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PubMed2002

Hypoxic but not anoxic stabilization of HIF-1alpha requires mitochondrial reactive oxygen species.

The molecular mechanisms by which cells detect hypoxia (1.5% O2), resulting in the stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) protein remain unclear. One model proposes that mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species is required to stabilize HIF-1alpha protein. Primary evidence for this model comes from the observation that cells treated with complex I inhibitors, such as rotenone, or cells that lack mitochondrial DNA (rho(0)-cells) fail to generate reactive oxygen species or stabilize HIF-1alpha protein in response to hypoxia. In the present study, we investigated the role of mitochondria in regulating HIF-1alpha protein stabilization under anoxia (0% O2). Wild-type A549 and HT1080 cells stabilized HIF-1alpha protein in response to hypoxia and anoxia. The rho(0)-A549 cells and rho(0)-HT1080 cells failed to accumulate HIF-1alpha protein in response to hypoxia. However, both rho(0)-A549 and rho(0)-HT1080 were able to stabilize HIF-1alpha protein levels in response to anoxia. Rotenone inhibited hypoxic, but not anoxic, stabilization of HIF-1alpha protein. These results indicate that a functional electron transport chain is required for hypoxic but not anoxic stabilization of HIF-1alpha protein.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed2002

Stereoselective transport of histidine in rat lung microvascular endothelial cells.

The transport characteristics of L- and D-histidine through the blood-lung barrier were studied in cultured rat lung microvascular endothelial cells (LMECs). L-Histidine uptake was a saturable process. The addition of metabolic inhibitors [2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) and rotenone] reduced the uptake rate of L-histidine. Ouabain, an inhibitor of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, also reduced uptake of L-histidine. Moreover, the initial L-histidine uptake rate was reduced by the substitution of Na(+) with choline chloride and choline bicarbonate in the incubation buffer. The system N substrate, L-glutamic acid gamma-monohydroxamate, also inhibited uptake of L-histidine. However, system N-mediated transport was not pH sensitive. These results demonstrated that L-histidine is actively taken up by a system N transport mechanism into rat LMECs, with energy supplied by Na(+). Moreover, the Na(+)-independent system L substrate, 2-amino-2-norbornanecarboxylic acid (BCH), had an inhibitory effect on L-histidine uptake in Na(+) removal, indicating facilitated diffusion by a Na(+)-independent system L transport into the rat LMECs. These results provide evidence for there being at least two pathways for L-histidine uptake into rat LMECs, a Na(+)-dependent system N and Na(+)-independent system L process. On the other hand, the uptake of D-histidine into rat LMECs was not reduced by the addition of DNP, rotenone, or ouabain, or by Na(+) replacement. Although the uptake of D-histidine was reduced in the presence of BCH, the addition of L-glutamic acid gamma-monohydroxamate did not significantly decrease uptake of D-histidine. These results suggest that the uptake of D-histidine by rat LMECs has different characteristics compared with its isomer, L-histidine, indicating that system N transport did not involve D-histidine uptake.

Amino Acid Transport Systems↗

PubMed2003

Hypoxia and stretch regulate intercellular communication in vascular smooth muscle cells through reactive oxygen species formation.

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that the alterations in vasomotor tone and adaptive remodeling responses that occur in the circulation because of hypoxia were dependent on changes in cell to cell communication through regulation of gap junction protein expression and function. Consequently, we studied the amount, distribution, and permeability of the principal vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) gap junction protein, connexin43, in rat aortic cultures exposed to oxygen partial pressures of 150 or 15 mm Hg. METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining, immunoblot assays, and Northern blot analyses demonstrated that connexin43 expression was reversibly increased in hypoxic cultures. As a result, hypoxic cells exhibited greater intercellular communication as determined by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments. Using a fluorogenic substrate, hypoxic VSMCs showed increased reactive oxygen species generation, which could be prevented by the glutathione peroxidase mimic ebselen and the mitochondrial complex I inhibitor rotenone but not with the redox-sensitive thiol pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate. The rise in connexin43 expression attributable to hypoxia could be attenuated by ebselen and rotenone treatment. Interestingly, the previously reported induction of connexin43 expression by tensile stretch was also contingent on oxidative activity. CONCLUSIONS: Hypoxia and stretch increased gap junctional intercellular communication in VSMCs attributable to enhanced connexin43 expression initiated by reactive oxygen species formation.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Effects of cyclosporine A on skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration and endurance time in rats.

