Ketohexokinase-C regulates global protein acetylation to decrease carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a-mediated fatty acid oxidation.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The consumption of sugar and a high-fat diet (HFD) promotes the development of obesity and metabolic dysfunction. Despite their well-known synergy, the mechanisms by which sugar worsens the outcomes associated with a HFD are largely elusive. METHODS: Six-week-old, male, C57Bl/6 J mice were fed either chow or a HFD and were provided with regular, fructose- or glucose-sweetened water. Moreover, cultured AML12 hepatocytes were engineered to overexpress ketohexokinase-C (KHK-C) using a lentivirus vector, while CRISPR-Cas9 was used to knockdown CPT1α. The cell culture experiments were complemented with in vivo studies using mice with hepatic overexpression of KHK-C and in mice with liver-specific CPT1α knockout. We used comprehensive metabolomics, electron microscopy, mitochondrial substrate phenotyping, proteomics and acetylome analysis to investigate underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: Fructose supplementation in mice fed normal chow and fructose or glucose supplementation in mice fed a HFD increase KHK-C, an enzyme that catalyzes the first step of fructolysis. Elevated KHK-C is associated with an increase in lipogenic proteins, such as ACLY, without affecting their mRNA expression. An increase in KHK-C also correlates with acetylation of CPT1α at K508, and lower CPT1α protein in vivo. In vitro, KHK-C overexpression lowers CPT1α and increases triglyceride accumulation. The effects of KHK-C are, in part, replicated by a knockdown of CPT1α. An increase in KHK-C correlates negatively with CPT1α protein levels in mice fed sugar and a HFD, but also in genetically obese db/db and lipodystrophic FIRKO mice. Mechanistically, overexpression of KHK-C in vitro increases global protein acetylation and decreases levels of the major cytoplasmic deacetylase, SIRT2. CONCLUSIONS: KHK-C-induced acetylation is a novel mechanism by which dietary fructose augments lipogenesis and decreases fatty acid oxidation to promote the development of metabolic complications. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: Fructose is a highly lipogenic nutrient whose negative consequences have been largely attributed to increased de novo lipogenesis. Herein, we show that fructose upregulates ketohexokinase, which in turn modifies global protein acetylation, including acetylation of CPT1a, to decrease fatty acid oxidation. Our findings broaden the impact of dietary sugar beyond its lipogenic role and have implications on drug development aimed at reducing the harmful effects attributed to sugar metabolism.

Clinically relevant mitochondrial-targeted therapy improves chronic outcomes after traumatic brain injury.

Pioglitazone, an FDA-approved compound, has been shown to target the novel mitochondrial protein mitoNEET and produce short-term neuroprotection and functional benefits following traumatic brain injury. To expand on these findings, we now investigate the dose- and time-dependent effects of pioglitazone administration on mitochondrial function after experimental traumatic brain injury. We then hypothesize that optimal pioglitazone dosing will lead to ongoing neuroprotection and cognitive benefits that are dependent on pioglitazone-mitoNEET signalling pathways. We show that delayed intervention is significantly more effective than early intervention at improving acute mitochondrial bioenergetics in the brain after traumatic brain injury. In corroboration, we demonstrate that mitoNEET is more heavily expressed, especially near the cortical contusion, in the 18 h following traumatic brain injury. To explore whether these findings relate to ongoing pathological and behavioural outcomes, mice received controlled cortical impact followed by initiation of pioglitazone treatment at either 3 or 18 h post-injury. Mice with treatment initiation at 18 h post-injury exhibited significantly improved behaviour and tissue sparing compared to mice with pioglitazone initiated at 3 h post-injury. Further using mitoNEET knockout mice, we show that this therapeutic effect is dependent on mitoNEET. Finally, we demonstrate that delayed pioglitazone treatment improves serial motor and cognitive performance in conjunction with attenuated brain atrophy after traumatic brain injury. This study illustrates that mitoNEET is the critical target for delayed pioglitazone intervention after traumatic brain injury, mitochondrial-targeting is highly time-dependent after injury and there is an extended therapeutic window to effectively treat mitochondrial dysfunction after brain injury.

Cerium dioxide, a Jekyll and Hyde nanomaterial, can increase basal and decrease elevated inflammation and oxidative stress.

