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Molecular bases of sensitivity to electron transport chain inhibition-induced cell death
Blecha, Jan
1 Abstract in English Mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) targeting shows a great promise in cancer therapy. However, why modern ETC-targeted compounds are tolerated on the organismal level and what are the molecular reasons for this tolerance remains unclear. Most somatic cells are in a non-proliferative state, and features associated with the ETC in quiescence might therefore contribute to specificity. Thus, we investigated the ETC status and the role of two major consequences of ETC blockade, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and inhibition of ATP production, in cell death induction in breast cancer cells and in proliferating and quiescent non-transformed cells. First, we characterised the effect of a newly developed ETC inhibitor mitochondria- targeted tamoxifen (MitoTam) in in vitro and in vivo tumour models of breast cancer with varying status of the Her2 oncogene. We document that Her2high cells and tumours have increased assembly of respiratory supercomplexes (SCs) and increased complex I-driven respiration in vitro and in vivo. They are also highly sensitive to MitoTam. Unlike the parental compound tamoxifen, MitoTam efficiently suppressed experimental Her2high tumours without systemic toxicity. Mechanistically, MitoTam inhibits complex I- driven respiration and disrupts respiratory...
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Effects of antidepressants and depressive disorders on mitochondrial functions
Hroudová, Jana ; Fišar, Zdeněk (advisor) ; Martásek, Pavel (referee) ; Kuča, Kamil (referee)
Mood disorders are serious diseases. Nevertheless, their pathophysiology is not sufficiently clarified. Biological markers that would facilitate the diagnosis or successful prediction of pharmacotherapy are still being sought. The aim of the study was to find out whether mitochondrial functions are affected by antidepressants, mood stabilizers and depression. Our research is based on recent hypotheses of mood disorders, the advanced monoamine hypothesis, the neurotrophic hypothesis, and the mitochondrial dysfunction hypothesis. We assume that impaired function of mitochondria leads to neuronal damage and can be related to the origin of mood disorders. Effects of antidepressants and mood stabilizers on mitochondrial functions can be related to their therapeutic or side effects. In vitro effects of pharmacologically different antidepressants and mood stabilizers on the activities of mitochondrial enzymes were measured in mitochondria isolated from pig brains (in vitro model). Activity of monoamine oxidase (MAO) isoforms was determined radiochemically, activities of other mitochondrial enzymes were measured spectrophotometrically. Overall activity of the system of oxidative phosphorylation was measured electrochemically using high- resolution respirometry. Methods were modified to measure the same...
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The role of energy metabolism in cardioprotection induced by the adaptation to chronic hypoxia
Kolář, David
Cardiac energy metabolism is the one of the most complex system in the body. To sustain life, but also to respond quickly to any sudden changes (e.g. running, emotional stress), the heart has developed a unique ability and has become a metabolic "omnivore". At physiological conditions, long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) present the major energetic source for the adult myocardium. However, the cardiac energy metabolism may be compromised during pathophysiological states. One of the most dangerous is, undoubtedly, ischaemia-reperfusion injury with its acute form, myocardial infarction. However, the adaptation to chronic hypoxia has been known for decades for its cardioprotective effect against I/R. Changes of cardiac energy metabolism induced by the adaptation have not been fully explored and the system conceals still too many secrets. This thesis has aimed to determine how adaptation to chronic hypoxia affects the cardiac metabolism of the rat LVs in the following set-ups: 1. The effect of chronic normobaric hypoxia (CNH; 3 weeks, 5500m) during a brief I/R protocol in vitro on the protein kinase B/hexokinase (Akt/HK) pathway, including the expression and phosphorylation of Akt, the expression and localization of HK, the expression of mitochondrial creatine kinase (mtCKS), and the level of Bcl-2 family...
