Academic literature on the topic 'Mitochondrial derivative. eng'

Abstract We have recently shown that B-cell non Hodgkin’s lymphoma express the transcription factor PPARγ and undergo apoptosis upon exposure to PPARγ ligands. The synthetic triterpenoid CDDO is a specific ligand for PPARγ, and CDDO and its derivatives, CDDO-Im and DI-CDDO, induce diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL) death (OCI Ly10 and OCI Ly19 cells), with a potency of DI-CDDO>CDDO-Im>CDDO, suggesting that such agents have therapeutic potential in lymphoma. The natural PPARγ ligand, 15d-PGJ2 (which also elicits DLCL death), has previously been shown to inhibit mitochondrial complex I, enhance mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and react with protein thiols. Given that CDDO is structurally similar to 15d-PGJ2 we hypothesized that CDDO-induced cell death may similarly be mediated via complex I inhibition, ROS generation, thiol oxidation, and opening of a large membrane pore complex in the mitochondrial membrane, termed the “permeability transition” (PT) pore. Studies on isolated rat liver mitochondria however showed that none of the CDDO-derivatives inhibited complex I activity or affected mitochondrial protein thiols. However, all three compounds did induce PT pore opening and mitochondrial swelling, with a concurrent loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, in a Ca2+ dependent manner (potency DI-CDDO>CDDO-Im>CDDO). This is consistent with a previously shown role for Ca2+ in CDDO-induced cell death. Interestingly, this mitochondrial swelling was not inhibited by the classical PT pore inhibitor cyclosporin A (CsA). This is supported by our findings that the induction of OCI-Ly19 cell death by CDDO was also not inhibited by CsA, or by another classical PT pore inhibitor, nortriptyline. These phenomena may be partially explained by invoking the “unregulated PT pore”. In addition to the classical PT pore, a non-CsA sensitive “unregulated PT pore” also exists, which is generated by the aggregation of misfolded mitochondrial membrane proteins that are induced by oxidants and thiol reactive agents. That exposure of mitochondria to CDDO results in the formation of “unregulated PT pores” is supported by our findings that the proteosome inhibitor PS341, potentiates CDDO-induced cell death, suggesting the involvement of a protein folding response. The temporal role of ROS in CDDO-induced cell death was also investigated, and it was found that the antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine did not inhibit PT pore opening, but did inhibit cell death. This is consistent with our observation that ROS generation in isolated mitochondria was not immediately triggered by CDDO, but rather increased at delayed time points, placing it downstream of PT pore opening. This proposes the following novel model of a direct mitochondrial effect of CDDO and its derivatives: \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \[CDDO{\rightarrow}\ mitochondrial\ protein\ misfolding\ {\rightarrow}\ unregulated\ PT\ pore\ formation\ {\rightarrow}\ ROS\ {\rightarrow}\ cell\ death\] \end{document} In summary: CDDO and its derivatives have direct effects on mitochondria, and represent novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of patients with DLCL; and combinations of CDDO and its derivatives with proteosome inhibitors represent a rational combination to test in the context of clinical trials.

Mitochondria can synthesize a limited number of proteins encoded by mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) by using their own biosynthetic machinery, whereas most of the proteins in mitochondria are imported from the cytosol. It could be hypothesized that the mitochondrial pool of amino acids follows the frequency of amino acids in mtDNA-encoded proteins or, alternatively, that the profile is the result of the participation of amino acids in pathways other than protein synthesis (e.g. haem biosynthesis and aminotransferase reactions). These hypotheses were tested by evaluating the pool of free amino acids and derivatives in highly-coupled purified liver mitochondria obtained from rats fed on a nutritionally adequate diet for growth. Our results indicated that the pool mainly reflects the amino acid composition of mtDNA-encoded proteins, suggesting that there is a post-translational control of protein synthesis. This conclusion was supported by the following findings: (i) correlation between the concentration of free amino acids in the matrix and the frequency of abundance of amino acids in mtDNA-encoded proteins; (ii) the similar ratios of essential-to-non-essential amino acids in mtDNA-encoded proteins and the mitochondrial pool of amino acids; and (iii), lack of a correlation between codon usage or tRNA levels and amino-acid concentrations. Quantitative information on the mammalian mitochondrial content of amino acids, such as that presented in the present study, along with functional studies, will help us to better understand the pathogenesis of mitochondrial diseases or the biochemical implications in mitochondrial metabolism.

