Organization of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) into a protein “supercomplex” has been shown to be critical for optimal mitochondrial respiration, and is dependent on the phospholipid composition of the inner mitochondrial membrane. A close physical interaction between the ETC supercomplex and the fatty acid beta-oxidation system (FAO, which provides necessary reducing equivalents for ETC) has also been proposed. We have previously demonstrated that content of the primary mitochondrial phospholipid, cardiolipin, is altered in pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), with evidence for its dysregulated biosynthesis. We hypothesized that altered cardiolipin content in pediatric DCM is correlated with altered supercomplex-associated ETC activity and mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation. A cross-sectional investigation was performed using myocardium from 16 children with DCM and 15 non-failing (NF) controls from the University of Colorado Heart Tissue Bank. Using blue native (BN) -PAGE with in-gel activity staining we demonstrated lower activity of supercomplex-associated complexes I (DCM 80% of NF, P<0.05) and IV (DCM 72% of NF, P<0.05) in pediatric DCM compared with NF controls. Using BN-PAGE and Western blot, as well as proteomic analysis of isolated supercomplex bands, we demonstrated interaction of the ETC supercomplex with FAO enzymes. Quantification of fatty acyl-CoAs was also performed in tissue from pediatric patients with DCM which demonstrated altered content of a subset of acyl-CoAs when compared to NF controls. We detected higher content of some C8, C10 and C12 CoAs in DCM compared with NF (P<0.05), with depletion of C18:1, C18:2, and C16 species (P<0.05). There was no difference between groups in free CoA or Acetyl-CoA. Taken together, these data suggest a potentially important interaction between the ETC supercomplex and long-chain β-oxidation enzymes, which may be altered on heart failure. We provide preliminary evidence for disrupted energy utilization in the failing pediatric heart.
Regulation of maternal phospholipid composition and IP3-dependent embryonic membrane dynamics by a specific fatty acid metabolic event in C. elegans