It was hypothesized that the catalyst nanoceria can increase inflammation/oxidative stress from the basal and reduce it from the elevated state. Macrophages clear nanoceria. To test the hypothesis, M0 (non-polarized), M1- (classically activated, pro-inflammatory), and M2-like (alternatively activated, regulatory phenotype) RAW 264.7 macrophages were nanoceria exposed. Inflammatory responses were quantified by IL-1ß level, arginase activity, and RT-qPCR and metabolic changes and oxidative stress by the mito and glycolysis stress tests (MST and GST). Morphology was determined by light microscopy, macrophage phenotype marker expression, and a novel three-dimensional immunohistochemical method. Nanoceria blocked IL-1ß and arginase effects, increased M0 cell OCR and GST toward the M2 phenotype and altered multiple M1- and M2-like cell endpoints toward the M0 level. M1-like cells had greater volume and less circularity/roundness. M2-like cells had greater volume than M0 macrophages. The results are overall consistent with the hypothesis.

The Mitochondrial mitoNEET Ligand NL-1 Is Protective in a Murine Model of Transient Cerebral Ischemic Stroke.

PURPOSE: Therapeutic strategies to treat ischemic stroke are limited due to the heterogeneity of cerebral ischemic injury and the mechanisms that contribute to the cell death. Since oxidative stress is one of the primary mechanisms that cause brain injury post-stroke, we hypothesized that therapeutic targets that modulate mitochondrial function could protect against reperfusion-injury after cerebral ischemia, with the focus here on a mitochondrial protein, mitoNEET, that modulates cellular bioenergetics. METHOD: In this study, we evaluated the pharmacology of the mitoNEET ligand NL-1 in an in vivo therapeutic role for NL-1 in a C57Bl/6 murine model of ischemic stroke. RESULTS: NL-1 decreased hydrogen peroxide production with an IC50 of 5.95 µM in neuronal cells (N2A). The in vivo activity of NL-1 was evaluated in a murine 1 h transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (t-MCAO) model of ischemic stroke. We found that mice treated with NL-1 (10 mg/kg, i.p.) at time of reperfusion and allowed to recover for 24 h showed a 43% reduction in infarct volume and 68% reduction in edema compared to sham-injured mice. Additionally, we found that when NL-1 was administered 15 min post-t-MCAO, the ischemia volume was reduced by 41%, and stroke-associated edema by 63%. CONCLUSION: As support of our hypothesis, as expected, NL-1 failed to reduce stroke infarct in a permanent photothrombotic occlusion model of stroke. This report demonstrates the potential therapeutic benefits of using mitoNEET ligands like NL-1 as novel mitoceuticals for treating reperfusion-injury with cerebral stroke.

Formoterol, a ß2-adrenoreceptor agonist, induces mitochondrial biogenesis and promotes cognitive recovery after traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to acute necrosis at the site of injury followed by a sequence of secondary events lasting from hours to weeks and often years. Targeting mitochondrial impairment following TBI has shown improvements in brain mitochondrial bioenergetics and neuronal function. Recently formoterol, a highly selective ß2-adrenoreceptor agonist, was found to induce mitochondrial biogenesis (MB) via Gßγ-Akt-eNOS-sGC pathway. Activation of MB is a novel approach that has been shown to restore mitochondrial function in several disease and injury models. We hypothesized that activation of MB as a target of formoterol after TBI would mitigate mitochondrial dysfunction, enhance neuronal function and improve behavioral outcomes. TBI-injured C57BL/6 male mice were injected (i.p.) with vehicle (normal saline) or formoterol (0.3 mg/kg) at 15 min, 8 h, 16 h, 24 h and then daily after controlled cortical impact (CCI) until euthanasia. After CCI, mitochondrial copy number and bioenergetic function were decreased in the ipsilateral cortex of the CCI-vehicle group. Compared to CCI-vehicle, cortical and hippocampal mitochondrial respiration rates as well as cortical mitochondrial DNA copy number were increased in the CCI-formoterol group. Mitochondrial Ca2+ buffering capacity in the hippocampus was higher in the CCI-formoterol group compared to CCI-vehicle group. Both assessments of cognitive performance, novel object recognition (NOR) and Morris water maze (MWM), decreased following CCI and were restored in the CCI-formoterol group. Although no changes were seen in the amount of cortical tissue spared between CCI-formoterol and CCI-vehicle groups, elevated levels of hippocampal neurons and improved white matter sparing in the corpus callosum were observed in CCI-formoterol group. Collectively, these results indicate that formoterol-mediated MB activation may be a potential therapeutic target to restore mitochondrial bioenergetics and promote functional recovery after TBI.

