Modulation of sulfide oxidation and toxicity in rat mitochondria by dehydroascorbic acid

Hydrogen sulfide is enzymatically produced in mammalian tissues and functions as a gaseous transmitter. However, H(2)S is also highly toxic as it inhibits mitochondrial respiration at the level of cytochrome c oxidase, which additionally is involved in sulfide oxidation. The accumulation of toxic sulfide levels contributes to the pathology of some diseases. This paper demonstrates that sulfide toxicity can be modified, and dehydroascorbic acid functions as an effector in this process. It significantly reduces the inhibitory effect of sulfide on cytochrome c oxidase, resulting in higher rates of respiration and sulfide oxidation in rat mitochondria. After the addition of dehydroascorbic acid mitochondria maintained more than 50% of the oxygen consumption and ATP production rates with different substrates in the presence of high concentrations of sulfide that would normally lead to complete inhibition. Dehydroascorbic acid significantly increased the sulfide concentration necessary to cause half maximal inhibition of mitochondrial respiration and thus completely prevented inhibition at low, physiological sulfide concentrations. In addition, sulfide oxidation was stimulated and led to ATP production even at high concentrations. The decrease in sulfide toxicity was more pronounced when analyzing supermolecular functional units of the respiratory chain than in isolated cytochrome c oxidase activity. Furthermore, the protective effect of dehydroascorbic acid at high sulfide concentrations was completely abolished by quantitative solubilization of mitochondrial membrane proteins with dodeclymaltoside. These results suggest that binding of cytochrome c oxidase to other proteins probably within respiratory chain supercomplexes is involved in the modulation of sulfide oxidation and toxicity by dehydroascorbic acid.     

Metabolic activity decreases as an adaptive response to low internal oxygen in growing potato tubers

Plants lack specialised organs and circulatory systems, and oxygen can fall to low concentrations in metabolically active, dense or bulky tissues. In animals that tolerate hypoxia or anoxia, low oxygen triggers an adaptive inhibition of respiration and metabolic activity. Growing potato tubers were used to investigate whether an analogous response exists in plants. Oxygen concentrations fall below 5% in the centre of growing potato tubers. This is accompanied by a decrease of the adenylate energy status, and alterations of metabolites that are indicative of a decreased rate of glycolysis. The response to low oxygen was investigated in more detail by incubating tissue discs from growing tubers for 2 hours at a range of oxygen concentrations. When oxygen was decreased in the range between 21% and 4% there was a partial inhibition of sucrose breakdown, glycolysis and respiration. The energy status of the adenine, guanine and uridine nucleotides decreased, but pyrophosphate levels remained high. The inhibition of sucrose breakdown and glycolysis was accompanied by a small increase of sucrose, fructose, glycerate-3-phosphate, phosphenolpyruvate, and pyruvate, a decrease of the acetyl-coenzymeA:coenzymeA ratio, and a small increase of isocitrate and 2-oxoglutarate. These results indicate that carbon fluxes are inhibited at several sites, but the primary site of action of low oxygen is probably in mitochondrial electron transport. Decreasing the oxygen concentration from 21% to 4% also resulted in a partial inhibition of sucrose uptake, a strong inhibition of amino acid synthesis, a decrease of the levels of cofactors including the adenine, guanine and uridine nucleotides and coenzymeA, and attenuated the wounding-induced increase of respiration and invertase and phenylalanine lyase activity in tissue discs. Starch synthesis was maintained at high rates in low oxygen. Anoxia led to a diametrically opposed response, in which glycolysis rose 2-fold to support fermentation, starch synthesis was strongly inhibited, and the level of lactate and the lactate:pyruvate ratio and the triose-phosphate:glycerate-3-phosphate ratio increased dramatically. It is concluded that low oxygen triggers (i) a partial inhibition of respiration leading to a decrease of the cellular energy status and (ii) a parallel inhibition of a wide range of energy-consuming metabolic processes. These results have general implications for understanding the regulation of glycolysis, starch synthesis and other biosynthetic pathways in plants, and reveal a potential role for pyrophosphate in conserving energy and decreasing oxygen consumption.     

