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Biomedical subjects

B S Kristal

Publications and source records attributed to B S Kristal.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Selective dopaminergic vulnerability: 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde targets mitochondria.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major cause of age-related morbidity and mortality, present in nearly 1% of individuals at ages 70-79 and approximately 2.5% of individuals at age 85. L-DOPA (L-dihydroxyphenylalanine), which is metabolized to dopamine by dopa decarboxylase, is the primary therapy for PD, but may also contribute to disease progression. Association between mitochondrial dysfunction, monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, and dopaminergic neurotoxicity has been repeatedly observed, but the mechanisms underlying selective dopaminergic neuron depletion in aging and neurodegenerative disorders remain unclear. We now report that 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL), the MAO metabolite of dopamine, is more cytotoxic in neuronally differentiated PC12 cells than dopamine and several of its metabolites. In isolated, energetically compromised mitochondria, physiological concentrations of DOPAL induced the permeability transition (PT), a trigger for cell death. Dopamine was > 1000-fold less potent. PT inhibitors protected both mitochondria and cells against DOPAL. Sensitivity to DOPAL was reduced > or = 30-fold in fully energized mitochondria, suggesting that mitochondrial respiration may increase resistance to PT induction by the endogenous DOPAL in the substantia nigra. These data provide a potential mechanism of action for L-DOPA-mediated neurotoxicity and suggest two potentially interactive mechanisms for the selective vulnerability of neurons exposed to dopamine.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

Characterization of diet-dependent metabolic serotypes: analytical and biological variability issues in rats.

This report, the first in a series on diet-dependent changes in the serum metabolome (metabolic serotype), describes validation of the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separations coupled with Coulometric array detectors to characterize changes in the metabolome. The long-term aim of these studies is to improve understanding of the effects of significant variation in nutritive status on physiology and on disease processes. Initial studies focus on identifying the effects of dietary (or caloric) restriction on the redox-active components of rat serum. Identification of compounds of interest is being carried out using HPLC separations coupled with coulometric array analysis, an approach allowing simultaneous examination of nearly 1200 serum compounds. The technical and practical issues discussed in this report are related to both analytical validity (HPLC running conditions, computer-automated peak identification, mathematical compensation for chromatographic drift, etc.) and biological variability (individual variability, cohort-cohort variability, outliers). Attention to these issues suggests approximately 250 compounds in serum are sufficiently reliable, both analytically and biologically, for potential use in building mathematical models of serotype.

Animals↗

Zn2+ inhibits alpha-ketoglutarate-stimulated mitochondrial respiration and the isolated alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex.

Intracellular free Zn(2+) is elevated in a variety of pathological conditions, including ischemia-reperfusion injury and Alzheimer's disease. Impairment of mitochondrial respiration is also associated with these pathological conditions. To test whether elevated Zn(2+) and impaired respiration might be linked, respiration of isolated rat liver mitochondria was measured after addition of Zn(2+). Zn(2+) inhibition (K(i)(app) = approximately 1 micrometer) was observed for respiration stimulated by alpha-ketoglutarate at concentrations well within the range of intracellular Zn(2+) reported for cultured hepatocytes. The bc(1) complex is inhibited by Zn(2+) (Link, T. A., and von Jagow, G. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 25001-25006). However, respiration stimulated by succinate (K(i)(app) = approximately 6 micrometer) was less sensitive to Zn(2+), indicating the existence of a mitochondrial target for Zn(2+) upstream from bc(1) complex. Purified pig heart alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex was strongly inhibited by Zn(2+) (K(i)(app) = 0.37 +/- 0.05 micrometer). Glutamate dehydrogenase was more resistant (K(i)(app) = 6 micrometer), malate dehydrogenase was unaffected, and succinate dehydrogenase was stimulated by Zn(2+). Zn(2+) inhibition of alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex required enzyme cycling and was reversed by EDTA. Reversibility was inversely related to the duration of exposure and the concentration of Zn(2+). Physiological free Zn(2+) may modulate hepatic mitochondrial respiration by reversible inhibition of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. In contrast, extreme or chronic elevation of intracellular Zn(2+) could contribute to persistent reductions in mitochondrial respiration that have been observed in Zn(2+)-rich diseased tissues.