Biogenic amines and activity levels alter the neural energetic response to aggressive social cues in the honey bee Apis mellifera.

Mitochondrial activity is highly dynamic in the healthy brain, and it can reflect both the signaling potential and the signaling history of neural circuits. Recent studies spanning invertebrates to mammals have highlighted a role for neural mitochondrial dynamics in learning and memory processes as well as behavior. In the current study, we investigate the interplay between biogenic amine signaling and neural energetics in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. In this species, aggressive behaviors are regulated by neural energetic state and biogenic amine titers, but it is unclear how these mechanisms are linked to impact behavioral expression. We show that brain mitochondrial number is highest in aggression-relevant brain regions and in individual bees that are most responsive to aggressive cues, emphasizing the importance of energetics in modulating this phenotype. We also show that the neural energetic response to alarm pheromone, an aggression inducing social cue, is activity dependent, modulated by the "fight or flight" insect neurotransmitter octopamine. Two other neuroactive compounds known to cause variation in aggression, dopamine, and serotonin, also modulate neural energetic state in aggression-relevant regions of the brain. However, the effects of these compounds on respiration at baseline and following alarm pheromone exposure are distinct, suggesting unique mechanisms underlying variation in mitochondrial respiration in these circuits. These results motivate new explanations for the ways in which biogenic amines alter sensory perception in the context of aggression. Considering neural energetics improves predictions about the regulation of complex and context-dependent behavioral phenotypes.

Mitochondrial uncoupling prodrug improves tissue sparing, cognitive outcome, and mitochondrial bioenergetics after traumatic brain injury in male mice.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in cognitive impairment, which can be long-lasting after moderate to severe TBI. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapeutics to treat the devastating consequences of TBI and improve recovery. This study utilizes a prodrug of 2,4-dinitrophenol, MP201, a mitochondrial uncoupler with extended elimination time, that was administered after TBI to target mitochondrial dysfunction, a hallmark of TBI. Using a model of cortical impact in male C57/BL6 mice, MP201 (80 mg/kg) was provided via oral gavage 2-hr post-injury and daily afterwards. At 25-hr post-injury, mice were euthanized and the acute rescue of mitochondrial bioenergetics was assessed demonstrating a significant improvement in both the ipsilateral cortex and ipsilateral hippocampus after treatment with MP201. Additionally, oxidative markers, 4-hydroxyneneal and protein carbonyls, were reduced compared to vehicle animals after MP201 administration. At 2-weeks post-injury, mice treated with MP201 post-injury (80 mg/kg; q.d.) displayed significantly increased cortical sparing (p = .0059; 38% lesion spared) and improved cognitive outcome (p = .0133) compared to vehicle-treated mice. Additionally, vehicle-treated mice had significantly lower (p = .0019) CA3 neuron count compared to sham while MP201-treated mice were not significantly different from sham levels. These results suggest that acute mitochondrial dysfunction can be targeted to impart neuroprotection from reactive oxygen species, but chronic administration may have an added benefit in recovery. This study highlights the potential for safe, effective therapy by MP201 to alleviate negative outcomes of TBI.

Brain mitochondrial bioenergetics change with rapid and prolonged shifts in aggression in the honey bee, Apis mellifera.

Neuronal function demands high-level energy production, and as such, a decline in mitochondrial respiration characterizes brain injury and disease. A growing number of studies, however, link brain mitochondrial function to behavioral modulation in non-diseased contexts. In the honey bee, we show for the first time that an acute social interaction, which invokes an aggressive response, may also cause a rapid decline in brain mitochondrial bioenergetics. The degree and speed of this decline has only been previously observed in the context of brain injury. Furthermore, in the honey bee, age-related increases in aggressive tendency are associated with increased baseline brain mitochondrial respiration, as well as increased plasticity in response to metabolic fuel type in vitro Similarly, diet restriction and ketone body feeding, which commonly enhance mammalian brain mitochondrial function in vivo, cause increased aggression. Thus, even in normal behavioral contexts, brain mitochondria show a surprising degree of variation in function over both rapid and prolonged time scales, with age predicting both baseline function and plasticity in function. These results suggest that mitochondrial function is integral to modulating aggression-related neuronal signaling. We hypothesize that variation in function reflects mitochondrial calcium buffering activity, and that shifts in mitochondrial function signal to the neuronal soma to regulate gene expression and neural energetic state. Modulating brain energetic state is emerging as a critical component of the regulation of behavior in non-diseased contexts.