A Fermentor System for Regulating Oxygen at Low Concentrations in Cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The growth of yeast cells to high densities at low, but constant, oxygen concentrations is difficult because the cells themselves respire oxygen; hence, as cell mass increases, so does oxygen consumption. To circumvent this problem, we have designed a system consisting of a computer-controlled gas flow train that adjusts oxygen concentration in the gas flow to match cellular demand. It does this by using a proportional-integral-differential algorithm in conjunction with a three-way valve to mix two gases, adjusting their proportions to maintain the desired oxygen concentration. By modeling yeast cell yields at intermediate to low oxygen concentrations, we have found that cellular respiration declines with oxygen concentration, most likely because of a decrease in the expression of genes for respiratory proteins. These lowered rates of oxygen consumption, together with the gas flow system described here, allow the growth of yeast cells to high densities at low oxygen concentrations. This system can also be used to grow cells at any desired oxygen concentration and for regulated shifts between oxygen concentrations.     

Interdependence of mitochondrial ATP production and extramitochondrial ATP utilization in intact spermatozoa

The dependence of both respiration and total activity of ATP-consuming reactions on the cellular adenine nucleotide pattern was investigated in intact bovine spermatozoa. ATP consumption was manipulated by inhibition with vanadate and activation with caffeine, leading to a decrease or increase in the rate of respiration up to 70% or 20%, respectively. Oligomycin blocked the respiration to the same extent as did vanadate, suggesting that the total extramitochondrial ATP-consuming activity is vanadate-sensitive. The major part of ATP utilization must be linked to dynein ATPase, since inhibition of (Na⁺, K⁺) ATPase by ouabain showed only a small effect on respiration (−17%). Being a potent inhibitor of dynein ATPase, vanadate drastically reduced the amount of motile cells, whereas caffeine tended to increase the intensity of motion. The effects of vanadate or caffeine on respiration were paralleled by changes in cellular ATP, reflecting the response of mitochondrial respiration on the cellular ATP/ADP ratio. Respiration was found to depend on changes in the ATP/ADP ratio in the range from about 3 (+ caffeine) to 9 (+ vanadate). The range of response of ATP consumption to the ATP/ADP ratio was determined by varying the mitochondrial ATP production via the concentration of lactate which was used as substrate. The measured effects on both respiratory rate and ATP/ADP ratio suggested that ATP consumption was markedly dependent on ATP/ADP ratios below 5. It is concluded that lactate concentrations above 1 mM sufficiently supply bovine spermatozoa with substrate and the energy turnover is mainly limited by the activity of dynein ATPase rather than by the capacity of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.     

Ferulenol specifically inhibits succinate ubiquinone reductase at the level of the ubiquinone cycle

The natural compound ferulenol, a sesquiterpene prenylated coumarin derivative, was purified from Ferula vesceritensis and its mitochondrial effects were studied. Ferulenol caused inhibition of oxidative phoshorylation. At low concentrations, ferulenol inhibited ATP synthesis by inhibition of the adenine nucleotide translocase without limitation of mitochondrial respiration. At higher concentrations, ferulenol inhibited oxygen consumption. Ferulenol caused specific inhibition of succinate ubiquinone reductase without altering succinate dehydrogenase activity of the complex II. This inhibition results from a limitation of electron transfers initiated by the reduction of ubiquinone to ubiquinol in the ubiquinone cycle. This original mechanism of action makes ferulenol a useful tool to study the physiological role and the mechanism of electron transfer in the complex II. In addition, these data provide an additional mechanism by which ferulenol may alter cell function and demonstrate that mitochondrial dysfunction is an important determinant in Ferula plant toxicity.     

Effects of chromium(VI) and chromium(III) on energy charge and oxygen consumption in rat thymocytes

The cytotoxic effects of chromium compounds in two oxidation states have been studied in rat thymocytes. endogenous nucleotide levels and oxygen consumption were examined as relevant parameters of the physiological state of the cell. Incubation of rat thymocytes with Cr(VI) produced a marked unbalance of endogenous purine nucleotide pool and a parallel decrease in oxygen consumption. A close correlation between the reduction of oxygen consumption and ATP level in rat thymocytes treated with increasing concentrations of Cr(VI) has been found. In rat thymocytes permeabilized with digitonin and in isolated rat liver mitochondria both Cr(VI) and Cr(III) showed, at different range of concentrations, a marked inhibition of maximal oxygen consumption rate (uncoupled respiration). The effects observed were depending on chromium oxidation state and on different mitochondrial sites of substrate oxidation.     