We investigated the effects of 14 d of cyclosporine A (CsA) administration on skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration and submaximal running endurance time in rats. Eight experimental (CsA) and eight control rats followed a 14-d feeding protocol of CsA (20 mg/kg/d) oral administration or placebo. Submaximal endurance exercise time (EET) was measured on a treadmill on Day 13 and mitochondria were isolated from the hind limb muscles homogenate on Day 15. The results showed (1) a significant decrease of EET in CsA versus control rats (29 +/- 8 min versus 60 +/- min, p < 0.001), (2) significantly lower state 3 and uncoupled mitochondrial respiration in CsA compared with control rats with pyruvate plus malate (p < 0.001, p < 0.01) as well as succinate plus rotenone (p < 0.01) as substrates, (3) no differences in coupling efficiency (ADP/O ratios), and (4) significant linear correlation between EET and state 3 respiration (r = 0.71, p < 0.05; r = 0.92, p < 0.001), and strong curvilinear relationship between EET and CsA state 3/mean control state 3 (r2 = 0.81, p < 0.001; r2 = 0.82, p < 0.001), respectively, with pyruvate plus malate and succinate plus rotenone. We conclude that 14 d of CsA oral administration decreases skeletal muscle mitochondrial electron chain capacity without changing coupling efficiency in rats. Results suggest that immunosuppressive therapy is responsible, in part, for poor exercise performance in transplant patients.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed1995

Cyclosporine A decreases rat skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in vitro.

Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a potent immunosuppressant used to decrease organ rejection after transplantation surgery. Reported limitations to use of CsA have been hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Additionally, exercise capacity is much less than expected following transplantation even if arterial oxygen transport capacity is repaired. Purposes of the present study were to determine the effects of CsA on skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in vitro and to determine the site of the CsA skeletal muscle mitochondrial lesion. Mitochondria were isolated from rat hind limb muscle homogenates after differential centrifugation. Mitochondrial respiration was determined using a Rank oxygen polarograph at 37 degrees C in a sucrose and mannitol respiration medium. CsA inhibited maximal respiration (ADP stimulated) in the presence of succinate and rotenone by 18.3% and in the presence of malate and pyruvate by 34.7%. CsA decreased the rate of uncoupled respiration (addition of carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethozyphenylhydrazone) by 19.6% and 32.0% for succinate and rotenone, or pyruvate plus malate, respectively. No significant effect of CsA on ADP/O for either substrate was observed. We conclude that CsA inhibits maximal coupled and uncoupled skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in vitro. Moreover, although the effects of CsA were greater on electron flux through Complex I, mitochondrial lesions caused by CsA were not specific to either Complex I or Complex II of the electron transport chain (ETC). Poor exercise performance despite adequate arterial oxygenation and systemic and regional oxygen deliveries in transplant patients may be attributed, in part, to the effects of immunosuppressive therapy on ETC capacity of skeletal muscle mitochondria.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Rapid reactive oxygen species production by mitochondria in endothelial cells exposed to tumor necrosis factor-alpha is mediated by ceramide.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha increases mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in tumor cells and hepatocytes. However, whether TNF-alpha stimulates mitochondrial ROS production in endothelial cells (EC) has not yet been reported. We studied the effect of TNF-alpha on mitochondrial ROS generation in EC and the signaling pathways involved. Cultured human umbilical vein EC (HUVEC) were studied by fluorescence microscopy, using dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) as a marker of ROS production and propidium iodide uptake for cell viability. TNF-alpha increased DCFH oxidation in HUVEC dose-dependently. To determine the source of ROS, the mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibitors rotenone + thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTFA), which inhibit electron entry to ubiquinone, and antimycin A (AA), a blocker of ubisemiquinone, were used. Rotenone and TTFA inhibited (n = 7, P < 0.05), whereas AA increased (118% in 3 min; n = 4, P < 0.01) ROS generation in HUVEC. In contrast, ROS production was not abolished by the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium, by the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol, nor by the nitric oxide and cyclooxygenase pathway inhibitors N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine and mefenamic acid. In addition, TNF-alpha-induced ROS production was inhibited by the acidic sphingomyelinase inhibitor desipramine (5 microM; -80%, n = 4, P < 0.01) and totally blocked by the ceramide-activated protein kinase (CAPK) inhibitor dimethylaminopurine (1 mM; n = 6, P < 0.05). Thus, TNF-alpha induces mitochondrial ROS production in HUVEC that primarily occurs at the ubisemiquinone site and is mediated by ceramide-dependent signaling pathways involving CAPK.