Oxysterols are oxygenated derivatives of cholesterol that may be formed endogenously or absorbed from the diet. Significant amounts of oxysterols have frequently been identified in foods of animal origin, in particular highly processed foods. To date, oxysterols have been shown to possess diverse biological activities; however, recent attention has focused on their potential role in the development of atherosclerosis. Oxysterols have been reported to induce apoptosis in cells of the arterial wall, a primary process in the development of atheroma. The aim of the present study was to identify the role of the mitochondria in the apoptotic pathways induced by the oxysterols 7β-hydroxycholesterol (7β-OH) and cholesterol-5β,6β-epoxide (β-epoxide) in U937 cells. To this end, we investigated the effects of these oxysterols on mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-8 activity, the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and cytochrome c release. 7β-OH-induced apoptosis was associated with a loss in mitochondrial membrane potential after 2 h, accompanied by cytochrome c release from the mitochondria into the cytosol after 16 h. Pre-treatment with a range of inhibitors of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore protected against 7β-OH-induced cell death. In contrast, β-epoxide induced a slight increase in caspase-8 activity but had no effect on mitochondrial membrane potential or cytochrome c release. The present results confirm that 7β-OH-induced apoptosis occurs via the mitochondrial pathway and highlights differences in the apoptotic pathways induced by 7β-OH and β-epoxide in U937 cells.

Melatonin combats molecular terrorism at the mitochondrial levelThe intracellular environmental is a hostile one. Free radicals and related oxygen and nitrogen-based oxidizing agents persistently pulverize and damage molecules in the vicinity of where they are formed. The mitochondria especially are subjected to frequent and abundant oxidative abuse. The carnage that is left in the wake of these oxygen and nitrogen-related reactants is referred to as oxidative damage or oxidative stress. When mitochondrial electron transport complex inhibitors are used, e.g., rotenone, 1-methyl-1-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, 3-nitropropionic acid or cyanide, pandemonium breaks loose within mitochondria as electron leakage leads to the generation of massive amounts of free radicals and related toxicants. The resulting oxidative stress initiates a series of events that leads to cellular apoptosis. To alleviate mitochondrial destruction and the associated cellular implosion, the cell has at its disposal a variety of free radical scavengers and antioxidants. Among these are melatonin and its metabolites. While melatonin stimulates several antioxidative enzymes it, as well as its metabolites (cyclic 3-hydroxymelatonin, N1-acetyl-N2-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine and N1-acetyl-5-methoxykynuramine), likewise effectively neutralize free radicals. The resulting cascade of reactions greatly magnifies melatonin's efficacy in reducing oxidative stress and apoptosis even in the presence of mitochondrial electron transport inhibitors. The actions of melatonin at the mitochondrial level are a consequence of melatonin and/or any of its metabolites. Thus, the molecular terrorism meted out by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species is held in check by melatonin and its derivatives.

Photosensitizing biomolecules (PSBM) represent a new generation of light-absorbing compounds with improved optical and physicochemical properties for biomedical applications. Despite numerous advances in lipid-, polymer-, and protein-based PSBMs, their effective use requires a fundamental understanding of how macromolecular structure influences the physicochemical and biological properties of the photosensitizer. Here, we prepared and characterized three well-defined PSBMs based on a clinically used photosensitizer, benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD). The PSBMs include 16:0 lysophosphocholine-BPD (16:0 Lyso PC-BPD), distearoyl-phosphoethanolamine-polyethylene-glycol-BPD (DSPE-PEG-BPD), and anti-EGFR cetuximab-BPD (Cet-BPD). In two glioma cell lines, DSPE-PEG-BPD exhibited the highest singlet oxygen yield but was the least phototoxic due to low cellular uptake. The 16:0 Lyso PC-BPD was most efficient in promoting cellular uptake but redirected BPD’s subcellular localization from mitochondria to lysosomes. At 24 h after incubation, proteolyzed Cet-BPD was localized to mitochondria and effectively disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential upon light activation. Our results revealed the variable trafficking and end effects of PSBMs, providing valuable insights into methods of PSBM evaluation, as well as strategies to select PSBMs based on subcellular targets and cytotoxic mechanisms. We demonstrated that biologically informed combinations of PSBMs to target lysosomes and mitochondria, concurrently, may lead to enhanced therapeutic effects against gliomas.