Balancing of mitochondrial and glycolytic ATP production and of the ATP-consuming processes of Ehrlich mouse ascites tumour cells in a high phosphate medium

A balance of energy budgeting of Ehrlich mouse ascites tumour cells including mitochondrial and glycolytic ATP production and about 80% of ATP consumption in a high phosphate medium is presented. In the share of glycolysis was about one-third of the total ATP production, more than twice that found in a low phosphate medium. The extent of a single energy reaction was assessed from the decrease of coupled oxygen consumption and lactate formation following the specific inhibition of this process. The inhibitory effects on coupled respiration and glycolysis were identical for the energy consuming processes measured: protein turnover, Na+/K(+)-ATPase, Ca2(+)-transport and RNA synthesis.     

The effect of permeability transition pore opening on reactive oxygen species production in rat brain mitochondria

The influence of mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the rat brain mitochondria was studied. It was shown that ROS production is regulated differently by the rate of oxygen consumption and membrane potential, dependent on steady-state or non-equilibrium conditions. Under steady-state conditions, at constant rate of Ca2+-cycling and oxygen consumption, ROS production is potential-dependent and decreases with the inhibition of respiration and mitochondrial depolarization. The constant rate of ROS release is in accord with proportional dependence of the rate of ROS formation on that of oxygen consumption. On the contrary, transition to non-equilibrium state, due to the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and progressive respiration inhibition, results in the loss of proportionality in the rate of ROS production on the rate of respiration and an exponential rise of ROS production with time, independent of membrane potential. Independent of steady-state or non-equilibrium conditions, the rate of ROS formation is controlled by the rate of potential-dependent uptake of Ca2+ which is the rate-limiting step in ROS production. It was shown that MPTP opening differently regulates ROS production, dependent on Ca2+ concentration. At low calcium MPTP opening results in the decrease in ROS production because of partial mitochondrial depolarization, in spite of sustained increase in oxygen consumption rate by a cyclosporine A-sensitive component due to simultaneous work of Ca2+-uniporter and MPTP as Ca2+-influx and efflux pathways. The effect of MPTP opening at low Ca2+ concentrations is similar to that of Ca2+-ionophore, A-23187. At high calcium MPTP opening results in the increase of ROS release due to the rapid transition to non-equilibrium state because of cytochrome c loss and progressive gating of electron flow in respiratory chain. Thus, under physiological conditions MPTP opening at low intracellular calcium could attenuate oxidative damage and the impairment of neuronal functions by diminishing ROS formation in mitochondria.     

Change in energy metabolism of ascites cancer cells with a decrease in pH]

In Hank's balanced salt solution EL-4 ascites thymoma cells possessed endogenous respiration which was sufficient for the maintenance of their ATP level: pH decrease down to 6.0 had no effect either on endogenous respiration or the ATP level. Glucose had no influence on the respiration of EL-4 cells but inhibited that of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells by 40% (Crabtree effect); respiration of the both cell lines was strongly (4-fold) inhibited after simultaneous addition of glucose, lactate and pH decrease. EL-4 cells had no endogenous glycolysis; EAC cells showed a low level of glycolysis only after pH decrease. Glucose addition led to activation of glycolysis (both inhibited 2-fold after a decrease of pH down to 6.0. The respiration inhibition at pH 7.3 and 6.0 caused no decrease of ATP depletion when glucose was present in the medium; this result may be due to suppression of ATP consumption. Incubation of EL-4 cells under respiration and glycolysis deficiency conditions resulted in a sharp ATP depletion; pH decrease delayed this depletion.     

