Purpose To investigate mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA) mutations in optic neuritis of unknow reason (ONUR) and to assess the pathogenic and differential diagnostic values of screening for mt-DNA mutations in ONUR. Method Thirty patients with ONUR were screened for mt-DNA mutations by using SSCP,mutation-specific primer PCR and sequencing. Results mt-DNA mutations were found in 12 out of the thirty patients.All of the mutations were at 11778 position,but no one at 3460 and 15257. Conclusions Quite a number of patients (12/30,40%) with ONUR were caused actually by mt-DNA mutation．Screening for mt-DNA mutation in these patients has a pathogenic and differential diagnostic significance. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis,2000,16:78-79)
ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of circular RNA mitochondrial fusin 2 (circ-MFN2) in pancreatic cancer and analyze its correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis.MethodsThe expressions of circ-MFN2 miRNA in 55 cases of pancreatic cancer tissues and serum were detected by qRT-PCR, and analyzed the correlation between circ-MFN2 and clinicopathological factors of pancreatic cancer and prognosis. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of expression of circ-MFN2 miRNA in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were statistically analyzed. ROC curve was used to analyze its efficacy as a biomarker for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.ResultsCompared with paracancerous tissues of pancreatic cancer and serum of healthy control group, circ-MFN2 miRNA was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer tissues and serum, and the difference were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). Chi square test showed that the expression of circ-MFN2 miRNA in pancreatic cancer tissues was not related to age, gender, tumor size, pathological type, and tumor site (P>0.05), but was significantly related to CA19-9 level, TNM stage, tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of expression of circ-MFN2 miRNA for pancreatic cancer were 72.7%, 70.9% and 83.6% respectively, which were all higher than that of CA19-9 (54.5%, 50.9% and 52.7%, P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the median survival time of pancreatic cancer patients with high expression of circ-MFN2 miRNA was significantly shorter than that of patients with low expression (9.1 months vs 22.3 months, P<0.05). The area under ROC curve of circ-MFN2 miRNA as a serum biomarker for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was 0.861 [95%CI (0.775, 1.157), P=0.000]. Cox multivariate analysis showed that the expression of cirC-MFN2 miRNA and lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors for the prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients.ConclusionsCirc-MFN2 miRNA is highly expressed in pancreatic cancer tissues, and it is related to the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients. It is expected to be a new molecular marker to predict the prognosis of pancreatic cancer.
Objective To investigate the major types and clinical manifestations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)mutations in Chinese patients with Leber′s hereditary optic neuropathy(LHON). Methods A total of 119 patients with bilateral optic neuropathy from 117 pedigrees, including 37 with determinate diagnosis of LHON(group A) and 82 with suspected LHON(group B),were tested for mtDNA mutations by using single-strand conformational polymorphism, mutation-specific primer polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Pertinent clinical data and history of the patients with the 11778 mutation were collected. Results Nucleotide positions(np)11778 mutation and np 14484 mutation was found in 33 (89.2%) and 3 (8.1%) patients respectively in group A, while np 11778 mutation was obtained in 26（31.7%）in group B. No 3460 mutation was found in group A or B. The clinical manifestations of 59 patients with np 11778 mutation were as follows: acute or chronic visual loss，no ophthalmalgia, the age of onset of 10-25, and either a central or paracentral scotoma in perimetry. The visual recovery rate was 8.6%～11.6%. Conclusion Chinese patients with LHON have a very high incidence of np 11778 mutation and the clinical manifestations of the patients with np 11778 mutation are similar to those of Caucasian patients. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis，2004，20：78-80)
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite the development and use of several targeting drugs for lung cancer therapy, the five-year survival rate has remained as low as 15% for the past three decades. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is considered the first-line therapeutic strategy for lung cancer. However, developments of chemoresistance is a major obstacle for the successful treatment. Therefore, the development of novel therapy against cisplatin-resistance lung cancer is imperative. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which is a non-invasive combinatorial therapeutic modality using light, photosensitizer (PS) and oxygen, may provide an unprecedented tool to develop more effective treatments. To provide experimental basis for its application in cisplatin-resistance lung cancer, we will discuss the biological effects of MPPa-photodynamic therapy in human cisplatin-resistance lung cancer cells in this article. Human cisplatin-resistance lung cancer cells A549/DDP were co-cultured with MPPa (0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 μmol/L) and exposed to light (0, 0.6, 1.2, 2.4, 3.6, 4.8 J/cm2), and cell viability was determined with CCK-8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis, DCFH-DA staining was employed to observe reactive oxygen species (ROS), and Western blot was used to detect the expressions of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein and Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax). The proliferation of A549/DDP cells was suppressed by PDT. The apop-totic rate in the PDT group was significantly higher than that in the control, MPPa or light group (P < 0.05). The level of ROS was increased. The expression of Bax was increased, and that of Bcl-2 was decreased. MPPa-photodynamic therapy can significantly suppress cell viability, and induce apoptosis in human cisplatin-resistance lung cancer cells.
ObjectiveTo explore the effects and molecular mechanisms of histone methylase G9a inhibitor BIX-01294 on apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).MethodsMTT assay and Colony-forming Units were adopted to determine the effects of BIX-01294 on the growth and proliferation of ESCC cell lines EC109 and KYSE150. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the apoptosis status of ESCC cells after the treatment of BIX-01294. The effects of BIX-01294 treatment on the expressions of G9a catalytic product H3K9me2, DNA double-strand break (DSB) markers, and apoptosis-related proteins were detected by Western blotting.ResultsBIX-01294 inhibited the growth of EC109 and KYSE150 cells in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05), and BIX-01294 with the inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) significantly inhibited the formation of colony (P<0.05). After 24 hours treatment of BIX-01294 (IC50), the apoptosis rate of EC109 cells increased from 11.5%±2.1% to 42.5%±5.4%, and KYSE150 cells from 7.5%±0.9% to 49.2%±5.2% (P<0.05). The expression level of the G9a catalytic product, H3K9me2, significantly decreased (P<0.05); while the expression of the DSB marker γH2AX was dramatically enhanced (P<0.05). We also found that the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was activated and the expression levels of cleaved caspase3 and cleaved PARP were significantly elevated (P<0.05).ConclusionBIX-01294, the inhibitor of methyltransferase G9a, prompted apoptosis in ESCC cells by inducing DSB damage and activating mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.