Ceramides↗

PubMed2005

Hyperoxia-induced reactive oxygen species formation in pulmonary capillary endothelial cells in situ.

Lung capillary endothelial cells (ECs) are a critical target of oxygen toxicity and play a central role in the pathogenesis of hyperoxic lung injury. To determine mechanisms and time course of EC activation in normobaric hyperoxia, we measured endothelial concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cytosolic calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) by in situ imaging of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (DCF) and fura 2 fluorescence, respectively, and translocation of the small GTPase Rac1 by immunofluorescence in isolated perfused rat lungs. Endothelial DCF fluorescence and [Ca(2+)](i) increased continuously yet reversibly during a 90-min interval of hyperoxic ventilation with 70% O(2), demonstrating progressive ROS generation and second messenger signaling. ROS formation increased exponentially with higher O(2) concentrations. ROS and [Ca(2+)](i) responses were blocked by the mitochondrial complex I inhibitor rotenone, whereas inhibitors of NAD(P)H oxidase and the intracellular Ca(2+) chelator BAPTA predominantly attenuated the late phase of the hyperoxia-induced DCF fluorescence increase after > 30 min. Rac1 translocation in lung capillary ECs was barely detectable at normoxia but was prominent after 60 min of hyperoxia and could be blocked by rotenone and BAPTA. We conclude that hyperoxia induces ROS formation in lung capillary ECs, which initially originates from the mitochondrial electron transport chain but subsequently involves activation of NAD(P)H oxidase by endothelial [Ca(2+)](i) signaling and Rac1 activation. Our findings demonstrate rapid activation of ECs by hyperoxia in situ and identify mechanisms that may be relevant in the initiation of hyperoxic lung injury.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Deficiency of the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase component of complex I of mitochondrial electron transport. Fatal infantile lactic acidosis and hypermetabolism with skeletal-cardiac myopathy and encephalopathy.

A mitochondrial defect was investigated in an infant with fatal congenital lactic acidosis (3-14 mM), high lactate-to-pyruvate ratio, hypotonia, and cardiomyopathy. His sister had died with a similar disorder. Resting oxygen consumption was 150% of controls. Pathological findings included increased numbers of skeletal muscle mitochondria (many with proliferated, concentric cristae), cardiomegaly, fatty infiltration of the viscera, and spongy encephalopathy. Mitochondria from liver and muscle biopsies oxidized NADH-linked substrates at rates 20-50% of controls, whereas succinate oxidation by muscle mitochondria was increased. Mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase activity (complex I, assayed as rotenone-sensitive NADH oxidase, NADH-duroquinone reductase, and NADH-cytochrome c reductase) was 0-10% of controls, and NADH-ferricyanide reductase activity was 25-50% of controls in the mitochondria and in skin fibroblasts. Activities of other electron transport complexes and related enzymes were normal. Familial deficiency of a component of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase (complex I) proximal to the rotenone-sensitive site thus accounts for this disorder.

