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Mitophagy biomarkers in the continuum of Alzheimer's disease
Katonová, Alžbeta ; Veverová, Kateřina (advisor) ; Bohačiaková, Dáša (referee)
The findings of recent years have shown that impaired mitophagy is involved in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Studies on brain biopsies of AD patients, cellular and animal models of AD show that age-dependent decline in mitophagy is a significant contributor to AD pathology, and that the levels of mitophagy proteins are altered. However, whether these changes are reflected in the biofluids of individuals with AD, and whether mitophagy proteins could be potential biomarkers of AD, is unknown.The aim of the diploma thesis was to compare the level of mitophagy markers in blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients in various stages of AD with cognitively healthy controls (CU) and determine its relationship to the degree of cognitive impairment and standard Alzheimer's biomarkers (amyloid beta (Ab42), total tau (T-tau) and tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (P-tau181)). We have shown that mitophagy is impaired in individuals with AD, manifested by increased levels of PINK1 and BNIP3L (activators of mitophagy) and decreased levels of TFEB (master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis) compared to CU. Moreover, these changes were associated with more advanced AD pathology, manifested by increased AD biomarker positivity and cognitive...
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Mitochondrial dynamics in myocardium.
Weissová, Romana ; Nováková, Olga (advisor) ; Kalous, Martin (referee)
The heart is an absolutely vital body organ, which requires sufficient amount of active mitochondria for its energy demanding activity. The functionality of a mitochondrial population is maintained through mitochondrial turnover, encompassing mitophagy removing damaged mitochondria and mitochondrial biogenesis responsible for the emergence of new organelles. Dynamic processes of mitochondrial fusion and fission can also contribute to the maintenance of a healthy mitochondrial population. Mitochondrial fusion and fission have not yet been proven in cardiomyocytes, although these cells possess all the proteins required for these events. These processes, however, take on the importance during pathological conditions, when changes in the amount of protein applied in the mitochondrial dynamics occur. The modification in mitochondrial phenotype leads to the cell damage. Understanding the role of mitochondrial dynamics in myocardium may contribute to the development of new heart diseases treatments.
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Signalling pathways in pancreatic cancer and its treatment by targeting of mitochondria
Ezrová, Zuzana ; Neužil, Jiří (advisor) ; Masařík, Michal (referee) ; Divoký, Vladimír (referee)
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of malignant diseases. Asymptomatic early tumour stages, tumour heterogeneity, cancer cell plasticity and unusually dense pancreatic stroma are responsible for the poor prognosis attributed to late diagnosis and therapy resistance. Therefore, targeting of a pivotal element common for any cell type within the tumour, e.g. mitochondria, may bring significant improvement. In this work, we demonstrate mitochondrial targeting of metformin, an anti-diabetic drug associated with reduced risk of developing pancreatic cancer, substantially increases accumulation of the compound in mitochondria. In consequence, we show that mitochondrially targeted metformin, MitoMet, eliminates pancreatic cancer cells in more than 1000-fold lower concentration than used for its parental compound. Following interaction with respiratory complex I (CI), MitoMet inhibits mitochondrial respiration, activates AMP-activated protein kinase pathway and causes depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential in pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, MitoMet induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, which is partially mediated via increased level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and suppresses pancreatic tumour growth in vivo. Interestingly, SMAD4-deficient pancreatic cancer cells manifest...
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Mitophagy in Huntington's Disease
Šonský, Ivan ; Hansíková, Hana (advisor) ; Macůrková, Marie (referee)
Mitochondrial dysfunctions contribute to the progression of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease (HD). In HD, mutation in the huntingtin gene (HTT) results in the expansion of CAG repeats, causing the growth of the polyglutamine tract. This growth is responsible for the gain of toxicity function of the protein. The turnover of dysfunctional and damaged mitochondria is mediated via mitophagy - a selective form of autophagy. Additionally, mitophagy impairments have recently been described to play a key role not only in neurodegenerative diseases. The protrusion of mitophagy results in the clustering of defective mitochondria, organelles which are responsible for fulfilling the energetic demands of neural cells. The most distinctive impact of the impairment is on the striatal medium spiny neurons and results in the development of motor and cognitive dysfunctions. This thesis describes how HD affects mitophagy and reveals the biggest obstacle of mitophagy - disruption of mitochondria targeting into emerging autophagosomes caused by the abnormal interaction of mHTT and p62. Induction of mitophagy at this stage could be crucial for the future therapeutic research of HD. Generally, initiation of mitophagy could become a relevant therapeutic target for many other...
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Mitochondrial dynamics in myocardium.
Weissová, Romana ; Nováková, Olga (advisor) ; Kalous, Martin (referee)
The heart is an absolutely vital body organ, which requires sufficient amount of active mitochondria for its energy demanding activity. The functionality of a mitochondrial population is maintained through mitochondrial turnover, encompassing mitophagy removing damaged mitochondria and mitochondrial biogenesis responsible for the emergence of new organelles. Dynamic processes of mitochondrial fusion and fission can also contribute to the maintenance of a healthy mitochondrial population. Mitochondrial fusion and fission have not yet been proven in cardiomyocytes, although these cells possess all the proteins required for these events. These processes, however, take on the importance during pathological conditions, when changes in the amount of protein applied in the mitochondrial dynamics occur. The modification in mitochondrial phenotype leads to the cell damage. Understanding the role of mitochondrial dynamics in myocardium may contribute to the development of new heart diseases treatments.
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