Carisbamate blockade of T-type voltage-gated calcium channels.

OBJECTIVES: Carisbamate (CRS) is a novel monocarbamate compound that possesses antiseizure and neuroprotective properties. However, the mechanisms underlying these actions remain unclear. Here, we tested both direct and indirect effects of CRS on several cellular systems that regulate intracellular calcium concentration [Ca2+ ]i . METHODS: We used a combination of cellular electrophysiologic techniques, as well as cell viability, Store Overload-Induced Calcium Release (SOICR), and mitochondrial functional assays to determine whether CRS might affect [Ca2+ ]i levels through actions on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, and/or T-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. RESULTS: In CA3 pyramidal neurons, kainic acid induced significant elevations in [Ca2+ ]i and long-lasting neuronal hyperexcitability, both of which were reversed in a dose-dependent manner by CRS. Similarly, CRS suppressed spontaneous rhythmic epileptiform activity in hippocampal slices exposed to zero-Mg2+ or 4-aminopyridine. Treatment with CRS also protected murine hippocampal HT-22 cells against excitotoxic injury with glutamate, and this was accompanied by a reduction in [Ca2+ ]i . Neither kainic acid nor CRS alone altered the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ) in intact, acutely isolated mitochondria. In addition, CRS did not affect mitochondrial respiratory chain activity, Ca2+ -induced mitochondrial permeability transition, and Ca2+ release from the ER. However, CRS significantly decreased Ca2+ flux in human embryonic kidney tsA-201 cells transfected with Cav 3.1 (voltage-dependent T-type Ca2+ ) channels. SIGNIFICANCE: Our data indicate that the neuroprotective and antiseizure activity of CRS likely results in part from decreased [Ca2+ ]i accumulation through blockade of T-type Ca2+ channels.

Ketone bodies mediate antiseizure effects through mitochondrial permeability transition.

OBJECTIVE: Ketone bodies (KB) are products of fatty acid oxidation and serve as essential fuels during fasting or treatment with the high-fat antiseizure ketogenic diet (KD). Despite growing evidence that KB exert broad neuroprotective effects, their role in seizure control has not been firmly demonstrated. The major goal of this study was to demonstrate the direct antiseizure effects of KB and to identify an underlying target mechanism. METHODS: We studied the effects of both the KD and KB in spontaneously epileptic Kcna1-null mice using a combination of behavioral, planar multielectrode, and standard cellular electrophysiological techniques. Thresholds for mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT) were determined in acutely isolated brain mitochondria. RESULTS: KB alone were sufficient to: (1) exert antiseizure effects in Kcna1-null mice, (2) restore intrinsic impairment of hippocampal long-term potentiation and spatial learning-memory defects in Kcna1-null mutants, and (3) raise the threshold for calcium-induced mPT in acutely prepared mitochondria from hippocampi of Kcna1-null animals. Targeted deletion of the cyclophilin D subunit of the mPT complex abrogated the effects of KB on mPT, and in vivo pharmacological inhibition and activation of mPT were found to mirror and reverse, respectively, the antiseizure effects of the KD in Kcna1-null mice. INTERPRETATION: The present data reveal the first direct link between mPT and seizure control, and provide a potential mechanistic explanation for the KD. Given that mPT is increasingly being implicated in diverse neurological disorders, our results suggest that metabolism-based treatments and/or metabolic substrates might represent a worthy paradigm for therapeutic development.

Identification of small molecules that bind to the mitochondrial protein mitoNEET.

MitoNEET (CISD1) is a 2Fe-2S iron-sulfur cluster protein belonging to the zinc-finger protein family. Recently mitoNEET has been shown to be a major role player in the mitochondrial function associated with metabolic type diseases such as obesity and cancers. The anti-diabetic drug pioglitazone and rosiglitazone were the first identified ligands to mitoNEET. Since little is known about structural requirements for ligand binding to mitoNEET, we screened a small set of compounds to gain insight into these requirements. We found that the thiazolidinedione (TZD) warhead as seen in rosiglitazone was not an absolutely necessity for binding to mitoNEET. These results will aid in the development of novel compounds that can be used to treat mitochondrial dysfunction seen in several diseases.