ABSTRACT Mitochondrial F1Fo-ATP synthase complexes do not exist as physically independent entities but rather form dimeric and possibly oligomeric complexes in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Stable dimerization of two F1Fo-monomeric complexes involves the physical association of two membrane-embedded Fo-sectors. Previously, formation of the ATP synthase dimeric-oligomeric network was demonstrated to play a critical role in modulating the morphology of the mitochondrial inner membrane. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, subunit e (Su e) of the Fo-sector plays a central role in supporting ATP synthase dimerization. The Su e protein is anchored to the inner membrane via a hydrophobic region located at its N-terminal end. The hydrophilic C-terminal region of Su e resides in the intermembrane space and contains a conserved coiled-coil motif. In the present study, we focused on characterizing the importance of these regions for the function of Su e. We created a number of C-terminal-truncated derivatives of the Su e protein and expressed them in the Su e null yeast mutant. Mitochondria were isolated from the resulting transformant strains, and a number of functions of Su e were analyzed. Our results indicate that the N-terminal hydrophobic region plays important roles in the Su e-dependent processes of mitochondrial DNA maintenance, modulation of mitochondrial morphology, and stabilization of the dimer-specific Fo subunits, subunits g and k. Furthermore, we show that the C-terminal coiled-coil region of Su e functions to stabilize the dimeric form of detergent-solubilized ATP synthase complexes. Finally, we propose a model to explain how Su e supports the assembly of the ATP synthase dimers-oligomers in the mitochondrial membrane.

3-Amino-1-phenylprop-1-ene (cinnamylamine) and some derivatives were examined as substrates for monoamine oxidases A and B in mitochondria. All of the amines examined were readily oxidized by monoamine oxidase B but much less readily by monoamine oxidase A. E-Cinnamylamine was found to have Km 0.025 mM and Vmax. 3.9 nmol/min per mg of mitochondrial protein. Corresponding values with monoamine oxidase A were 0.026 mM and 0.85 nmol/min per mg respectively. Despite their different stereochemistry, E- and Z-N-methylcinnamylamines were almost equally effective as substrates for monoamine oxidase B. The characteristic u.v. absorbance and high absorption coefficient of cinnamaldehyde, the product produced by enzymic oxidation of cinnamylamine, is utilized in a sensitive continuous spectrophotometric assay for both enzymes in the rat and for the assay of a purified monoamine oxidase B from bovine liver.

Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome with poor clinical outcomes despite the growing number of therapeutic approaches. It is characterized by interstitial fibrosis, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, activation of various intracellular signalling pathways, and damage of the mitochondrial network. Mitochondria are responsible for supplying the energy demand of cardiomyocytes; therefore, the damage of the mitochondrial network causes cellular dysfunction and finally leads to cell death. BGP-15, a hydroxylamine derivative, is an insulin-sensitizer molecule and has a wide range of cytoprotective effects in animal as well as in human studies. Our recent work was aimed at examining the effects of BGP-15 in a chronic hypertension-induced heart failure model. 15-month-old male SHRs were used in our experiment. The SHR-Baseline group represented the starting point ( n = 7 ). Animals received BGP-15 (SHR-B, n = 7 ) or placebo (SHR-C, n = 7 ) for 18 weeks. WKY rats were used as age-matched normotensive controls ( n = 7 ). The heart function was monitored by echocardiography. Histological preparations were made from cardiac tissue. The levels of signalling proteins were determined by Western blot. At the end of the study, systolic and diastolic cardiac function was preserved in the BGP-treated animals. BGP-15 decreased the interstitial collagen deposition via decreasing the activity of TGFβ/Smad signalling factors and prevented the cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in hypertensive animals. BGP-15 enhanced the prosurvival signalling pathways (Akt/Gsk3β). The treatment increased the activity of MKP1 and decreased the activity of p38 and JNK signalling routes. The mitochondrial mass of cardiomyocytes was also increased in BGP-15-treated SHR animals due to the activation of mitochondrial biogenesis. The mitigation of remodelling processes and the preserved systolic cardiac function in hypertension-induced heart failure can be a result—at least partly—of the enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis caused by BGP-15.

Vaccine adjuvants enhance and prolong pathogen-specific protective immune responses. Recent reports indicate that host factors—such as aging, pregnancy, and genetic polymorphisms—influence efficacies of vaccines adjuvanted with Toll-like receptor (TLR) or known pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) agonists. Although PRR independent adjuvants (e.g., oil-in-water emulsion and saponin) are emerging, these adjuvants induce some local and systemic reactogenicity. Hence, new TLR and PRR-independent adjuvants that provide greater potency alone or in combination without compromising safety are highly desired. Previous cell-based high-throughput screenings yielded a small molecule 81 [N-(4-chloro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-ethoxybenzenesulfonamide], which enhanced lipopolysaccharide-induced NF-κB and type I interferon signaling in reporter assays. Here compound 81 activated innate immunity in primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). The innate immune activation by 81 was independent of TLRs and other PRRs and was significantly reduced in mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS)-deficient BMDCs. Compound 81 activities were mediated by mitochondrial dysfunction as mitophagy inducers and a mitochondria specific antioxidant significantly inhibited cytokine induction by 81. Both compound 81 and a derivative obtained via structure–activity relationship studies, 2F52 [N-benzyl-N-(4-chloro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-ethoxybenzenesulfonamide] modestly increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and induced the aggregation of MAVS. Neither 81 nor 2F52 injected as adjuvants caused local or systemic toxicity in mice at effective concentrations for vaccination. Furthermore, vaccination with inactivated influenza virus adjuvanted with 2F52 demonstrated protective effects in a murine lethal virus challenge study. As an unconventional and safe adjuvant that does not require known PRRs, compound 2F52 could be a useful addition to vaccines.

