existing heteroplasmies often changed dramatically across generations. Long-read nanopore sequencing of individuals with two heteroplasmies suggested a random distribution of variants on single molecules but technical artifacts prevent certainty on this finding. Urine provides an additional readily accessible source of mtDNA that can be used for bone marrow transplant recipients whose saliva/blood mtDNA may be contaminated by the BMT donor’s mtDNA. We have characterized cells suspended in urine via expression profiling and shown them to be primarily mucosal cells that are independent of blood. Understanding the pitfalls of the various mtDNA sequencing methods allows development of reliable and accurate tests suitable for clinical diagnostics.Author SummaryMitochondrial DNA is important for many diseases but it is present at many copies per cell so is harder to check for mutations compared to nuclear DNA. We have studied mitochondrial DNA in different ways to see how it changes across generations and in different locations in the body. The tests need to be much more sensitive than nuclear DNA tests so that we can detect mutations down to 1%. We have shown that mitochondrial DNA changes when cell lines are used but saliva, blood and cells in the urine can all be used for testing. Cells in the urine originate as mucosal cells and are independent of blood. We developed a new method for analyzing large deletions that means sequencing data alone can be used for measuring the frequency of deletions. We also followed a family with two variable sites to better understand how mitochondrial DNA changes from mother to child. In some children, the variants stayed the same while, in others, variants disappeared.

PrimPol (Primase/Polymerase), replicating enzyme – A mini review

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 89-92
Author(s):  
Muhammad Amir ◽  
Sabeera Afzal ◽  
Alia Ishaq
Keyword(s):  
Dna Replication ◽  
Dna Polymerase ◽  
Genetic Information ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Dna Polymerases ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna Replication ◽  
Dna Template ◽  
Preliminary Phase

Polymerases were revealed first in 1970s. Most important to the modest perception the enzyme responsible for nuclear DNA replication that was pol , for DNA repair pol and for mitochondrial DNA replication pol  DNA construction and renovation done by DNA polymerases, so directing both the constancy and discrepancy of genetic information. Replication of genome initiate with DNA template-dependent fusion of small primers of RNA. This preliminary phase in replication of DNA demarcated as de novo primer synthesis which is catalyzed by specified polymerases known as primases. Sixteen diverse DNA-synthesizing enzymes about human perspective are devoted to replication, reparation, mutilation lenience, and inconsistency of nuclear DNA. But in dissimilarity, merely one DNA polymerase has been called in mitochondria. It has been suggest that PrimPol is extremely acting the roles by re-priming DNA replication in mitochondria to permit an effective and appropriate way replication to be accomplished. Investigations from a numeral of test site have significantly amplified our appreciative of the role, recruitment and regulation of the enzyme during DNA replication. Though, we are simply just start to increase in value the versatile roles that play PrimPol in eukaryote.

scholarly journals Treatment for mitochondrial diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tongling Liufu ◽  
Zhaoxia Wang
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Mitochondrial Diseases ◽  
Cochrane Collaboration ◽  
Potential Bias ◽  
Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy ◽  
Pharmacological Agents ◽  
Unpublished Studies ◽  
New Treatment ◽  
Allotopic Expression

AbstractMitochondrial diseases are predominantly caused by mutations of mitochondrial or nuclear DNA, resulting in multisystem defects. Current treatments are largely supportive, and the disorders progress relentlessly. Nutritional supplements, pharmacological agents and physical therapies have been used in different clinical trials, but the efficacy of these interventions need to be further evaluated. Several recent reviews discussed some of the interventions but ignored bias in those trials. This review was conducted to discover new studies and grade the original studies for potential bias with revised Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. We focused on seven published studies and three unpublished studies; eight of these studies showed improvement in outcome measurements. In particular, two of the interventions have been tested in studies with strict design, which we believe deserve further clinical trials with a large sample. Additionally, allotopic expression of the ND4 subunit seemed to be an effective new treatment for patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy.

scholarly journals The Power of Yeast in Modelling Human Nuclear Mutations Associated with Mitochondrial Diseases

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 300
Author(s):  
Camilla Ceccatelli Berti ◽  
Giulia di Punzio ◽  
Cristina Dallabona ◽  
Enrico Baruffini ◽  
Paola Goffrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Mitochondrial Diseases ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Genome Data ◽  
New Genes ◽  
Eukaryotic Organism ◽  
Novel Variants ◽  
Therapeutic Molecules ◽  
Nuclear Mutations

The increasing application of next generation sequencing approaches to the analysis of human exome and whole genome data has enabled the identification of novel variants and new genes involved in mitochondrial diseases. The ability of surviving in the absence of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and mitochondrial genome makes the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae an excellent model system for investigating the role of these new variants in mitochondrial-related conditions and dissecting the molecular mechanisms associated with these diseases. The aim of this review was to highlight the main advantages offered by this model for the study of mitochondrial diseases, from the validation and characterisation of novel mutations to the dissection of the role played by genes in mitochondrial functionality and the discovery of potential therapeutic molecules. The review also provides a summary of the main contributions to the understanding of mitochondrial diseases emerged from the study of this simple eukaryotic organism.

scholarly journals Cellular pyrimidine imbalance triggers mitochondrial DNA–dependent innate immunity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Georg Sprenger ◽  
Thomas MacVicar ◽  
Amir Bahat ◽  
Kai Uwe Fiedler ◽  
Steffen Hermans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Metabolic Response ◽  
Interferon Response ◽  
Type I ◽  
Nucleotide Synthesis ◽  
Pyrimidine Synthesis ◽  
Pyrimidine Nucleotide ◽  
De Novo Pyrimidine Synthesis

AbstractCytosolic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) elicits a type I interferon response, but signals triggering the release of mtDNA from mitochondria remain enigmatic. Here, we show that mtDNA-dependent immune signalling via the cyclic GMP–AMP synthase‒stimulator of interferon genes‒TANK-binding kinase 1 (cGAS–STING–TBK1) pathway is under metabolic control and is induced by cellular pyrimidine deficiency. The mitochondrial protease YME1L preserves pyrimidine pools by supporting de novo nucleotide synthesis and by proteolysis of the pyrimidine nucleotide carrier SLC25A33. Deficiency of YME1L causes inflammation in mouse retinas and in cultured cells. It drives the release of mtDNA and a cGAS–STING–TBK1-dependent inflammatory response, which requires SLC25A33 and is suppressed upon replenishment of cellular pyrimidine pools. Overexpression of SLC25A33 is sufficient to induce immune signalling by mtDNA. Similarly, depletion of cytosolic nucleotides upon inhibition of de novo pyrimidine synthesis triggers mtDNA-dependent immune responses in wild-type cells. Our results thus identify mtDNA release and innate immune signalling as a metabolic response to cellular pyrimidine deficiencies.

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