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The role of mitochondrial genome in cardioprotection induced by the adaptation to chronic hypoxia
Nedvědová, Iveta
Cardiovascular intervention studies are a very important issue given that the ischaemic heart disease is one of the main mortality and morbidity causes in the Western world. Cardioprotection is mediated through a variety of signalling pathways in the cell that may directly or indirectly affect energy metabolism and mitochondria. Ischaemia-reperfusion injury of the heart significantly affect mitochondrial function revealing a potential therapeutic target. The role of mitochondria in the myocardium is not only in the field of energy homeostasis, but also in mediating the cellular response to reduced oxygen supply and in apoptosis regulation. This thesis aims to elucidate the response of the hypertrophied heart of the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and the derived conplastic strain with mitochondrial genome of normotensive Brown Norway (SHR-mtBN ) to the cardioprotective regime of adaptation to chronic normobaric hypoxia (CNH, Fi 0.1). The adaptive changes were studied at the cellular, protein and gene levels using Real-time RT-PCR, Biomark Chip Analysis, Western Blot, spectrophotometric measurements of enzyme activity and quantitative immunofluorescence analyses. The present thesis was based on a different cardioprotective phenotype between SHR and SHR-mtBN strains, i.e. a significantly smaller...
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Genetické příčiny deficitu cytochrom c oxidázy u dětí
Vondráčková, Alžběta ; Tesařová, Markéta (advisor) ; Brdička, Radim (referee) ; Procházková, Dagmar (referee)
Mitochondria are the key source of vital ATP molecules, which are largely produced within cells by a system of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Genetic defects affecting any of the components of the oxidative phosphorylation system or the structure and function of mitochondria lead to mitochondrial disorders, which occur at an incidence rate of 1 in 5000 live births. Cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is the terminal enzyme and electron acceptor of a respiratory chain that catalyses oxygen to produce a water molecule. In addition to complex I deficiency, isolated or combined COX deficiency is the most common respiratory chain defect in paediatric patients, and it can arise from mutations located either in mitochondrial DNA or in nuclear genes encoding the structural subunits or corresponding assembly factors of the enzyme complex. However, the molecular basis of COX deficiency remains elusive in many patients despite advances in the identification of an increasing number of mutations and genes involved in the disease. This thesis focuses on the identification of the genetic causes of mitochondrial diseases in a cohort of 60 unrelated Czech children with clinically and laboratory confirmed COX-deficiency. With the use of a high-resolution melting analysis mutation screen, four heterozygous sequence...
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The role of mitochondrial creatine kinase and hexokinase in cardioprotective mechanisms induced by chronic hypoxia
Wasková, Petra
IN ENGLISH The ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, which is a consequence of myocardial infarction, represents a major cause of death worldwide. One of the most effective cardioprotective interventions increasing the resistance of hearts to the I/R injury is the adaptation to a chronic hypoxia (CH). However, the molecular mechanisms of CH are still not well understood. The most important factors responsible for the I/R injury are reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by complexes I and III within the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Potential candidates maintaining ROS at a low level are mitochondrial creatine kinase (mtCK) and two hexokinase isoforms (HK1 and HK2). These enzymes highly support the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation by increasing the availability of ADP for complex V of the respiratory chain. In addition, the HK binding to mitochondria inhibits binding of the pro- apoptotic protein BAX, thereby protecting cardiac cells against apoptosis. Besides the mitochondrial CK isoform, there are two cytosolic CK (CKM and CKB) present in cardiomyocytes that help to maintain energy homeostasis. Based on the known anatomical and physiological differences between the left (LV) and the right (RV) ventricles, the first study focused on the comparing ventricles in terms of the energy...