Background: Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide, despite many different drugs available to treat the disease. This high mortality rate is largely due to the complexity of the disease, which results from several genetic and epigenetic changes. Therefore, researchers are constantly searching for novel drugs that can target different and multiple aspects of cancer. Experimental: After a screening, we selected one novel molecule, out of ninety-four triazole derivatives, that strongly affects the viability and proliferation of the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7, with minimal effects on non-cancer cells. The drug, named DAN94, induced a dose-dependent decrease in MCF-7 cells viability, with an IC50 of 3.2 ± 0.2 µM. Additionally, DAN94 interfered with mitochondria metabolism promoting reactive oxygen species production, triggering apoptosis and arresting the cancer cells on G1/G0 phase of cell cycle, inhibiting cell proliferation. These effects are not observed when the drug was tested in the non-cancer cell line MCF10A. Using a mouse model with xenograft tumor implants, the drug preventing tumor growth presented no toxicity for the animal and without altering biochemical markers of hepatic function. Results and Conclusion: The novel drug DAN94 is selective for cancer cells, targeting the mitochondrial metabolism, which culminates in the cancer cell death. In the end, DAN94 has been shown to be a promising drug for controlling breast cancer with minimal undesirable effects.

Orientador: Mary Massumi Itoyama
Banca: Fernanda Cristina Alcantara dos Santos
Banca: Sandra Regina de Carvalho Marchesin
Resumo: No presente trabalho verificamos que os testículos possuem morfologias diferentes podendo ser arredondados, arredondados/espiralados ou alongados/espiralados. Com relação à morfometria das células em prófase I, B. micantulum e R. zela foram as que apresentaram as menores células, G. f. flavus foi a que apresentou maior tamanho e R. c. crassifemur e M. brasiliensis apresentaram tamanho intermediário. A avaliação da espermatogênese nos permitiu concluir que as características observadas são semelhantes às das outras espécies de Heteroptera, descritas na literatura, diferindo apenas com relação à morfologia dos testículos, o número de cromossomos e o sistema cromossômico do sexo. A análise das ultraestruturas observadas durante a espermatogênese de Gelastocoris flavus flavus e Martarega uruguayensis mostraram a presença de várias mitocôndrias pequenas e uniformemente distribuidas pelo citoplasma em células em profase I, de ambas espécies, que foram se unindo formando o complexo mitocondrial, que possui no seu interior as mitocôndrias enoveladas, posteriormente este complexo mitocondrial se divide em duas estruturas denominadas derivados mitocondriais, que se dispõem bilateralmente ao axonema. O axonema dessas espécies possui o padrão de 9+9+2. A formação do acrossomo inicia-se nos primeiros estágios da espermiogênese sendo composto de muitas vesículas acrossomais que se unem formando uma única estrutura, sendo observada regiões e algumas estruturas mais coradas em seu interior. Basicamente o processo de espermiogênese não diferiu entre as duas espécies analisadas
Abstract: In this study, we found different morphologies for testes of the Heteroptera species Belostoma anurum, B. micantulum, Gelastocoris angulatus, G. flavus flavus, Rheumatobates crassifemur crassifemur, Buenoa amnigenus, B. unguis, Martarega brasiliensis, M. membranacea, M. uruguayensis, Rhagovelia tenuipes and R. zela. They can by round, round/spiral and elongated/spiral. The size of prophase I cells also varied, being the smallest ones detected in B. micantulum and R. zela, the largest in G. f. flavus, and the intermediate in R. c. crassifemur and M. brasiliensis. The analyses of spermatogenesis allowed us to conclude that, in the studied species, the features are similar to those of other previously described Heteroptera species, differing only as to the testicular morphology, the chromosome number, and the sex chromosome system. Ultrastructural analysis of the spermatogenesis showed several small mitochondrias evenly distributed throughout the cytoplasm, in cells at prophase I of G. f. flavus and M. uruguayensis. The small mitochondrias joined to form the mitochondrial complex. Later, this mitochondrial complex divided into two structures called mitochondrial derivatives, located bilaterally to the axoneme. The axoneme of these species showed the flagellar pattern 9+9+2. The acrosome started to be formed in the early stages of spermiogenesis, being composed of many acrosome vesicles that join to form a single structure. Some regions within this structure were more strongly stained. Basically the process of spermiogenesis did not differ between the species G. f. flavus and M. uruguayensis
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