Acidosis, Lactic↗

PubMed1975

The cytochemical localization of succinic dehydrogenase in the sperm mitochondria of the gastropod Biomphalaria glabrata. A comparison of two methods.

The mitochondrial derivative of the sperm of the gastropod pulmonate Biomphalaria glabrata was studies to ascertain succinic dehydrogenase localization cytochemically. Two techniques were compared. One technique depends on a tetrazolium salt that yields an osmiophilic formazan upon reduction. The other technique is dependent on the reduction of copper ferricyanide. The effects of several electron transport inhibitors were studied. The reaction product observed in the matrix of the mitochondrial derivative using the former technique is sensitive to rotenone and is believed to be nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent. The reaction product observed in the intracristal spaces using the copper ferricyanide method is insensitive to rotenone and is believed to cytochemically demonstrate succinic dehydrogenase in this material.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

A ketogenic diet as a potential novel therapeutic intervention in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: The cause of neuronal death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is uncertain but mitochondrial dysfunction may play an important role. Ketones promote mitochondrial energy production and membrane stabilization. RESULTS: SOD1-G93A transgenic ALS mice were fed a ketogenic diet (KD) based on known formulations for humans. Motor performance, longevity, and motor neuron counts were measured in treated and disease controls. Because mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in neuronal cell death in ALS, we also studied the effect that the principal ketone body, D-beta-3 hydroxybutyrate (DBH), has on mitochondrial ATP generation and neuroprotection. Blood ketones were > 3.5 times higher in KD fed animals compared to controls. KD fed mice lost 50% of baseline motor performance 25 days later than disease controls. KD animals weighed 4.6 g more than disease control animals at study endpoint; the interaction between diet and change in weight was significant (p = 0.047). In spinal cord sections obtained at the study endpoint, there were more motor neurons in KD fed animals (p = 0.030). DBH prevented rotenone mediated inhibition of mitochondrial complex I but not malonate inhibition of complex II. Rotenone neurotoxicity in SMI-32 immunopositive motor neurons was also inhibited by DBH. CONCLUSION: This is the first study showing that diet, specifically a KD, alters the progression of the clinical and biological manifestations of the G93A SOD1 transgenic mouse model of ALS. These effects may be due to the ability of ketone bodies to promote ATP synthesis and bypass inhibition of complex I in the mitochondrial respiratory chain.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis↗

PubMed1996

Metabolic compartmentalization in neonatal swine myocytes.

The transport of metabolites across the mitochondrial membrane is regulated by specific exchange and shuttle systems that are often dependent on the mitochondrial membrane potential. Thus, metabolite concentrations in the cytosol and mitochondrial compartments are largely determined by the energy state of the cardiac muscle cell. The purpose of this study was to investigate metabolic compartmentalization in ventricular myocytes isolated from newborn (< 24 h) swine hearts. Furthermore, the effect of respiratory inhibition on these distribution patterns was examined. Freshly isolated cells contained 33 nmol of ATP and 37 nmol of total adenine nucleotides (AN) per mg of myocyte protein. Rapid digitonin fractionation indicated that 95% of ATP and 86% of AN were cytosolic, whereas > 50% of the pyridine nucleotides were mitochondrial. With 11 mM added glucose, myocytes treated with the respiratory inhibitor, rotenone, maintained ATP at 88% of that of aerobic myocytes, but phosphocreatine declined by 50% over 30 min. Rotenone treatment caused the mitochondrial NAD/NADH ratio to decline from 1.2 to 0.06, whereas the cytosolic pyridine nucleotides remained > 90% oxidized. Total adenine and pyridine nucleotide content and their compartmentalization were unaffected by respiratory inhibition. Comparisons of metabolite content and respiratory activity between isolated piglet mitochondria and the mitochondrial compartment of piglet myocytes indicated that mitochondria account for approximately 30% of total myocyte protein. A similar value (29%) was obtained for the aqueous volume fraction of the in situ mitochondrial matrix using the 4000 Mr 14C-labeled polyethylene glycol-impermeable 3H2O spaces of intact and lysed myocytes. These results are comparable to literature values for myocardium from other species and age groups.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Oxidative stress in mitochondria: decision to survival and death of neurons in neurodegenerative disorders.