Animals↗

High-throughput profiling of the mitochondrial proteome using affinity fractionation and automation.

Recent studies have demonstrated the need for complementing cellular genomic information with specific information on expressed proteins, or proteomics, since the correlation between the two is poor. Typically, proteomic information is gathered by analyzing samples on two-dimensional gels with the subsequent identification of specific proteins of interest by using trypsin digestion and mass spectrometry in a process termed peptide mass fingerprinting. These procedures have, as a rule, been labor-intensive and manual, and therefore of low throughput. The development of automated proteomic technology for processing large numbers of samples simultaneously has made the concept of profiling entire proteomes feasible at last. In this study, we report the initiation of the (eventual) complete profile of the rat mitochondrial proteome by using high-throughput automated equipment in combination with a novel fractionation technique using minispin affinity columns. Using these technologies, approximately one hundred proteins could be identified in several days. In addition, separate profiles of calcium binding proteins, glycoproteins, and hydrophobic or membrane proteins could be generated. Because mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in numerous diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes, it is probable that the identification of the majority of mitochondrial proteins will be a beneficial tool for developing drug and diagnostic targets for associated diseases.

Animals↗

Purine catabolism: links to mitochondrial respiration and antioxidant defenses?

Type I diabetes in rodents is associated with a spectrum of liver mitochondrial abnormalities ranging from evidence of oxidative stress and altered antioxidant defenses to frank defects in respiration rates and respiratory control ratios. To better address the myriad changes in redox metabolism in these mitochondria, we have applied new chromatographic techniques that enable simultaneous analysis of multiple components of pathways of interest (e.g., purine catabolites and oxidation by-products). We report here a portion of these results, which, in conjunction with other reported data, suggest that purine catabolism may contribute to mitochondrial antioxidant defenses by producing the antioxidant urate. In liver mitochondria from diabetic rats, increases in uric acid (threefold) and its direct precursor xanthine (sixfold) were observed in moderate diabetes, but levels fell essentially to normal in severe disease. Failure to maintain elevated xanthine and uric acid occurred contemporaneously with progressive mitochondrial dysfunction. Regression analysis revealed altered precursor-product relationships between xanthine, its precursors, and uric acid. An independent set of studies in isolated rat liver mitochondria showed that mitochondrial respiration was associated with essentially uniform decreases (approximately 30%) in all purine catabolites measured (urate, xanthine, hypoxanthine, guanine, guanosine, and xanthosine). That result suggests the potential for steady production of urate. Taken together, the two studies raise the possibility that purine catabolism may be a previously unappreciated component of the homeostatic response of mitochondria to oxidant stress and may play a critical role in slowing progressive mitochondrial dysfunction in certain disease states.

Animals↗

Apoptogenic ganglioside GD3 directly induces the mitochondrial permeability transition.

Early events in apoptotic cascades initiated by ceramides or by activation of the surface receptor CD95 (Fas/APO-1) include the formation of ganglioside GD3. GD3 appears to be both necessary and sufficient to propagate this lipid-mediated apoptotic pathway. Later events common to many apoptotic pathways include induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition (PT) and cytochrome c release, which in turn triggers downstream caspases and cell death. The links between GD3 formation and downstream stages of apoptosis are unknown. We report that ganglioside GD3 directly induces the PT in isolated rat liver mitochondria at 30-100 microM in the presence of exogenous substrate (succinate) and at approximately 3 microM in the absence of exogenous substrate. In contrast, other gangliosides tested (e.g. GM1) have only weak stimulatory effects in the presence of succinate and protect against PT induction in the absence of respiratory substrates. GD3-mediated induction of PT was antagonized by known PT inhibitors, namely cyclosporin A, ADP, trifluoperazine, and Mg(2+). GD3 induced PT even in the presence of submicromolar Ca(2+); GD3 is therefore the first biological PT inducer identified that does not require elevated Ca(2+). Exposure to GD3 also led to mitochondrial cytochrome c release. In contrast, C(2)-ceramide, which can initiate the lipid-mediated apoptotic cascade in susceptible cells, failed to either induce PT or release cytochrome c. These observations suggest that GD3 propagates apoptosis by inducing the PT and cytochrome c release. This model provides a mechanistic link between the earlier and later stages of CD95-induced/ceramide-mediated apoptosis.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

A DLST genotype associated with reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Recent studies suggest that variants of the DLST gene alter the risk of AD. DLST encodes the core subunit of the mitochondrial alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, which is deficient in AD. The authors report that in 247 US white subjects, homozygosity for DLST A19,117, T19,183 was associated with a reduced risk of AD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.35, p = 0.018). The reduced risk was marked in subjects who did not carry the apolipoprotein (APOE)-4 allele (OR = 0.16, p = 0.014). Further study of DLST in AD appears warranted.

