The cardiac toxicity of doxorubicin (DOX), a potent anticancer anthracycline antibiotic, is believed to be mediated through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cardiomyocytes. This study aims to determine the function of cellular glutathione peroxidase (Gpx1), which is located in both mitochondria and cytosol, in defense against DOX-induced cardiomyopathy using a line of transgenic mice with cardiac overexpression of Gpx1. The Gpx1-overexpressing hearts were markedly more resistant than nontransgenic hearts to DOX-induced acute functional derangements, including impaired contractility and diastolic properties, decreased coronary flow rate, and reduced heart rate. In addition, DOX treatment impairs mitochondrial function of nontransgenic hearts as evident in a decreased rate of NAD-linked State 3 respiration, presumably a result of inactivation of complex I activity. This is associated with increases in the rates of NAD- and FAD-linked State 4 respiration and declines in P/O ratio, suggesting that the electron transfer and oxidative phosphorylation are uncoupled in these mitochondrial samples. These functional deficits of mitochondria could be largely prevented by Gpx1 overexpression. Taken together, these studies provide new evidence to further support the role of ROS, particularly H2O2 and/or fatty acid hydroperoxides, in causing contractile and mitochondrial dysfunction in mouse hearts acutely exposed to DOX.

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Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is caused by the instability of a CGG-repeated tract at the 5’ end of the Fmr1 transcript. This instability causes silencing of the gene coding for FMRP. Higher levels of reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, and protein oxidation within brain tissue have been found to be associated with the disease. These imbalances, along with altered levels of components of the glutathione system, provide evidence for increased oxidative stress. Astrocytes, glial cells within the brain, have many functions within neurodevelopment. Specifically, they regulate growth and synaptic contacts of neurons, regulate the level of excitability of synapses, and protect neurons at high levels of activity. To protect neurons from oxidative stress, astrocytes maintain oxidative homeostasis through their mitochondrial electron transport and antioxidant systems. This study examines the relationship between oxidative stress and FXS by assessing mitochondrial function and the antioxidant system of astrocytes. Using the Fmr1 knockout (KO) mouse model, mitochondrial respiration, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was analyzed in cultured cortical astrocytes. Astrocytes collected from male and female mice were analyzed under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions. In addition, western blots were conducted on both cortical tissue and cultured cortical astrocytes to determine potential differences in enzyme expression. Results indicate elevations of leak state respiration and ROS production in Fmr1 KO cultured cortical astrocytes alongside alterations in antioxidant and NADPH-oxidase expression. Characterization of mitochondrial function and the antioxidant system of astrocytes will be highly valuable to the understanding of glial roles during brain development and could provide future insight to direct clinically relevant studies of FXS and other neurodevelopment disorders. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. It is characterized by the loss of FMRP, an important protein in brain development. Within the FXS brain there is evidence of oxidative stress. The cells that maintain oxidative homeostasis in the brain are astrocytes. Astrocytes are glial cells important for brain development. This thesis evaluated astrocytes' ability to maintain oxidative homeostasis in the FXS cortex. The findings of this thesis provide important insights into our understanding of FXS pathology and will help direct clinically relevant studies of FXS and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

La mise au point récente d’une nouvelle technique permettant l’enrichissement de l’eau en oxygène par électrolyse relance l’intérêt de recherches sur les bénéfices potentiels de cette modalité d’oxygénation. Dans ce contexte, nos objectifs étaient de caractériser les effets de cette eau enrichie en oxygène sur la respiration mitochondriale, l’oxygénation tissulaire périphérique lors d’un état de stabilité hémodynamique, et sur la performance et la production de stress oxydant lors d’un exercice physique. Les résultats mettent en évidence un effet de l’administration de l’eau enrichie en oxygène par électrolyse au niveau cellulaire et tissulaire.Le mécanisme, expliquant à la fois une meilleure affinité de la mitochondrie pour l’oxygène et les effets sur l’oxygénation périphérique, pourrait être dû à un effet qualitatif sur la diffusion de l’oxygène au niveau tissulaire. / The recent development of a new technique for enriching water in oxygen by electrolysis relaunch the research interest on the potential benefits of this modality of oxygenation. In this context, our objective was to characterize the effects of 02-water on mitochondrial respiration, peripheral tissue oxygenation during a state of hemodynamic stability, and on the performance and the production of oxidative stress in a sub-maximal exercise. The results show an effect of the administration of water enriched in oxygen by electrolysis at the cellular and tissue level. The mechanism explaining both a better affinity of mitochondria for oxygen and the effects on peripheral oxygenation could be due to aqualitative effect on the diffusion of oxygen at the tissue level.

Chronic hypoxia is a state of oxygen limitation that is common in many aquatic and terrestrial environments. Metabolic suppression is an essential strategy that is used by hypoxia-tolerant champions such as goldfish and naked mole-rats to cope with prolonged low oxygen. This thesis examines the physiological processes used by goldfish and naked mole-rats to survive in low oxygen environments. It proposes a novel mechanism - the remodeling of membrane lipids - to reduce ATP use and production. Temperature (homeoviscous adaptation), diet (natural doping in migrant birds) and body mass (membrane pacemaker of metabolism) have an impact on the lipid composition of membranes that, in turn, modulates metabolism. In chapters 2 and 3 of this thesis, I demonstrate that vertebrate champions of hypoxia tolerance undergo extensive changes in membrane lipid composition upon in vivo exposure to low oxygen. These changes and those observed in hibernating mammals can promote the downregulation of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (major ATP consumers), mitochondrial respiration capacity [OXPHOS (phosphorylating conditions), proton leak (non-phosphorylating conditions), cytochrome c oxidase], and energy metabolism (β-oxidation and glycolysis) as discussed in chapters 3 and 4. A common membrane signal regulating the joint inhibition of ion pumps and channels could be an exquisite way to preserve the balance between ATP supply and demand in hypometabolic states. In chapter 5, I show that the reduction in ATP turnover is also orchestrated by mechanisms that involve post-translational and post-transcriptional modifications and epigenetic changes. Membrane remodeling, together with these more traditional molecular mechanisms, could work in concert to cause metabolic suppression.

