Ubiquinone Analogs: A Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore-Dependent Pathway to Selective Cell Death

International audienceBACKGROUND: Prolonged opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) leads to cell death. Various ubiquinone analogs have been shown to regulate PTP opening but the outcome of PTP regulation by ubiquinone analogs on cell fate has not been studied yet. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The effects of ubiquinone 0 (Ub(0)), ubiquinone 5 (Ub(5)), ubiquinone 10 (Ub(10)) and decyl-ubiquinone (DUb) were studied in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes, cultured rat liver Clone-9 cells and cancerous rat liver MH1C1 cells. PTP regulation by ubiquinones differed significantly in permeabilized Clone-9 and MH1C1 cells from that previously reported in liver mitochondria. Ub(0) inhibited PTP opening in isolated hepatocytes and Clone-9 cells, whereas it induced PTP opening in MH1C1 cells. Ub(5) did not affect PTP opening in isolated hepatocytes and MH1C1 cells, but it induced PTP opening in Clone-9 cells. Ub(10) regulated PTP in isolated hepatocytes, whereas it did not affect PTP opening in Clone-9 and MH1C1 cells. Only DUb displayed the same effect on PTP regulation in the three hepatocyte lines tested. Despite such modifications in PTP regulation, competition between ubiquinones still occurred in Clone-9 and MH1C1 cells. As expected, Ub(5) induced a PTP-dependent cell death in Clone-9, while it did not affect MH1C1 cell viability. Ub(0) induced a PTP-dependent cell death in MH1C1 cells, but was also slightly cytotoxic in Clone-9 by an oxidative stress-dependent mechanism. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We found that various ubiquinone analogs regulate PTP in different ways depending on the cell studied. We took advantage of this unique property to develop a PTP opening-targeted strategy that leads to cell death specifically in cells where the ubiquinone analog used induces PTP opening, while sparing the cells in which it does not induce PTP opening

Methods for Assessing Mitochondrial Function in Diabetes

A growing body of research is investigating the potential contribution of mitochondrial function to the etiology of type 2 diabetes. Numerous in vitro, in situ, and in vivo methodologies are available to examine various aspects of mitochondrial function, each requiring an understanding of their principles, advantages, and limitations. This review provides investigators with a critical overview of the strengths, limitations and critical experimental parameters to consider when selecting and conducting studies on mitochondrial function. In vitro (isolated mitochondria) and in situ (permeabilized cells/tissue) approaches provide direct access to the mitochondria, allowing for study of mitochondrial bioenergetics and redox function under defined substrate conditions. Several experimental parameters must be tightly controlled, including assay media, temperature, oxygen concentration, and in the case of permeabilized skeletal muscle, the contractile state of the fibers. Recently developed technology now offers the opportunity to measure oxygen consumption in intact cultured cells. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy provides the most direct way of assessing mitochondrial function in vivo with interpretations based on specific modeling approaches. The continuing rapid evolution of these technologies offers new and exciting opportunities for deciphering the potential role of mitochondrial function in the etiology and treatment of diabetes

Practical guidelines for rigor and reproducibility in preclinical and clinical studies on cardioprotection

The potential for ischemic preconditioning to reduce infarct size was first recognized more than 30 years ago. Despite extension of the concept to ischemic postconditioning and remote ischemic conditioning and literally thousands of experimental studies in various species and models which identified a multitude of signaling steps, so far there is only a single and very recent study, which has unequivocally translated cardioprotection to improved clinical outcome as the primary endpoint in patients. Many potential reasons for this disappointing lack of clinical translation of cardioprotection have been proposed, including lack of rigor and reproducibility in preclinical studies, and poor design and conduct of clinical trials. There is, however, universal agreement that robust preclinical data are a mandatory prerequisite to initiate a meaningful clinical trial. In this context, it is disconcerting that the CAESAR consortium (Consortium for preclinicAl assESsment of cARdioprotective therapies) in a highly standardized multi-center approach of preclinical studies identified only ischemic preconditioning, but not nitrite or sildenafil, when given as adjunct to reperfusion, to reduce infarct size. However, ischemic preconditioning—due to its very nature—can only be used in elective interventions, and not in acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, better strategies to identify robust and reproducible strategies of cardioprotection, which can subsequently be tested in clinical trials must be developed. We refer to the recent guidelines for experimental models of myocardial ischemia and infarction, and aim to provide now practical guidelines to ensure rigor and reproducibility in preclinical and clinical studies on cardioprotection. In line with the above guideline, we define rigor as standardized state-of-the-art design, conduct and reporting of a study, which is then a prerequisite for reproducibility, i.e. replication of results by another laboratory when performing exactly the same experiment

Fluorometric Methods for Detection of Mitochondrial Membrane Depolarization Induced by CD95 Activation

International audienceMitochondria are key organelles implicated in energy supply and apoptosis. Therefore, tracking mitochondria and measuring their membrane potential is of crucial interest to monitor the CD95-mediated apoptotic signal. In this chapter, we report how we evaluate the drop of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential in leukemic cells and adherent triple negative breast cancer cells exposed to cytotoxic CD95L. We describe a simple, robust, and well-established protocol using classical fluorescent probes, DIOC6(3) and TMRM. Living cells are loaded with these cationic dyes, which accumulate in mitochondria. After CD95 activation, organelle depolarization is assessed using flow cytometry

