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AZT-induced mitochondrial myopathy.

Histochemical, electron microscopy and biochemical studies were performed on muscle biopsy specimens from 11 AIDS patients treated with zidovudine. A peculiar association of structural abnormalities and mitochondrial dysfunction was found. Focal cytochrome c oxidase (COX) deficiency was evident in muscle sections from 9 patients, 8 of whom had received long-term treatment while one had been treated for 1 month only. Electron microscopy showed changes in number, size and structure of mitochondria. Biochemical studies proved partial COX and succinate cytochrome c reductase (SCR) deficiency in 4 patients; one patient had only reduced SCR activity. Our data confirm that AZT therapy can cause toxic myopathy with mitochondrial dysfunction.

Adult↗

Mitochondrial bioactivation of cysteine S-conjugates and 4-thiaalkanoates: implications for mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial diseases.

The toxicity of most drugs and chemicals is associated with their enzymatic conversion to toxic metabolites. Bioactivation reactions occur in a range of organs and organelles, including mitochondria. The toxicity of haloalkene-derived cysteine S-conjugates and related 4-thiaalkanoates is associated with their mitochondrial bioactivation. Toxic cysteine S-conjugates are formed by the glutathione S-transferase-catalyzed addition of glutathione to haloalkenes to give glutathione S-conjugates, which are hydrolyzed by gamma-glutamyltransferase and dipeptidases. Mitochondrial cysteine conjugate beta-lyase-catalyzed bioactivation of cysteine S-conjugates affords unstable alpha-halothiolates. Haloalkene-derived 4-thiaalkanoates, which are analogs of cysteine S-conjugates that lack an alpha-amino group, undergo bioactivation by the enzymes of fatty acid beta-oxidation to give 3-hydroxy-4-thiaalkanoates that eliminate alpha-halothiolates. alpha-Halothiolates yield alkylating and acylating agents that interact with cellular macromolecules and thereby cause cell damage. Mitochondrial dysfunction is the hallmark of cysteine S-conjugate-induced cytotoxicity: decreased respiration, decreased ATP and total adenine nucleotide concentrations, depletion of the mitochondrial glutathione content, perturbations in cellular Ca2+ homeostasis, and damage to the mitochondrial genome are seen with cysteine S-conjugates. Similar changes are observed with cytotoxic 4-thiaalkanoates, but inhibition of the medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and hypoglycemia are also observed.

Animals↗

Mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy and prospective therapy with cyclosporins.

Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy is a severe genetically and clinically heterogeneous muscle disorder linked to collagen VI deficiency. The pathogenesis of the disease is unknown. To assess the potential role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the onset of muscle fiber death in this form of dystrophy, we studied biopsies and myoblast cultures obtained from patients with different genetic defects of collagen VI and variable clinical presentations of the disease. We identified a latent mitochondrial dysfunction in myoblasts from patients with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy that matched an increased occurrence of spontaneous apoptosis. Unlike those in myoblasts from healthy donors, mitochondria in cells from patients depolarized upon addition of oligomycin and displayed ultrastructural alterations that were worsened by treatment with oligomycin. The increased apoptosis, the ultrastructural defects, and the anomalous response to oligomycin could be normalized by Ca(2+) chelators, by plating cells on collagen VI, and by treatment with cyclosporin A or with the specific cyclophilin inhibitor methylAla(3)ethylVal(4)-cyclosporin, which does not affect calcineurin activity. Here we demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in muscle cell wasting in Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. This study represents an essential step toward a pharmacological therapy of Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy with cyclosporin A and methylAla(3)ethylVal(4) cyclosporin.

Adult↗

Mechanisms of subcellular remodelling in post-infarct heart failure.

Occlusion of a coronary artery results in myocardial ischemia and subsequent myocardial infarction. Whenever the infarct size is more than 30% of the ventricular wall, the remaining myocardium attempts to compensate for the loss of muscle mass by changing the size and shape of cardiocytes in addition to developing cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac dilatation and congestive heart failure. This remodeling of the heart is associated with changes in the extracellular matrix including collagen proteins and is most probably due to the activation of both sympathetic nervous system and renin-angiotensin system as well as increased formation of various growth factors. Alterations in contractile function of the infarcted heart are associated with remodelling of the sarcoplasmic reticulum with respect to Ca(2+)-pump and Ca(2+)-release channels as well as contractile and regulatory proteins of the myofibrils. Myocardial infarction has also been shown to result in remodelling of the sarcolemmal membrane with respect to Ca(2+)-channels, Ca(2+)-transport systems, cardiac receptors and signal transduction mechanisms. Although information regarding remodelling of mitochondria in the infarcted heart is limited, alterations in energy yielding and Ca(2+)-accumulating systems are suspected. Accordingly, it is suggested that changes in cardiac contractile dysfunction due to myocardial infarction are associated with remodeling of both extracellular matrix and subcellular organelles in the heart.