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Structural and Functional Interactions of Mitochondrial ADP-Phosphorylating Apparatus
Nůsková, Hana ; Houštěk, Josef (advisor) ; Kolarov, Jordan (referee) ; Kuda, Ondřej (referee) ; Panicucci Zíková, Alena (referee)
The complexes of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system in the inner mitochondrial membrane are organised into structural and functional super-assemblies, so-called supercomplexes. This type of organisation enables substrate channelling and hence improves the overall OXPHOS efficiency. ATP synthase associates into dimers and higher oligomers. Within the supercomplex of ATP synthasome, it interacts with ADP/ATP translocase (ANT), which exchanges synthesised ATP for cytosolic ADP, and inorganic phosphate carrier (PiC), which imports phosphate into the mitochondrial matrix. The existence of this supercomplex is generally accepted. Experimental evidence is however still lacking. In this thesis, structural interactions between ATP synthase, ANT and PiC were studied in detail. In addition, the interdependence of their expression was examined either under physiological conditions in rat tissues or using model cell lines with ATP synthase deficiencies of different origin. Specifically, they included mutations in the nuclear genes ATP5E and TMEM70 that code for subunit ε and the ancillary factor of ATP synthase biogenesis TMEM70, respectively, and a microdeletion at the interface of genes MT-ATP6 and MT-COX3 that impairs the mitochondrial translation of both subunit a of ATP synthase and subunit Cox3...
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Molecular mechanisms of tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer
Tomková, Veronika ; Truksa, Jaroslav (advisor) ; Brábek, Jan (referee) ; Mráček, Tomáš (referee)
The resistance to tamoxifen, a drug used in the adjuvant therapy for hormone sensitive breast cancer, represents a major clinical obstacle. Although various mechanisms leading to tamoxifen resistance have been described and intensively studied, a significant number of patients still become resistant to the treatment and eventually relapse. Tamoxifen therapy has been shown to enrich tumors with cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are naturally resistant, and have self-renewal ability and the potential to form secondary tumors. Metabolic rewiring, altered iron metabolism and upregulation of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters have been shown to be important in the maintenance of CSC phenotype. Therefore, we investigated these mechanisms as possible contributors to tamoxifen resistance in vitro in two tamoxifen resistant (Tam5R) cell lines that we established. We show that Tam5R cells have dramatically disassembled and less active mitochondrial supercomplexes (SCs) and higher level of mitochondrial superoxide, together with a fragmented mitochondrial network. Such dysfunction of mitochondria results in the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation and metabolic rewiring towards glycolysis. Importantly, cells lacking functional mitochondria are significantly more resistant to tamoxifen, supporting...
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The effect of season on mitochondrial swelling of rat heart after cold acclimation
Kašík, Petr ; Horníková, Daniela (advisor) ; Holzerová, Kristýna (referee)
Risk of death from cardiovascular disease is substantially increased throughout winter season and by exposure of organism to acute cold stress. However, several studies have suggested that some cold acclimation models could act cardioprotectively. The thesis is focused on effects of acute and chronic cold acclimation on swelling of rat heart mitochondria. Mitochondrial swelling is, besides other things, caused by massive influx of Ca2+ into the mitochondria especially during ischemia-reperfusion injury. By that, mitochondria permeability transition pore is being opened and subsequently, this could end up in mitochondrial burst and cell death, eventually. Lower rate of mitochondrial swelling indicates greater mitochondrial resistance. The results express higher mitochondrial resistance after acute cold exposure and chronic cold acclimation. Key words: cold, mitochondria, Ca2+ ions, swelling, MPTP, myocardium, ROS, ischemia
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Evolution of mitochondrial protein import
Dohnálek, Vít ; Doležal, Pavel (advisor) ; Novotný, Marian (referee)
1 Abstract Even though mitochondria possess their own genome and ribosomes, majority of mitochondrial proteins is encoded in the nucleus and translated by cytosolic ribosomes. Hence it was necessary to establish transport complexes allowing the import of proteins from the cytosol. These complexes are best described in yeast. However, we are encountering organisms lacking many of the subunits of these complexes with increasing frequency. Therefore, we are presenting the overview of the distribution of the subunits within eukaryotic organisms. We specifically take a closer look at parasitic protist Giardia intestinalis that is well known for its extreme reductions of the import complexes. There have been only few subunits identified so far. Porin Tom40, that is responsible for translocating all the incoming proteins across the outer mitochondrial membrane, has been identified despite the high divergence, while homolog of Sam50 hasn't been successfully identified yet. Sam50 is however believed to be necessary for insertion of Tom40 into the membrane. Vast part of this thesis is dedicated to this phenomenon that is highly uncommon and maybe unique among the eukaryotic organisms.
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