Changes in mitochondrial bioenergetics in the brain versus spinal cord become more apparent with age.

The cell is known to be the most basic unit of life. However, this basic unit of life is dependent on the proper function of many intracellular organelles to thrive. One specific organelle that has vast implications on the overall health of the cell and cellular viability is the mitochondrion. These cellular power plants generate the energy currency necessary for cells to maintain homeostasis and function properly. Additionally, when mitochondria become dysfunctional, they can orchestrate the cell to undergo cell-death. Therefore, it is important to understand what insults can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction in order to promote cell health and increase cellular viability. After years of research, is has become increasingly accepted that age has a negative effect on mitochondrial bioenergetics. In support of this, we have found decreased mitochondrial bioenergetics with increased age in Sprague-Dawley rats. Within this same study we found a 200 to 600% increase in ROS production in old rats compared to young rats. Additionally, the extent of mitochondrial dysfunction and ROS production seems to be spatially defined affecting the spinal cord to a greater extent than certain regions of the brain. These tissue specific differences in mitochondrial function may be the reason why certain regions of the Central Nervous System, CNS, are disproportionately affected by aging and may play a pivotal role in specific age-related neurodegenerative diseases like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS.

The role of mitochondrial uncoupling in the regulation of mitostasis after traumatic brain injury.

Mitostasis, the maintenance of healthy mitochondria, plays a critical role in brain health. The brain's high energy demands and reliance on mitochondria for energy production make mitostasis vital for neuronal function. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) disrupts mitochondrial homeostasis, leading to secondary cellular damage, neuronal degeneration, and cognitive deficits. Mild mitochondrial uncoupling, which dissociates ATP production from oxygen consumption, offers a promising avenue for TBI treatment. Accumulating evidence, from endogenous and exogenous mitochondrial uncoupling, suggests that mitostasis is closely regulating by mitochondrial uncoupling and cellular injury environments may be more sensitive to uncoupling. Mitochondrial uncoupling can mitigate calcium overload, reduce oxidative stress, and induce mitochondrial proteostasis and mitophagy, a process that eliminates damaged mitochondria. The interplay between mitochondrial uncoupling and mitostasis is ripe for further investigation in the context of TBI. These multi-faceted mechanisms of action for mitochondrial uncoupling hold promise for TBI therapy, with the potential to restore mitochondrial health, improve neurological outcomes, and prevent long-term TBI-related pathology.

Azithromycin reduces hemoglobin-induced innate neuroimmune activation.

Neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) releases blood products into the lateral ventricles and brain parenchyma. There are currently no medical treatments for IVH and surgery is used to treat a delayed effect of IVH, post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus. However, surgery is not a cure for intrinsic brain injury from IVH, and is performed in a subacute time frame. Like many neurological diseases and injuries, innate immune activation is implicated in the pathogenesis of IVH. Innate immune activation is a pharmaceutically targetable mechanism to reduce brain injury and post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus after IVH. Here, we tested the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin, which has immunomodulatory properties, to reduce innate immune activation in an in vitro model of microglial activation using the blood product hemoglobin (Hgb). We then utilized azithromycin in our in vivo model of IVH, using intraventricular blood injection into the lateral ventricle of post-natal day 5 rat pups. In both models, azithromycin modulated innate immune activation by several outcome measures including mitochondrial bioenergetic analysis, cytokine expression and flow cytometric analysis. This suggests that azithromycin, which is safe for neonates, could hold promise for modulating innate immune activation after IVH.

mTOR inhibition enhances synaptic and mitochondrial function in Alzheimer's disease in an APOE genotype-dependent manner.

Apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE4) carriers develop brain metabolic dysfunctions decades before the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). A goal of the study is to identify if rapamycin, an inhibitor for the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, would enhance synaptic and mitochondrial function in asymptomatic mice with human APOE4 gene (E4FAD) before they showed metabolic deficits. A second goal is to determine whether there may be genetic-dependent responses to rapamycin when compared to mice with human APOE3 alleles (E3FAD), a neutral AD genetic risk factor. We fed asymptomatic E4FAD and E3FAD mice with control or rapamycin diets for 16 weeks from starting from 3 months of age. Neuronal mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and excitatory neurotransmission rates were measured using in vivo 1H-[13C] proton-observed carbon-edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and isolated mitochondrial bioenergetic measurements using Seahorse. We found that rapamycin enhanced neuronal mitochondrial function, glutamate-glutamine cycling, and TCA cycle rates in the asymptomatic E4FAD mice. In contrast, rapamycin enhances glycolysis, non-neuronal activities, and inhibitory neurotransmission of the E3FAD mice. These findings indicate that rapamycin might be able to mitigate the risk for AD by enhancing brain metabolic functions for cognitively intact APOE4 carriers, and the responses to rapamycin are varied by APOE genotypes. Consideration of precision medicine may be needed for future rapamycin therapeutics.