Mitochondrial NM23-H4/NDPK-D Supports Cardiolipin Signaling to Eliminate Depolarized Mitochondria by Mitophagy

International audienceThe well-established function of the hexameric intermembrane space protein, NDPK-D/NM23-H4, is phosphotransfer activity as a nucleoside diphosphate kinase. However, recent data revealed a second function in lipid signaling that is involved in mitophagy, a critical process for cell homeostasis. Externalization of the inner mitochondrial membrane phospholipid, cardiolipin (CL), to the mitochondrial surface was identified as a mitophageal signal, recognized by the microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3. Here we demonstrate that NDPK-D binds CL and facilitates its re-distribution to the outer mitochondrial membrane. We found that mitophagy induced by a protonophoric uncoupler, CCCP, caused externalization of CL to the surface of mitochondria in murine lung epithelial MLE-12 cells and human cervical adenocarcinoma HeLa cells. RNAi knockdown of endogenous NDPK-D decreased CCCP-induced CL externalization and mitochondrial degradation. A R90D NDPK-D mutant which does not bind CL was inactive in promoting mitophagy. In situ proximity ligation assay showed that mitophagy-inducing CL transfer activity of NDPK-D is closely associated with the dynamin-like GTPase OPA1, and OPA1 silencing favored NDPK-D supported CL transfer, implicating fission-fusion dynamics in mitophagy regulation

Melatonin drives apoptosis in head and neck cancer by increasing mitochondrial ROS generated via reverse electron transport.

The oncostatic effects of melatonin correlate with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, but how melatonin induces this ROS generation is unknown. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the two seemingly opposing actions of melatonin regarding its relationship with free radicals. We analyzed the effects of melatonin on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines (Cal-27 and SCC-9), which were treated with 0.5 or 1 mM melatonin. We further examined the potential effects of melatonin to induce ROS and apoptosis in Cal-27 xenograft mice. Here we report that melatonin mediates apoptosis in head and neck cancer by driving mitochondrial reverse electron transport (RET) to induce ROS production. Melatonin-induced changes in tumoral metabolism led to increased mitochondrial activity, which, in turn, induced ROS-dependent mitochondrial uncoupling. Interestingly, mitochondrial complex inhibitors, including rotenone, abolished the ROS elevation indicating that melatonin increased ROS generation via RET. Melatonin also increased membrane potential and CoQ10 H2 /CoQ10 ratio to elevate mitochondrial ROS production, which are essential conditions for RET. We found that genetic manipulation of cancer cells with alternative oxidase, which transfers electrons from QH2 to oxygen, inhibited melatonin-induced ROS generation, and apoptosis. RET restored the melatonin-induced oncostatic effect, highlighting the importance of RET as the site of ROS production. These results illustrate that RET and ROS production are crucial factors in melatonin's effects in cancer cells and establish the dual effect of melatonin in protecting normal cells and inducing apoptosis in cancer cells

Mitochondrial NM23-H4/NDPk-D is Multifunctional: Fueling Mitochondrial GTPase OPA1 and Triggering Mitophagy

International audienceNM23-H4/NDPK-D forms symmetrical homohexameric complexes in the mitochondrial inter-membrane space. The well-established function of NM23-H4 is phosphotransfer activity as a nucleoside diphosphate kinase, using mitochondrial ATP to regenerate NTPs, especially GTP. NM23-H4 also strongly binds in vitro to anionic phospholipids, mainly cardiolipin (CL), and in vivo to the mitochondrial inner membrane (MIM). Membrane-binding seems to be important for close co-localization of NM23-H4 with mitochondrial OPA1, a dynamin-like GTPase, involved in fusion of MIM. NM23-H4/OPA1 association increases GTP-loading on OPA1. Like OPA1 loss-of-function, silencing of NM23-H4, but not cytosolic NM23-H1/H2, results in mitochondrial fragmentation, reflecting fusion defects. Thus, NM23-H4 interacts with and provides GTP to OPA1, similar to what is observed for cytosolic NM23 isoforms which interact with endocytic dynamin-1 and −2 and provide GTP for efficient dynamin-mediated endocytosis (Boissan et al.2014, Science 344:1510). Such close association allows these motor proteins to work with high thermodynamic efficiency. Earlier, we have shown that NM23-H4, when fully bound simultaneously to MIM and outer membrane (MOM), loses its kinase activity, but becomes competent to support intermembrane lipid transfer. This depends on the presence of the mitochondria-specific CL, and allows CL to move from its site of synthesis, MIM, to the opposed MOM (Schlattner et al.2013, JBC 288:111). Once CL is externalized at the mitochondrial surface, it can serve as a recognition signal for the autophageal machinery, leading to the elimination of damaged mitochondria. In cells treated with a protonophoric uncoupler, CCCP, CL externalization and mitophagy are stimulated only by transfection with NM23-H4 wild-type, but not R90D-mutant, incapable of CL binding. Similarly, in mouse lung epithelial cells, knocking-down NM23-H4 suppresses CL externalization and mitophagy. These findings suggest that NM23-H4 has dual functions in bioenergetics and lipid signaling leading to autophagy

NDPK-D (NM23-H4)-mediated externalization of cardiolipin enables elimination of depolarized mitochondria by mitophagy

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