Granzyme B-induced mitochondrial ROS are required for apoptosis

Caspases and the cytotoxic lymphocyte protease granzyme B (GB) induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, loss of transmembrane potential and mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP). Whether ROS are required for GB-mediated apoptosis and how GB induces ROS is unclear. Here, we found that GB induces cell death in an ROS-dependent manner, independently of caspases and MOMP. GB triggers ROS increase in target cell by directly attacking the mitochondria to cleave NDUFV1, NDUFS1 and NDUFS2 subunits of the NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex I inside mitochondria. This leads to mitocentric ROS production, loss of complex I and III activity, disorganization of the respiratory chain, impaired mitochondrial respiration and loss of the mitochondrial cristae junctions. Furthermore, we have also found that GB-induced mitocentric ROS are necessary for optimal apoptogenic factor release, rapid DNA fragmentation and lysosomal rupture. Interestingly, scavenging the ROS delays and reduces many of the features of GB-induced death. Consequently, GB-induced ROS significantly promote apoptosis

Severe encephalopathy associated to pyruvate dehydrogenase mutations and unbalanced coenzyme Q10 content

Coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) deficiency is associated to a variety of clinical phenotypes including neuromuscular and nephrotic disorders. We report two unrelated boys presenting encephalopathy, ataxia, and lactic acidosis, who died with necrotic lesions in different areas of brain. Levels of CoQ(10) and complex II+III activity were increased in both skeletal muscle and fibroblasts, but it was a consequence of higher mitochondria mass measured as citrate synthase. In fibroblasts, oxygen consumption was also increased, whereas steady state ATP levels were decreased. Antioxidant enzymes such as NQO1 and MnSOD and mitochondrial marker VDAC were overexpressed. Mitochondria recycling markers Fis1 and mitofusin, and mtDNA regulatory Tfam were reduced. Exome sequencing showed mutations in PDHA1 in the first patient and in PDHB in the second. These genes encode subunits of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH) that could explain the compensatory increase of CoQ(10) and a defect of mitochondrial homeostasis. These two cases describe, for the first time, a mitochondrial disease caused by PDH defects associated with unbalanced of both CoQ(10) content and mitochondria homeostasis, which severely affects the brain. Both CoQ(10) and mitochondria homeostasis appears as new markers for PDH associated mitochondrial disorders