Acyltransferases↗

The mitochondrial permeability transition: the brain's point of view.

The mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT) has been implicated in both central nervous system ischaemia/reperfusion injury and excitotoxic neuronal death. To characterize the mPT of brain mitochondria, fluorescent mitochondrial dyes were applied to cultured neurons and astrocytes and isolated brain mitochondria were prepared. In astrocytes, mPT induction was observed as calcium-induced mitochondrial swelling following permeabilization by digitonin or introduction of a calcium ionophore. In hippocampal neurons, mPT induction was observed upon introduction of calcium and ionophore or application of toxic doses of glutamate. In isolated brain mitochondria, calcium dose-dependently produced calcium accumulation and mitochondrial swelling that was prevented by pretreatment with ADP or cyclosporin A. Additionally, when mitochondrial substrates were limited, calcium dose-dependently produced mitochondrial depolarization without swelling or calcium accumulation that was reversed by ADP, cyclosporin A or Ruthenium Red. The degree of mitochondrial depolarization was modulated by free fatty acids, magnesium, calcium concentration and protonophore Repolarization of mitochondria and closure of this low-conductance manifestation of the mPT pore by cyclosporin A was modulated by the degree of depolarization.

Animals↗

Metabolic impairment induces oxidative stress, compromises inflammatory responses, and inactivates a key mitochondrial enzyme in microglia.

Microglial activation, oxidative stress, and dysfunctions in mitochondria, including the reduction of cytochrome oxidase activity, have been implicated in neurodegeneration. The current experiments tested the effects of reducing cytochrome oxidase activity on the ability of microglia to respond to inflammatory insults. Inhibition of cytochrome oxidase by azide reduced oxygen consumption and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production but did not affect cell viability. Azide also attenuated microglial activation, as measured by nitric oxide (NO.) production in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). It is surprising that the inhibition of cytochrome oxidase also diminished the activity of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC), a Krebs cycle enzyme. This reduction was exaggerated when the azide-treated microglia were also treated with LPS. The combination of the azide-stimulated ROS and LPS-induced NO. would likely cause peroxynitrite formation in microglia. Thus, the possibility that KGDHC was inactivated by peroxynitrite was tested. Peroxynitrite inhibited the activity of isolated KGDHC, nitrated tyrosine residues of all three KGDHC subunits, and reduced immunoreactivity to antibodies against two KGDHC components. Thus, our data suggest that inhibition of the mitochondrial respiratory chain diminishes aerobic energy metabolism, interferes with microglial inflammatory responses, and compromises mitochondrial function, including KGDHC activity, which is vulnerable to NO. and peroxynitrite that result from microglial activation. Thus, activation of metabolically compromised microglia can further diminish their oxidative capacity, creating a deleterious spiral that may contribute to neurodegeneration.

Animals↗

Modulation by DLST of the genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease in a very elderly population.

The mitochondrial alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC) is deficient in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The DLST gene encodes the core, dihydrolipoyl succinyltransferase (DLST) component of KGDHC, and recent reports indicate an association between polymorphisms of DLST and AD in both white and Japanese patients. We therefore examined the relationship between AD and the DLST and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genes in elderly (89 +/- 7 years) AD patients, in whom the epsilon4 allele of APOE (APOE4) is a weak risk factor for AD. Polymorphisms of DLST (A19,117G and T19,183C), shown to be of interest in previous studies, were analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis after polymerase chain reaction amplification. In a series of 429 white subjects from two Jewish nursing homes, an association of APOE4 with AD was found only in patients homozygous for the G,C allele of DLST. Similar relationships occurred in the "very elderly" (> or =85 years, n = 302) subgroup of this series, and also in an autopsy series (n = 225) that included white subjects from the Jewish nursing homes as well as other white subjects. These findings suggest a relationship between APOE4 and a DLST locus in the pathogenesis of AD in very elderly subjects.

