Protection from inactivation of the adenine nucleotide translocator during hypoglycaemia-induced apoptosis by mitochondrial phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase.

We demonstrated that mitochondrial phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (PHGPx) first suppressed the dissociation of cytochrome c (cyt c) from cardiolipin (CL) in mitochondrial inner membranes and then apoptosis caused by the hypoglycaemia by the prevention of peroxidation of CL [Nomura, Imai, Koumura, Arai and Nakagawa (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 29294-29302; Nomura, Imai, Koumura, Kobayashi and Nakagawa (2000) Biochem. J. 351, 183-193]. The present study shows the involvement of peroxidation of CL in the inactivation of adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) and the opening of permeability transition pores by using the system of ANT-reconstituted liposome and isolated mitochondria. ANT activity appeared in dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine proteoliposome containing 10% (mol/mol) CL or phosphatidylglycerol (PG), but not other classes of phospholipids. ANT activity was competitively inhibited by the addition of cardiolipin hydroperoxide (CLOOH) in reconstituted liposomes containing CL. However, phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide failed to inactivate the activity of ANT. The activity of ANT in reconstituted liposomes, including CLOOH, recovered when CLOOH in reconstituted liposome was reduced to hydroxycardiolipin by incubation with PHGPx. The activity of ANT was determined in rat basophil leukaemia RBL2H3 cells after their exposure to 2-deoxyglucose. ANT activity decreased to 50% of the control level by 4 h in response to apoptosis. In parallel, cyt c and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) were released from mitochondria. Suppression of the accumulation of CLOOH by overexpression of PHGPx in mitochondria effectively prevented the inactivation of ANT, the opening of permeability transition pores and the release of cyt c and AIF from mitochondria in hypoglycaemia-induced apoptotic cells. These findings suggest that mitochondrial PHGPx might be involved in the modulation of the activity of ANT and the opening of pores for the release of cyt c via the modulation of levels of CLOOH in the mitochondria

Muscle choline kinase beta defect causes mitochondrial dysfunction and increased mitophagy.

Choline kinase is the first step enzyme for phosphatidylcholine (PC) de novo biosynthesis. Loss of choline kinase activity in muscle causes rostrocaudal muscular dystrophy (rmd) in mouse and congenital muscular dystrophy in human, characterized by distinct mitochondrial morphological abnormalities. We performed biochemical and pathological analyses on skeletal muscle mitochondria from rmd mice. No mitochondria were found in the center of muscle fibers, while those located at the periphery of the fibers were significantly enlarged. Muscle mitochondria in rmd mice exhibited significantly decreased PC levels, impaired respiratory chain enzyme activities, decreased mitochondrial ATP synthesis, decreased coenzyme Q and increased superoxide production. Electron microscopy showed the selective autophagic elimination of mitochondria in rmd muscle. Molecular markers of mitophagy, including Parkin, PINK1, LC3, polyubiquitin and p62, were localized to mitochondria of rmd muscle. Quantitative analysis shows that the number of mitochondria in muscle fibers and mitochondrial DNA copy number were decreased. We demonstrated that the genetic defect in choline kinase in muscle results in mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent mitochondrial loss through enhanced activation of mitophagy. These findings provide a first evidence for a pathomechanistic link between de novo PC biosynthesis and mitochondrial abnormality

Roles of Mitochondria-Generated Reactive Oxygen Species on X-ray-Induced Apoptosis in a Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line, HLE

HLE, a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line was transiently transfected with normal human MnSOD and MnSOD without a mitochondrial target signal (MTS). Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation and apoptosis were examined as a function of time following 18.8 Gy X-ray irradiation. Our results showed that the level of mitochondrial ROS increased and reached a maximum level 2 hours after X-ray irradiation. Authentic MnSOD, but not MnSOD lacking MTS, protected against mitochondrial ROS, lipid peroxidation and apoptosis. In addition, the levels of mitochondrial ROS were consistently found to always correlate with the levels of authentic MnSOD in mitochondria. These results suggest that only when MnSOD is located in mitochondria is it efficient in protecting against cellular injuries by X-ray irradiation and that mitochondria are the critical sites of X-ray-induced cellular oxidative injuries

A Congenital Muscular Dystrophy with Mitochondrial Structural Abnormalities Caused by Defective De Novo Phosphatidylcholine Biosynthesis

Congenital muscular dystrophy is a heterogeneous group of inherited muscle diseases characterized clinically by muscle weakness and hypotonia in early infancy. A number of genes harboring causative mutations have been identified, but several cases of congenital muscular dystrophy remain molecularly unresolved. We examined 15 individuals with a congenital muscular dystrophy characterized by early-onset muscle wasting, mental retardation, and peculiar enlarged mitochondria that are prevalent toward the periphery of the fibers but are sparse in the center on muscle biopsy, and we have identified homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the gene encoding choline kinase beta (CHKB). This is the first enzymatic step in a biosynthetic pathway for phosphatidylcholine, the most abundant phospholipid in eukaryotes. In muscle of three affected individuals with nonsense mutations, choline kinase activities were undetectable, and phosphatidylcholine levels were decreased. We identified the human disease caused by disruption of a phospholipid de novo biosynthetic pathway, demonstrating the pivotal role of phosphatidylcholine in muscle and brain