Animals↗

Genome-wide analysis of signal transducers and regulators of mitochondrial dysfunction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of cancer cells. However, genetic response to mitochondrial dysfunction during carcinogenesis is unknown. To elucidate genetic response to mitochondrial dysfunction we used Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system. We analyzed genome-wide expression of nuclear genes involved in signal transduction and transcriptional regulation in a wild-type yeast and a yeast strain lacking the mitochondrial genome (rho(0)). Our analysis revealed that the gene encoding cAMP-dependent protein kinase subunit 3 (PKA3) was upregulated. However, the gene encoding cAMP-dependent protein kinase subunit 2 (PKA2) and the VTC1, PTK2, TFS1, CMK1, and CMK2 genes, involved in signal transduction, were downregulated. Among the known transcriptional factors, OPI1, MIG2, INO2, and ROX1 belonged to the upregulated genes, whereas MSN4, MBR1, ZMS1, ZAP1, TFC3, GAT1, ADR1, CAT8, and YAP4 including RFA1 were downregulated. RFA1 regulates DNA repair genes at the transcriptional level. RFA is also involved directly in DNA recombination, DNA replication, and DNA base excision repair. Downregulation of RFA1 in rho(0) cells is consistent with our finding that mitochondrial dysfunction leads to instability of the nuclear genome. Together, our data suggest that gene(s) involved in mitochondria-to-nucleus communication play a role in mutagenesis and may be implicated in carcinogenesis.

Cell Line↗

Toxicity of 4-chloroaniline in early life-stages of zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio): I. cytopathology of liver and kidney after microinjection.

In addition to survival and hatching parameters, cytological alterations in liver and kidney of 4- and 6-d old zebrafish larvae (Brachydanio rerio) following single microinjection of fertilized eggs at the germ-ring stage with 5, 12.5, and 25 ng 4-chloroaniline/egg were investigated by means of electron microscopy. Whereas survival remained unaffected, microinjection with 4-chloroaniline disturbed hatching of larvae. Hatching was delayed by microinjection of 12.5 ng 4-chloroaniline/egg and above when compared to controls. Cytological investigations revealed ultrastructural changes in both liver and kidney in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. In the liver, major cytopathological changes included fenestration, fragmentation, and vesiculation of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, proliferation of atypical mitochondria, and atypical lysosomes. Furthermore, myelin whorls, lipid inclusions, and cholesterol crystals were increased, whereas glycogen stores were reduced. Renal tubular cells displayed altered brush borders, proliferation of nucleoli, atypical mitochondria, fenestrated, fragmented, and vesiculated RER cisternae, as well as giant lysosomes. Most of these effects indicate cellular dysfunction (e.g., disturbance of lipid metabolism in the liver), whereas others illustrate general cellular stress-responses to chemical aggression. Comparisons of results with those of previous studies based on conventional fish exposure prove the suitability and sensitivity of microinjection bioassays with zebrafish eggs as an alternative to conventional early life-stage tests.

Aniline Compounds↗

Genetic regulation of aging.

Aging of biological systems is a complex process that is controlled by both environmental factors and the genetic constitution of the individual. Although the molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated for any system in detail, it is clear that various genetic traits are involved in the modulation of life span. In particular, the genetic information located in the mitochondria has been identified as a major genetic component. Instabilities of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress. In some cases mtDNA instabilities are related to the activity of mobile genetic elements. In addition, nuclear genes appear to be crucially involved in mtDNA maintenance. Furthermore, the initial analysis of a few cloned nuclear genes affecting life span suggests a cellular machinery dealing with various stress situations as a major component involved in the genetic control of aging. This conclusion may hold true for all biological systems and be related to a unified mechanism of aging. However, in the various lineages this mechanism may be superimposed by other species or lineage-specific mechanisms.