Acyltransferases↗

Simultaneous analysis of the majority of low-molecular-weight, redox-active compounds from mitochondria.

Studies of the interaction between oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are complicated by analytical limitations, especially the need to assess multiple parameters in relatively small samples. We have addressed this problem by developing a methodology for the simultaneous analysis of the majority of low-molecular-weight, redox-active compounds from mitochondria using HPLC separations followed by coulometric array detection. The method described should also be applicable for the study of redox-active compounds in other subcellular organelles as well as in intact cells and tissues. The protocol described enables simultaneous measurement of antioxidants (e.g., tocopherols, ascorbate, lipoates, uric acid, and glutathione), markers of oxidative stress (e.g., o-tyrosine, m-tyrosine, nitrotyrosine, dityrosine, glutathione disulfide, and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine) as well as other metabolites (e.g., purines and indoles). In all, ca. 600 redox active compounds can be detected, most with a limit of detection of approximately 5 pg on column. Results, including analytical parameters, from a study of liver mitochondria from control and diabetic rats are presented to demonstrate utility of this methodology.

Animals↗

Norepinephrine transmitter metabolite generates free radicals and activates mitochondrial permeability transition: a mechanism for DOPEGAL-induced apoptosis.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylglycolaldehyde (DOPEGAL) is the monoamine oxidase A metabolite of norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine. DOPEGAL, but neither NE nor its other metabolites induces apoptosis in differentiated PC-12 cells by an unknown mechanism. To study the mechanism of DOPEGAL-induced apoptosis, we tested DOPEGAL and NE for their capacity to generate free radicals and to induce mitochondrial permeability transition (PT). Results show that DOPEGAL but not NE forms reactive free radical intermediates under oxidative stress and enhances Ca2+-mediated induction of the mitochondrial PT. Linkage of these events to apoptosis is described. Implications for degenerative diseases are discussed.

Aldehydes↗

Age-related mitochondrial DNA deletions: effect of dietary restriction.

Results from quantitative PCR analysis of the frequency of deleted mitochondrial genomes in male Fischer 344 rats reveal an age-related rise in this molecular abnormality. We used this model to examine the ability of dietary restriction (DR) to prevent this potentially pathogenic change. DR prevented age-related increase in frequency of mitochondrial deletions in the liver. In contrast, however, DR had no effect on the age-related increase in deletion frequency in the brain. These data suggest that the effects of DR on age-related accumulation of mitochondrial DNA deletions may be tissue specific.

Aging↗

Dietary restriction augments protection against induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition.

Exposure to oxidants or phosphate, especially in the presence of calcium, has been long known to lead to mitochondrial structural alteration and damage. In the past 15 years, it has become increasingly appreciated that this damage is often the result of a cyclosporin A-sensitive event, the "permeability transition" (PT). Using liver mitochondria isolated from male Fischer 344 rats of 6-24 months of age, we now present evidence that long-term, life-prolonging, dietary restriction regimens greatly delay induction of a PT following challenge. Dietary restriction slowed induction by 25 microM calcium, or by calcium in conjunction with the strong oxidant t-butyl hydroperoxide, by approximately 50%. The increased resistance to PT induction was maintained through 24 months of age. Dietary restriction also protected against t-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of high calcium challenges (250 microM), although the extent of this protection was age-dependent. Induction by 2.5 mM phosphate alone was blocked in most 6-month-old dietary restricted animals and was slowed by 50-100% in animals 12-24 months of age. Susceptibility to 25 microM calcium in conjunction with phosphate varied in an age-dependent manner, ranging from 4-12 times slower in the dietary restricted animals than in their ad lib fed counterparts. Together, these data provide evidence that the factors regulating PT induction are affected by long-term physiological and environmental conditions such as age and diet. The observed effects represent one of the largest recognized dietary restriction-mediated increases in a parameter related to antioxidant defenses. These data also suggest that the endogenous defense systems that protect mitochondria from calcium in conjunction with inorganic phosphate differ from those that protect against calcium in conjunction with an oxidant.

Aging↗

Defects at center P underlie diabetes-associated mitochondrial dysfunction.