Proteins from the Bcl-2 family are now for over 30 years widely studied mainly for their key role in apoptosis, a principal mode of regulated cell death. In the last ten years Bcl-2 proteins were also linked to the regulation of cellular signaling, mainly cellular metabolism and respiration. In this study we aimed to analyze non-apoptotic function of Bcl-2 proteins by their genetic elimination using the CRISPR-Cas12a approach and by the subsequent analysis of mitochondrial respiration, glycolysis and metabolic profiling. Our results confirmed that Bcl-2 proteins can modulate the level of mitochondrial respiration. The elimination of anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 decreased high respiration of cells lacking pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bak to the levels observed in parental U87-MG glioblastoma cells. Therefore, the loss of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins has greatly impacted mitochondrial respiration and it points to their role in a regulation of oxidative phosphorylation.

ARCA2 est une ataxie autosomique récessive rare, caractérisée par une atrophie du cervelet et un léger déficit en Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ). La majorité des patients présentent des signes neurologiques supplémentaires comme l’épilepsie ou l’intolérance à l’exercice. La maladie est due à des mutations dans le gène COQ8A qui semble encoder une protéine kinase-like atypique, impliquée dans la biosynthèse du CoQ. Pour comprendre les mécanismes physiopathologiques, une souris Coq8a knock-out (KO) constitutif a été générée et récapitule les symptômes observés chez les patients. Le but de ce travail de thèse était de mieux comprendre certains aspects, notamment l’intolérance à l’exercice et l’ataxie. Malgré un déficit en CoQ dans les muscles, aucun défaut de respiration mitochondriale n’a été détecté dans un modèle cellulaire de muscle. Néanmoins, dans le cervelet, les niveaux de transcrits de 27 gènes sont dérégulés, précocement dans l’apparition de la pathologie chez les souris KO. Les voies métaboliques vont être explorées, ce qui devrait permettre de relier la fonction de COQ8A au taux de CoQ et aux symptômes observés chez les patients. / ARCA2, a rare form of recessive ataxia, is characterized by early onset progressive ataxia, cerebellar atrophy and a mild Coenzyme Q10 deficiency. Most of the patients show additional neurological signs such as epilepsy and exercise intolerance. Mutations in the COQ8A gene lead to ARCA2. COQ8A is suggested as being an unorthodox protein kinase like, with a regulatory role in CoQ biosynthesis, in mammals. To better understand ARCA2, a constitutive Coq8a knock-out (KO) mouse model was generated, which recapitulates most of the patient’s symptoms. Here we report the use of cellular models and the affected tissues to uncover the molecular signature of COQ8A loss and CoQ deficit. Despite CoQ deficit in the muscle, no mitochondrial bioenergetics defect was uncovered. In parallel, we have identified, by RT-qPCR, a key set of genes that are dysregulated in cerebellum, very early on in the pathology. We are currently investigating these pathways to uncover the link with COQ8A function. Altogether, our experiments will shed light on the early molecular events that lead to ARCA2 and may help draw a link between COQ8A function, CoQ pools and the symptoms observed in patients.

Metallothioneins (MTs) are small, non-enzymatic proteins that are involved in cellular detoxification and metal homeostasis because of their high cysteine content. MTs have also been identified as one of the vast number of adaptive responses to mitochondrial respiratory chain (RC) deficiencies. Aside from this, numerous other studies have linked MTs to several mitochondrion-linked components, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress, apoptosis, glutathione, energy metabolism and nuclear- and mitochondrial DNA transcription regulation. However, most of the reports concerning the putative link between MTs and mitochondria are from in vitro studies and relatively little supportive in vivo evidence has been reported. Information on the involvement of MTs with respiratory chain function is especially limited. Is was therefore the aim of this study to investigate the involvement of MTs in mitochondrial respiration and respiratory chain enzyme function by using an MT knockout (MTKO) mouse model, which was treated with the irreversible complex I inhibiting reagent, rotenone. The aim was achieved by implementing three objectives: firstly, the RC function was investigated as a complete working unit; secondly, the functional and structural properties of single units (enzymes) of the RC were investigated utilising enzyme activity assays and BN- PAGE/western blot analysis; and thirdly, the possible effect of MTs on mtDNA copy number was investigated. While some tendencies of variation in RC enzyme activity and expression were identified, no significant effect on the overall mitochondrial respiratory function, or any significant differences in the relative mtDNA copy number of MTKO mice were observed. Thus it is concluded, while MTs have in this study revealed relatively small changes in respiratory chain function, which may still prove to have biological ignificance in vivo, the exact nature of the putative role of MTs in mitochondrial respiration or oxidative phosphorylation remains undefined. / Thesis (MSc (Biochemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.