Objective To investigate the effect of mitochondrial fission mediated by mitochondrial dynamics related protein 1 (DRP1) on glucose metabolism reprogramming in lung cancer cells, and the regulatory mechanism on phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway. Methods Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression of DRP1 in lung cancer tissue and lung cancer cells. Mitochondrial fission inhibitor (Mdivi-1) and Mdivi-1+PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activator 740Y-P were used to treat H1299 cells. Mitochondrial fission agonist (WY14643) + signal inhibitor LY294002 were used to intervene PC14 cells. The reagent kit was used to detect the glucose consumption, lactate release, and ATP production of each group of cells. 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) labeling experiment was used to detect the proliferation of cells in each group, and acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining was used to detect the apoptosis of cells in each group. MitoTracker Red CMXRos was used to detect the mitochondrial morphology of each group of cells. Tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) staining was used to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential of cells. Dihydroethidium (DHE) staining was used to detect the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells. Western blot was used to detect was used to detect the expression of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), hexokinase 2 (HK2), phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK1), DRP1, phosphorylated DRP1 (p-DRP1), PI3K, Akt, phosphorylated PI3K (p-PI3K), and phosphorylated Ak t(p-Akt) in each group of cells. Results The mRNA expression of DRP1 was significantly increased in lung cancer tissue and lung cancer cells. Mdivi-1 promoted the development of lung cancer and exerts anticancer effects, while activating PI3K/Akt signaling could partially reverse the anticancer effects of Mdivi-1. WY14643 exerted a pro-cancer effect, and inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling could partially reverse the pro-cancer effect of WY14643, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions In lung cancer, the expression of DRP1 is significantly increased, and DRP1 affects the glycolysis process and proliferation performance of lung cancer cells by regulating the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling.
Objective To investigate the changes in mitochondrial morphology, structure and function in rats with severe intermittent hypoxia, as well as the effects of intermittent hypoxia and its severity on cognitive function. Methods A total of 18 rats were selected to construct a model of severe intermittent hypoxia, which were divided into a normal control group, an intermittent air control group, and a 5% intermittent hypoxia group for 8 weeks, with 6 rats in each group. The structural and functional changes of mitochondria in the hippocampal CA1 region were observed. A total of 30 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: a normal control group, an intermittent air control group, a 5% intermittent hypoxia 4-week group, a 5% intermittent hypoxia 6-week group, and a 5% intermittent hypoxia 8-week group, with 6 rats in each group. The cognitive function of the rats in each group was evaluated by Morris water maze experiment. Results In the mitochondria of the hippocampal CA1 region of severely intermittent hypoxic rats, bilayer membranes or multilayer membranes were visible, the mitochondria were swollen, cristae were broken and vacuolated, and their respiratory function was significantly weakened, the membrane permeability was increased, and the membrane potential was reduced. In the Morris water maze, there was no significant difference in swimming speed between the rats. With the prolongation of intermittent hypoxia action time, the latency of finding the hidden platform in each group of rats increased significantly, and the residence time of the target quadrant decreased significantly. Conclusions Mitochondrial structure in the hippocampal CA1 region of the rat brain is destroyed during severe intermittent hypoxia, and dysfunction and cognitive impairment occur. With the prolongation of intermittent hypoxic injury, the degree of cognitive impairment worsens.
ObjectiveTo elucidate the metabolic characteristics of mitochondria in sepsis and review its cellular mechanism, so as to provide new ideas for the treatment of sepsis. MethodThe previous literatures and latest research results about mitochondrial metabolism during sepsis were reviewed. ResultsAt present, the researchers were not only concerned about the inflammatory response of sepsis, but also concerned about the systemic metabolic disorder caused by sepsis. It was believed that the damage of mitochondria caused by sepsis was one of the main reasons for the disorder of cell metabolism. During the sepsis, the patient’s metabolism had changed, for example, enhancement of aerobic glycolysis, lactic acid accumulation, elevated levels of fatty acids and triglycerides in blood, and so on. ConclusionMetabolic change during sepsis is related to mitochondria, which can provide some new methods for treatment of sepsis.
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is physically connected to mitochondria through the specific sub-domain,called mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAMs). These contacts are involved in calcium signaling,lipid transferring,mitochondrial fission and fusion and energy metabolism. Recently,MAMs alterations have been identified to associate with some diseases,including neurodegenerative diseases,obesity,cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Therefore,in this paper,we introduce the structure,function and detection methods of MAMs. Besides,we also summarize the potential role of MAMs in these diseases. In any case,the signaling at the MAMs might be a promising pharmacological target for several diseases.
To aggressively proliferate and metastasize, cancer cells are in extreme need of energy supply and nutrients. Therefore, a promising cancer therapy strategy is developed to target its hallmark feature of metabolism. Recent findings revealed the regulatory role of caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a structural protein of caveolae, in cancer metabolism. And low Cav-1 expression in tumor stroma was proved to be a central player of cancer malignant phenotype. Here, we summarized the progressions of studies on Cav-1, mitochondria and cancer metabolism to indicate that the altered metabolism induced by Cav-1 and mitochondria association is a major cause of cancer malignant phenotype.