Aging↗

The aging myocardium: roles of mitochondrial damage and lysosomal degradation.

Myocardial aging, leading to circulatory dysfunction, complicates numerous pathologies and is an important contributor to overall mortality at old age. In cardiac myocytes, mitochondria and lysosomes suffer remarkable age-related alterations. Mitochondrial changes include structural disorganization and enlargement, while lysosomes, which are responsible for autophagic turnover of mitochondria, accumulate lipofuscin (age pigment), a polymeric, autofluorescent, undegradable material. These changes are caused by continuous physiological oxidative stress, and they advance with age because the cellular turnover machinery is inherently imperfect. Several mechanisms contribute to age-related accumulation of damaged mitochondria following initial oxidative injury. Such mechanisms may include clonal expansion of defective mitochondria, decreased propensity of altered mitochondria to become autophagocytosed (due to mitochondrial enlargement or decreased membrane damage associated with weakened respiration), suppressed autophagy because of heavy lipofuscin loading of lysosomes, and decreased efficiency of Lon and AAA proteases. Because lipofuscin-laden lysosomes still receive newly synthesized lysosomal enzymes, even though they fail to degrade the pigment, the cells become in short supply of lysosomal hydrolases for functional autophagy, further limiting mitochondrial turnover. This interrelated mitochondrial and lysosomal damage eventually results in functional failure and death of cardiac myocytes.

Aging↗

Oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular stress response in Friedreich's ataxia.

There is significant evidence that the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA), multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, may involve the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and/or reactive nitrogen species (RNS) associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. The mitochondrial genome may play an essential role in the pathogenesis of these diseases, and evidence for mitochondria being a site of damage in neurodegenerative disorders is based in part on observed decreases in the respiratory chain complex activities in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's disease. Such defects in respiratory complex activities, possibly associated with oxidant/antioxidant imbalance, are thought to underlie defects in energy metabolism and induce cellular degeneration. The precise sequence of events in FRDA pathogenesis is uncertain. The impaired intramitochondrial metabolism with increased free iron levels and a defective mitochondrial respiratory chain, associated with increased free radical generation and oxidative damage, may be considered possible mechanisms that compromise cell viability. Recent evidence suggests that frataxin might detoxify ROS via activation of glutathione peroxidase and elevation of thiols, and in addition, that decreased expression of frataxin protein is associated with FRDA. Many approaches have been undertaken to understand FRDA, but the heterogeneity of the etiologic factors makes it difficult to define the clinically most important factor determining the onset and progression of the disease. However, increasing evidence indicates that factors such as oxidative stress and disturbed protein metabolism and their interaction in a vicious cycle are central to FRDA pathogenesis. Brains of FRDA patients undergo many changes, such as disruption of protein synthesis and degradation, classically associated with the heat shock response, which is one form of stress response. Heat shock proteins are proteins serving as molecular chaperones involved in the protection of cells from various forms of stress. In the central nervous system, heat shock protein (HSP) synthesis is induced not only after hyperthermia, but also following alterations in the intracellular redox environment. The major neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), Huntington's disease (HD) and FRDA are all associated with the presence of abnormal proteins. Among the various HSPs, HSP32, also known as heme oxygenase I (HO-1), has received considerable attention, as it has been recently demonstrated that HO-1 induction, by generating the vasoactive molecule carbon monoxide and the potent antioxidant bilirubin, could represent a protective system potentially active against brain oxidative injury. Given the broad cytoprotective properties of the heat shock response there is now strong interest in discovering and developing pharmacological agents capable of inducing the heat shock response. This may open up new perspectives in medicine, as molecules inducing this defense mechanism appear to be possible candidates for novel cytoprotective strategies. In particular, manipulation of endogenous cellular defense mechanisms, such as the heat shock response, through nutritional antioxidants, pharmacological compounds or gene transduction, may represent an innovative approach to therapeutic intervention in diseases causing tissue damage, such as neurodegeneration.

Aging↗

Deciphering the cause of Friedreich ataxia.