Overexpression of manganese superoxide dismutase mitigates ACL injury-induced muscle atrophy, weakness and oxidative damage.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the etiology of skeletal muscle weakness following joint injury. We investigated longitudinal patient muscle samples following knee injury (anterior cruciate ligament tear). Following injury, transcriptomic analysis revealed downregulation of mitochondrial metabolism-related gene networks, which were supported by reduced mitochondrial respiratory flux rates. Additionally, enrichment of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related pathways were upregulated in muscle following knee injury, and further investigation unveiled marked oxidative damage in a progressive manner following injury and surgical reconstruction. We then investigated whether antioxidant protection is effective in preventing muscle atrophy and weakness after knee injury in mice that overexpress Mn-superoxide dismutase (MnSOD+/-). MnSOD+/- mice showed attenuated oxidative damage, atrophy, and muscle weakness compared to wild type littermate controls following ACL transection surgery. Taken together, our results indicate that ROS-related damage is a causative mechanism of muscle dysfunction after knee injury, and that mitochondrial antioxidant protection may hold promise as a therapeutic target to prevent weakness and development of disability.

Shared and cell type-specific mitochondrial defects and metabolic adaptations in primary cells from PINK1-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) cause early-onset recessive parkinsonism. PINK1 and Parkin regulate mitochondrial quality control. However, PINK1 ablation in Drosophila and cultured mammalian cell lines affected mitochondrial function/dynamics in opposite ways, confounding the elucidation of the role of PINK1 in these processes. OBJECTIVE: We recently generated PINK1-deficient (PINK1-/-) mice and reasoned that primary cells from these mice provide a more physiological substrate to study the role of PINK1 in mammals and to investigate metabolic adaptations and neuron-specific vulnerability in PINK1 deficiency. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using real-time measurement of oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification, we show that basal mitochondrial respiration is increased, while maximum respiration and spare respiratory capacity are decreased in PINK1-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF), as is the membrane potential. In addition, a Warburg-like effect in PINK1-/- MEF promotes survival that is abrogated by inhibition of glycolysis. Expression of uncoupling protein-2 is decreased in PINK1-/- MEF and the striatum of PINK1-/- mice, possibly increasing the sensitivity to oxidative stress. Mitochondria accumulate in large foci in PINK1-/- MEF, indicative of abnormal mitochondrial dynamics and/or transport. Like in PINK1-/- Drosophila, enlarged/swollen mitochondria accumulate in three different cell types from PINK1-/- mice (MEF, primary cortical neurons and embryonic stem cells). However, mitochondrial enlargement is greatest and most prominent in primary cortical neurons that also develop cristae fragmentation and disintegration. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal mechanisms of PINK1-related parkinsonism, show that the function of PINK1 is conserved between Drosophila and mammals when studied in primary cells, and demonstrate that the same PINK1 mutation can affect mitochondrial morphology/degeneration in a cell type-specific manner, suggesting that tissue-/cell-specific metabolic capacity and adaptations determine phenotypes and cellular vulnerability in PINK1-/- mice and cells.