In mitochondria, oxidative phosphorylation and enzymatic oxidation of biogenic amines by monoamine oxidase produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which are proposed to cause neuronal cell death in neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. In these disorders, mitochondrial dysfunction, increased oxidative stress, and accumulation of oxidation-modified proteins are involved in cell death in definite neurons. The interactions among these factors were studied by use of a peroxynitrite-generating agent, N-morpholino sydnonimine (SIN-1) and an inhibitor of complex I, rotenone, in human dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells. In control cells, peroxynitrite nitrated proteins, especially the subunits of mitochondrial complex I, as 3-nitrotyrosine, suggesting that neurons are exposed to constant oxidative stress even under physiological conditions. SIN-1 and an inhibitor of proteasome, carbobenzoxy-L-isoleucyl-gamma-t-butyl-L-alanyl-L-leucinal (PSI), increased markedly the levels of nitrated proteins with concomitant induction of apoptosis in the cells. Rotenone induced mitochondrial dysfunction and accumulation and aggregation of proteins modified with acrolein, an aldehyde product of lipid peroxidation in the cells. At the same time, the activity of the 20S beta-subunit of proteasome was reduced significantly, which degrades oxidative-modified protein. The mechanism was proved to be the result of the modification of the 20S beta-subunit with acrolein and to the binding of other acrolein-modified proteins to the 20S beta-subunit.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Parkinson's disease brain mitochondrial complex I has oxidatively damaged subunits and is functionally impaired and misassembled.

Loss of mitochondrial complex I catalytic activity in the electron transport chain (ETC) is found in multiple tissues from individuals with sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD) and is a property of some PD model neurotoxins. Using special ETC subunit-specific and complex I immunocapture antibodies directed against the entire complex I macroassembly, we quantified ETC proteins and protein oxidation of complex I subunits in brain mitochondria from 10 PD and 12 age-matched control (CTL) samples. We measured nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)-driven electron transfer rates through complex I and correlated these with complex I subunit oxidation levels and reductions of its 8 kDa subunit. PD brain complex I shows 11% increase in ND6, 34% decrease in its 8 kDa subunit and contains 47% more protein carbonyls localized to catalytic subunits coded for by mitochondrial and nuclear genomes We found no changes in levels of ETC proteins from complexes II-V. Oxidative damage patterns to PD complex I are reproduced by incubation of CTL brain mitochondria with NADH in the presence of rotenone but not by exogenous oxidant. NADH-driven electron transfer rates through complex I inversely correlate with complex I protein oxidation status and positively correlate with reduction in PD 8 kDa subunit. Reduced complex I function in PD brain mitochondria appears to arise from oxidation of its catalytic subunits from internal processes, not from external oxidative stress, and correlates with complex I misassembly. This complex I auto-oxidation may derive from abnormalities in mitochondrial or nuclear encoded subunits, complex I assembly factors, rotenone-like complex I toxins, or some combination.