Friedreich ataxia (FA), the most frequent cause of recessive ataxia, is attributable, in most cases, to a large expansion of an intronic GAA repeat, resulting in decreased expression of the target frataxin gene. This gene encodes a novel mitochondrial protein that has homologues of unknown function in yeast and even in gram-negative bacteria. Yeast deficient in the frataxin homologue accumulate iron in their mitochondria and show increased sensitivity to oxidative stress. This finding suggests that FA patients suffer from a mitochondrial dysfunction that causes free-radical toxicity, reminiscent of the clinically similar ataxia caused by inherited isolated vitamin E deficiency.

Animals↗

Friedreich's ataxia: clinical aspects and pathogenesis.

Friedreich's ataxia is the most frequent inherited ataxia in Caucasians. It is caused by deficiency of frataxin, a highly conserved nuclear-encoded protein localized in mitochondria. The DNA abnormality found in 98% of Friedreich's ataxia chromosomes is the unstable hyperexpansion of a GAA triplet repeat in the first intron of the frataxin gene. Most patients are homozygous for this repeat expansion. The expanded GAA repeat causes frataxin deficiency because it interferes with the transcription of the gene by adopting a non-B (probably triple helical) structure. Longer repeats cause a more profound frataxin deficiency and are associated with earlier onset and increased severity of the disease. Molecular testing has shown that the phenotypic spectrum of Friedreich's ataxia is wider than previously thought. Up to 10% of patients with recessive or sporadic degenerative ataxia who do not fulfill the Friedreich's ataxia diagnostic criteria are homozygous for expanded alleles at the Friedreich's ataxia locus. Late age of onset, retained tendon reflexes, and lack of pyramidal signs are among the atypical features observed in some patients with a positive molecular test. Yeast cells deficient in the frataxin homologue accumulate iron in mitochondria and show increased sensitivity to oxidative stress. This suggests that Friedreich's ataxia is caused by mitochondrial dysfunction and free radical toxicity, with consequent mitochondrial damage, axonal degeneration, and cell death.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Noninfectious environmental agents associated with myopathies.

Increasing attention is being focused on environmental agents as possible factors in the etiology of certain connective tissue disorders. As our awareness in this area increases, the number and diversity of these agents is expanding yearly and now includes, in addition to infectious agents, a variety of foods and dietary supplements, drugs, occupational and other toxic exposures, biologics, and medical devices. Some of these agents have been associated with the development of muscle disease through mechanisms that involve alterations in the vascular supply to muscle, depletion of electrolytes, direct toxic effects on mitochondria or other metabolic processes, or activation of the immune system. Individual host susceptibility factors, including preexisting organ dysfunction and particular metabolizer or immunogenetic phenotypes, also appear to be important for development of the clinical syndromes identified as environmentally associated myopathies. Although data in this area are limited, they suggest that when susceptible individuals are exposed to selected agents, physiologic alterations occur that lead to myopathy. Physician awareness of chemicals implicated with myopathy and dissection of their pathogenetic mechanisms through human and animal studies may aid in the identification of additional toxic agents, minimize new cases in the future, and lead to a better understanding of the idiopathic myopathies.

Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions↗

Uncoupling proteins, dietary fat and the metabolic syndrome.

There has been intense interest in defining the functions of UCP2 and UCP3 during the nine years since the cloning of these UCP1 homologues. Current data suggest that both UCP2 and UCP3 proteins share some features with UCP1, such as the ability to reduce mitochondrial membrane potential, but they also have distinctly different physiological roles. Human genetic studies consistently demonstrate the effect of UCP2 alleles on type-2 diabetes. Less clear is whether UCP2 alleles influence body weight or body mass index (BMI) with many studies showing a positive effect while others do not. There is strong evidence that both UCP2 and UCP3 protect against mitochondrial oxidative damage by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species. The evidence that UCP2 protein is a negative regulator of insulin secretion by pancreatic beta-cells is also strong: increased UCP2 decreases glucose stimulated insulin secretion ultimately leading to beta-cell dysfunction. UCP2 is also neuroprotective, reducing oxidative stress in neurons. UCP3 may also transport fatty acids out of mitochondria thereby protecting the mitochondria from fatty acid anions or peroxides. Current data suggest that UCP2 plays a role in the metabolic syndrome through down-regulation of insulin secretion and development of type-2 diabetes. However, UCP2 may protect against atherosclerosis through reduction of oxidative stress and both UCP2 and UCP3 may protect against obesity. Thus, these UCP1 homologues may both contribute to and protect from the markers of the metabolic syndrome.

Journal Article↗