Detailed respiration studies on isolated liver mitochondria from streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats revealed a disease-associated decrease in the ADP/O ratio, a marker for mitochondrial ability to couple the consumption of oxygen to the phosphorylation of ADP. This decrease was observed following induction of respiration with glutamate/malate, succinate, or duroquinol, which enter the electron transport chain selectively at complexes I (NADH dehydrogenase), II (succinate dehydrogenase), or III (cytochrome bc1 complex), respectively. These data, coupled with studies using respiratory inhibitors (most importantly antimycin A and myxothiazol), localize at least a portion of this defect to a single site within the electron transport chain (center P in the Q-cycle portion of complex III). These results suggest that liver mitochondria from diabetic animals may generate increased levels of reactive oxygen species at the portion of the electron transport chain already established as the major site of mitochondrial free radical generation. The reduction in the ADP/O ratio occurred in mitochondria that do not have overt defects in the respiratory control ratio or in State 3 and State 4 respiration. The data in this paper suggest that defects in center P of the electron transport chain likely increase mitochondrial exposure to oxidants in the diabetic. This data may partially explain the evidence of altered exposure and/or response to reactive species in mitochondria from diabetics. This work thus provides further clues to the interaction between oxidative stress and diabetes-associated mitochondrial dysfunction.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Oxidant-mediated repression of mitochondrial transcription in diabetic rats.

Diabetes-associated mitochondrial dysfunction is recognized, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Using isolated liver mitochondria from streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats, we showed that diabetes can result in a > 95% loss in mitochondrial transcriptional capacity. Decreased transcription correlated well with both disease status, as indicated by serum lipemia and ketone levels, and with increased resistance of the mitochondrial transcription system to oxidative stress imposed by the hydrophilic AAPH [2,2'-azobis-(2-amidino-propane) hydrochloride] or the hydrophobic AMVN [2,2'-azobis-(2,4,-dimethyl-valeronitrile)]. The onset of AAPH- or AMVN-induced lipid peroxidation was also delayed; this suggests that liver mitochondrial membranes from diabetics have increased resistance to peroxyl radical-mediated lipid peroxidation. Lipid peroxidation induced endogenously was increased, however, suggesting a state of increased oxidative stress likely exists in vivo. Furthermore, changes in the rate of lipid peroxidation occurring during the propagation phase were also affected by diabetes. This implies possible changes in lipid composition or structure. Analysis indicated that the factors protecting mitochondria from lipid peroxidation differ from those involved in protecting the transcription system, and that both are independent of free radical scavenger levels. These results suggested that diabetes alters mitochondrial exposure and/or response to reactive species and provided clues to the role of oxidant stress in the development of diabetes-associated mitochondrial dysfunction.

Amidines↗

Mitochondrial permeability transition in the central nervous system: induction by calcium cycling-dependent and -independent pathways.

Isolated rat CNS mitochondria and cultured cortical astrocytes were examined for behavior indicative of a mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT). Exposure of isolated CNS mitochondria to elevated calcium or phosphate or both produced loss of absorbance indicative of mitochondrial swelling. The absorbance decreases were prevented by ADP and Mg2+ and reduced by cyclosporin A, dithiothreitol, and N-ethylmaleimide. Ruthenium red prevented calcium cycling-induced, but only attenuated phosphate-induced losses of absorbance. In cultured astrocytes permeabilized with digitonin or treated with the calcium ionophore, 4-bromo-A23187, elevations of external calcium altered mitochondrial morphology visualized with the dye, JC-1, from rod-like to rounded, swollen structures. Similar changes were observed in digitonin-permeabilized astrocytes exposed to phosphate. The incidence of calcium-induced changes in astrocyte mitochondria was prevented by Mg2+ and pretreatment with dithiothreitol and N-ethylmaleimide, and was reduced by cyclosporin A, ADP, and butacaine alone or in combinations. Ruthenium red and the Na+/Ca2+ exchange inhibitor CGP 37157 blocked calcium cycling and prevented mitochondrial shape changes in digitonin-treated, but not ionophore-treated astrocytes. Thus, the demonstrated induction conditions and pharmacological profile indicated the existence of an mPT in brain mitochondria. The mPT occurred consequent to activation of calcium cycling-dependent and -independent pathways. Induction of an mPT could contribute to neuronal injury following ischemia and reperfusion.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