Cells, Cultured↗

PubMed2005

Role of reactive oxygen species in TGF-beta1-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in renal tubular epithelial cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and TGF-beta1 is the key inducer of EMT. Phosphorylation of Smad proteins and/or mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) is required for TGF-beta1-induced EMT. Because reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in TGF-beta1 signaling and are upstream signaling molecules to MAPK, this study examined the role of ROS in TGF-beta1-induced MAPK activation and EMT in rat proximal tubular epithelial cells. Growth-arrested and synchronized NRK-52E cells were stimulated with TGF-beta1 (0.2 to 20 ng/ml) or H(2)O(2) (1 to 500 microM) in the presence or absence of antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine or catalase), inhibitors of NADPH oxidase (diphenyleneiodonium and apocynin), mitochondrial electron transfer chain subunit I (rotenone), and MAPK (PD 98059, an MEK [MAP kinase/ERK kinase] inhibitor, or p38 MAPK inhibitor) for up to 96 h. TGF-beta1 increased dichlorofluorescein-sensitive cellular ROS, phosphorylated Smad 2, p38 MAPK, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2, alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) expression, and fibronectin secretion and decreased E-cadherin expression. Antioxidants effectively inhibited TGF-beta1-induced cellular ROS, phosphorylation of Smad 2, p38 MAPK, and ERK, and EMT. H(2)O(2) reproduced all of the effects of TGF-beta1 with the exception of Smad 2 phosphorylation. Chemical inhibition of ERK but not p38 MAPK inhibited TGF-beta1-induced Smad 2 phosphorylation, and both MAPK inhibitors inhibited TGF-beta1- and H(2)O(2)-induced EMT. Diphenyleneiodonium, apocynin, and rotenone also significantly inhibited TGF-beta1-induced ROS. Thus, this data suggest that ROS play an important role in TGF-beta1-induced EMT primarily through activation of MAPK and subsequently through ERK-directed activation of Smad pathway in proximal tubular epithelial cells.

Actins↗

PubMed2002

Dysfunction of mitochondria in human skeletal muscle in type 2 diabetes.

Skeletal muscle is strongly dependent on oxidative phosphorylation for energy production. Because the insulin resistance of skeletal muscle in type 2 diabetes and obesity entails dysregulation of the oxidation of both carbohydrate and lipid fuels, the current study was undertaken to examine the potential contribution of perturbation of mitochondrial function. Vastus lateralis muscle was obtained by percutaneous biopsy during fasting conditions from lean (n = 10) and obese (n = 10) nondiabetic volunteers and from volunteers with type 2 diabetes (n = 10). The activity of rotenone-sensitive NADH:O(2) oxidoreductase, reflecting the overall activity of the respiratory chain, was measured in a mitochondrial fraction by a novel method based on providing access for NADH to intact mitochondria via alamethicin, a channel-forming antibiotic. Creatine kinase and citrate synthase activities were measured as markers of myocyte and mitochondria content, respectively. Activity of rotenone-sensitive NADH:O(2) oxidoreductase was normalized to creatine kinase activity, as was citrate synthase activity. NADH:O(2) oxidoreductase activity was lowest in type 2 diabetic subjects and highest in the lean volunteers (lean 0.95 +/- 0.17, obese 0.76 +/- 0.30, type 2 diabetes 0.56 +/- 0.14 units/mU creatine kinase; P < 0.005). Also, citrate synthase activity was reduced in type 2 diabetic patients (lean 3.10 +/- 0.74, obese 3.24 +/- 0.82, type 2 diabetes 2.48 +/- 0.47 units/mU creatine kinase; P < 0.005). As measured by electron microscopy, skeletal muscle mitochondria were smaller in type 2 diabetic and obese subjects than in muscle from lean volunteers (P < 0.01). We conclude that there is an impaired bioenergetic capacity of skeletal muscle mitochondria in type 2 diabetes, with some impairment also present in obesity.

Adult↗

PubMed1979

Shuttles for translocation of NADH in isolated liver cells from fed rats during oxidation of xylitol.