Inhibition of monoamine oxidase-a increases respiration in isolated mouse cortical mitochondria.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is an enzyme located on the outer mitochondrial membrane that metabolizes amine substrates like serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. MAO inhibitors (MAOIs) are frequently utilized to treat disorders such as major depression or Parkinson's disease (PD), though their effects on brain mitochondrial bioenergetics are unclear. These studies measured bioenergetic activity in mitochondria isolated from the mouse cortex in the presence of inhibitors of either MAO-A, MAO-B, or both isoforms. We found that only 10 µM clorgyline, the selective inhibitor of MAO-A and not MAO-B, increased mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate in State V(CI) respiration compared to vehicle treatment. We then assessed mitochondrial bioenergetics, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and Electron Transport Chain (ETC) complex function in the presence of 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, or 80 µM of clorgyline to determine if this change was dose-dependent. The results showed increased oxygen consumption rates across the majority of respiration states in mitochondria treated with 5, 10, or 20 µM with significant bioenergetic inhibition at 80 µM clorgyline. Next, we assessed mitochondrial ROS production in the presence of the same concentrations of clorgyline in two different states: high mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) induced by oligomycin and low ΔΨm induced by carbonyl cyanide 4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone (FCCP). There were no changes in ROS production in the presence of 5, 10, 20, or 40 µM clorgyline compared to vehicle after the addition of oligomycin or FCCP. There was a significant increase in mitochondrial ROS in the presence of 80 µM clorgyline after FCCP addition, as well as reduced Complex I and Complex II activities, which are consistent with inhibition of bioenergetics seen at this dose. There were no changes in Complex I, II, or IV activities in mitochondria treated with low doses of clorgyline. These studies shed light on the direct effect of MAO-A inhibition on brain mitochondrial bioenergetic function, which may be a beneficial outcome for those taking these medications.

Characterizing Sex Differences in Mitochondrial Dysfunction After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by an impact or penetrating injury to the head resulting in abnormal brain function. Mitochondrial dysfunction is an important hallmark of TBI and has been thoroughly studied in male rodent models of brain injury, but relatively little is known about these outcomes in females. These studies were designed to examine sex as a biological variable for mitochondria-related outcomes after the severe controlled cortical impact (CCI) mouse model of TBI. Synaptic and non-synaptic mitochondria were isolated from the sham- or CCI-injured cortex as well as the hippocampus ipsilateral to the craniotomy 3, 12, 24, or 48 h post-surgery, and then bioenergetics were measured. Subtle variations were observed in the timeline of mitochondrial dysfunction between sexes. Non-synaptic cortical mitochondria from injured females showed early impairment at 12 h post-CCI compared to mitochondria from injured males at 24 h post-CCI. Contrastingly, in the synaptic fraction, mitochondria from injured males showed early impairment at 12 h post-CCI, whereas mitochondria from injured females showed impairment at 24 h post-CCI. Based on bioenergetic impairments at 24 h post-CCI, synaptic and non-synaptic mitochondrial calcium loading was also measured at this time point. Consistent with bioenergetic data at 24 h, non-synaptic mitochondria from injured males had increased calcium loading compared to uninjured control, but this effect was not observed in females. Finally, histological assessment of cortical tissue sparing in each sex was measured at 7 days post-injury. There was a lack of sex-based differences in cortical tissue sparing after severe CCI. Overall, there were some subtle sex differences in mitochondrial outcomes after CCI, but these findings were not statistically significant. This study highlights the importance of utilizing both sexes when measuring mitochondrial function after severe CCI.

Pioglitazone restores mitochondrial function but does not spare cortical tissue following mild brain contusion.

Pioglitazone interacts through the mitochondrial protein mitoNEET to improve brain bioenergetics following traumatic brain injury. To provide broader evidence regarding the therapeutic effects of pioglitazone after traumatic brain injury, the current study is focused on immediate and delayed therapy in a model of mild brain contusion. To assess pioglitazone therapy on mitochondrial bioenergetics in cortex and hippocampus, we use a technique to isolate subpopulations of total, glia-enriched and synaptic mitochondria. Pioglitazone treatment was initially administered at either 0.25, 3, 12 or 24 h following mild controlled cortical impact. At 48 h post-injury, ipsilateral cortex and hippocampus were dissected and mitochondrial fractions were isolated. Maximal mitochondrial respiration injury-induced deficits were observed in total and synaptic fractions, and 0.25 h pioglitazone treatment following mild controlled cortical impact was able to restore respiration to sham levels. While there are no injury-induced deficits in hippocampal fractions, we do find that 3 h pioglitazone treatment after mild controlled cortical impact can significantly increase maximal mitochondrial bioenergetics compared to vehicle-treated mild controlled cortical impact group. However, delayed pioglitazone treatment initiated at either 3 or 24 h after mild brain contusion does not improve spared cortical tissue. We demonstrate that synaptic mitochondrial deficits following mild focal brain contusion can be restored with early initiation of pioglitazone treatment. Further investigation is needed to determine functional improvements with pioglitazone beyond that of overt cortical tissue sparing following mild contusion traumatic brain injury.