1. Biochemical evidence for a mitochondrial genetic modifier in the phenotypic manifestation of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy-associated mitochondrial DNA mutation.
- Author
-
Jiang, Pingping, Liang, Min, Zhang, Chaofan, Zhao, Xiaoxu, He, Qiufen, Cui, Limei, Liu, Xiaoling, Sun, Yan-Hong, Fu, Qun, Ji, Yanchun, Bai, Yidong, Huang, Taosheng, and Guan, Min-Xin
- Subjects
Mitochondria ,Humans ,Optic Atrophy ,Hereditary ,Leber ,Genetic Predisposition to Disease ,Electron Transport Complex I ,NADH Dehydrogenase ,DNA ,Mitochondrial ,Pedigree ,Phenotype ,Mutation ,Alleles ,Adolescent ,Adult ,Child ,Child ,Preschool ,Female ,Male ,Genes ,Modifier ,Asian People ,Genetics ,Neurodegenerative ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,Aetiology ,Biological Sciences ,Medical and Health Sciences ,Genetics & Heredity - Abstract
Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most common mitochondrial disease. Mitochondrial modifiers are proposed to modify the phenotypic expression of primary LHON-associated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. In this study, we demonstrated that the LHON susceptibility allele (m.14502T > C, p. 58I > V) in the ND6 gene modulated the phenotypic expression of primary LHON-associated m.11778G > A mutation. Twenty-two Han Chinese pedigrees carrying m.14502T > C and m.11778G > A mutations exhibited significantly higher penetrance of optic neuropathy than those carrying only m.11778G > A mutation. We performed functional assays using the cybrid cell models, generated by fusing mtDNA-less ρo cells with enucleated cells from LHON patients carrying both m.11778G > A and m.14502T > C mutations, only m.14502T > C or m.11778G > A mutation and a control belonging to the same mtDNA haplogroup. These cybrids cell lines bearing m.14502T > C mutation exhibited mild effects on mitochondrial functions compared with those carrying only m.11778G > A mutation. However, more severe mitochondrial dysfunctions were observed in cell lines bearing both m.14502T > C and m.11778G > A mutations than those carrying only m.11778G > A or m.14502T > C mutation. In particular, the m.14502T > C mutation altered assemble of complex I, thereby aggravating the respiratory phenotypes associated with m.11778G > A mutation, resulted in a more defective complex I. Furthermore, more reductions in the levels of mitochondrial ATP and increasing production of reactive oxygen species were also observed in mutant cells bearing both m.14502T > C and m.11778G > A mutation than those carrying only 11778G > A mutation. Our findings provided new insights into the pathophysiology of LHON that were manifested by interaction between primary and secondary mtDNA mutations.
- Published
- 2016