Translocation of xylitol-derived NADH via malate-aspartate and alpha-glycerophosphate shuttles was studied in liver cells isolated from fed rats. In bicarbonate medium amino-oxyacetate, rotenone and antimycin A, were equally efficient in depressing the xylitol removal. Incubation of cells in nonbicarbonate medium did not affect the rate of xylitol removal. In this medium amino-oxyacetate and antimycin A, but not rotenone, inhibited xylitol removal. Xylitol inhibited the lactate accumulation found when the cells were incubated without any exogenous substrates. Glucose was the main end product of xylitol oxidation. In nonbicarbonate medium ketogenesis was high, whereas in bicarbonate medium a low rate of ketone body formation was found. Xylitol had no effect on the rate of ketone body formation in either medium tested. Xylitol markedly decreased the ATP and Pi contents of the cells, but no change in the ATP/ADP x Pi ratio or the rate of oxygen consumption was found. The results suggest that NADH formed during xylitol oxidation is translocated to the mitochondria mainly through the malate-aspartate shuttle and only when this shuttle is inhibited does the alpha-glycerophosphate shuttle transfer NADH. Intramitochondrial reactions which form NADH and FADH2 are also suggested to be important regulators of the activity of the alpha-glycerophosphate shuttle.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Role of oxidants in NF-kappa B activation and TNF-alpha gene transcription induced by hypoxia and endotoxin.

The transcription factor NF-kappa B stimulates the transcription of proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-alpha. LPS (endotoxin) and hypoxia both induce NF-kappa B activation and TNF-alpha gene transcription. Furthermore, hypoxia augments LPS induction of TNF-alpha mRNA. Previous reports have indicated that antioxidants abolish NF-kappa B activation in response to LPS or hypoxia, which suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in NF-kappa B activation. This study tested whether mitochondrial ROS are required for both NF-kappaB activation and the increase in TNF-alpha mRNA levels during hypoxia and LPS. Our results indicate that hypoxia (1.5% O2) stimulates NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription and increases ROS generation as measured by the oxidant sensitive dye 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate in murine macrophage J774.1 cells. The antioxidants N-acetylcysteine and pyrrolidinedithiocarbamic acid abolished the hypoxic activation of NF-kappa B, TNF-alpha gene transcription, and increases in ROS levels. Rotenone, an inhibitor of mitochondrial complex I, abolished the increase in ROS signal, the activation of NF-kappa B, and TNF-alpha gene transcription during hypoxia. LPS stimulated NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription but not ROS generation in J774.1 cells. Rotenone, pyrrolidinedithiocarbamic acid, and N-acetylcysteine had no effect on the LPS stimulation of NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription, indicating that LPS activates NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription through a ROS-independent mechanism. These results indicate that mitochondrial ROS are required for the hypoxic activation of NF-kappa B and TNF-alpha gene transcription, but not for the LPS activation of NF-kappa B.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Participation of prostate apoptosis response-4 in degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in models of Parkinson's disease.

Dysfunction and death of midbrain dopaminergic neurons underlies the clinical features of Parkinson's disease (PD). Increasing evidence suggests roles for oxidative stress and a form of cell death called apoptosis in the pathogenesis of PD. We recently identified a 38-kd protein called prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4), which is rapidly induced in cultured neurons after exposure to apoptotic insults, and appears to play a necessary role in the cell death process. We now report that Par-4 levels increase dramatically in midbrain dopaminergic neurons of monkeys and mice exposed to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). The increase in Par-4 levels occurs in both neuronal cell bodies in the substantia nigra and their axon terminals in the striatum, and precedes loss of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and cell death. In the monkey model, Par-4 levels were also increased in several brain regions (red nucleus, lateral geniculate nucleus, and cerebral cortex) in which functional alterations have previously been documented in PD patients and MPTP-treated monkeys. Exposure of cultured human dopaminergic neural cells to the complex I inhibitor rotenone, or to Fe2+, resulted in Par-4 induction, mitochondrial dysfunction, and subsequent apoptosis. Blockade of Par-4 induction by antisense treatment prevented rotenone- and Fe2+-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis demonstrating a critical role for Par-4 in the cell death process. The data suggest that Par-4 may be involved in the neurodegenerative process in PD.

Animals↗