Metabolic arrest and its regulation in anoxic eel hepatocytes

Some vertebrates depress overall metabolism in an abrupt and reversible fashion when challenged with anoxia, ensuring stabilization of cellular [ATP] and long-term survival, but little is known about the eliciting stimuli (e.g., change in O2, adenylates) and downstream effectors responsible for metabolic arrest. Accordingly, eel (Anguilla anguilla) hepatocytes were treated with inhibitors of putative components of the oxygen/metabolite-sensing pathway(s) and exposed to anoxia (Po2=0 mmHg). Anoxia in untreated cells caused a remarkable 85-fold decrease in ATP production rate, but cellular ATP levels stabilized following an initial steep drop. Reoxygenation of cells after 4 h of anoxia caused a fast metabolization of accumulated lactate and reestablishment of preanoxic ATP levels. Unlike physiological anoxia, pharmacological inhibition of the electron transport chain in the presence of oxygen caused extensive cellular ATP depletion, though no loss in viability. In contrast, cellular lactate (i.e., ATP) production rate was affected similarly by either treatment, suggesting that anaerobic glycolysis is regulated by a stimulus other than oxygen tension per se, whereas the continuous matching of ATP consumption and a rapidly ceasing mitochondrial ATP supply require a physiological relevant change in oxygen tension. Protein kinases, notably kinase C (PKC) and A (PKA), have been proposed as key downstream regulators of stress-induced defense mechanisms, but anoxic cell viability, metabolic rate, and [ATP] were not significantly affected by inhibitors of PKC and PKA. Likewise, inhibition of the upstream PKC-activating enzymes phospholipase C (PLC) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) had no effect on recorded parameters. Anoxic cell survival in complex organisms may, in vivo, also depend on stress hormones released from distant oxygen-sensing cells. Accordingly, adrenaline elevated anaerobic energy production but, apparently, also elevated ATP consumption because cellular ATP levels during oxygen deprivation were slightly lowered by adrenergic stimulation.     

Metabolism of round spermatids: gossypol induces uncoupling of respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation

The effect of gossypol on energy metabolism of round spermatids of rats was examined. When spermatids were treated with various concentrations of gossypol for 30 min at 32 degrees C, a biphasic response (stimulation at low concentrations and inhibition at high concentrations) was seen in pyruvate and CO2 production from lactate. At the early period of incubation, gossypol at even high concentrations stimulated CO2 production to an extent similar to that stimulated by 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP). At longer periods of incubation, however, the rates of CO2 production from lactate dropped to those seen in the rotenone-treated cells. The rates of oxygen consumption were not increased further by DNP when cells were pretreated with gossypol. The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content in spermatids was reduced markedly, although lactate oxidation to CO2 and mitochondrial respiration were stimulated by gossypol. These results suggest that gossypol probably exerts its effect on spermatids by uncoupling respiratory chain and oxidative phosphorylation.     

Changes in respiratory mitochondrial machinery and cytochrome and alternative pathway activities in response to energy demand underlie the acclimation of respiration to elevated CO2 in the invasive Opuntia ficus-indica

Studies on long-term effects of plants grown at elevated CO(2) are scarce and mechanisms of such responses are largely unknown. To gain mechanistic understanding on respiratory acclimation to elevated CO(2), the Crassulacean acid metabolism Mediterranean invasive Opuntia ficus-indica Miller was grown at various CO(2) concentrations. Respiration rates, maximum activity of cytochrome c oxidase, and active mitochondrial number consistently decreased in plants grown at elevated CO(2) during the 9 months of the study when compared to ambient plants. Plant growth at elevated CO(2) also reduced cytochrome pathway activity, but increased the activity of the alternative pathway. Despite all these effects seen in plants grown at high CO(2), the specific oxygen uptake rate per unit of active mitochondria was the same for plants grown at ambient and elevated CO(2). Although decreases in photorespiration activity have been pointed out as a factor contributing to the long-term acclimation of plant respiration to growth at elevated CO(2), the homeostatic maintenance of specific respiratory rate per unit of mitochondria in response to high CO(2) suggests that photorespiratory activity may play a small role on the long-term acclimation of respiration to elevated CO(2). However, despite growth enhancement and as a result of the inhibition in cytochrome pathway activity by elevated CO(2), total mitochondrial ATP production was decreased by plant growth at elevated CO(2) when compared to ambient-grown plants. Because plant growth at elevated CO(2) increased biomass but reduced respiratory machinery, activity, and ATP yields while maintaining O(2) consumption rates per unit of mitochondria, we suggest that acclimation to elevated CO(2) results from physiological adjustment of respiration to tissue ATP demand, which may not be entirely driven by nitrogen metabolism as previously suggested.     

Phloem import and storage metabolism are highly coordinated by the low oxygen concentrations within developing wheat seeds

We studied the influence of the internal oxygen concentration in seeds of wheat (Triticum aestivum) on storage metabolism and its relation to phloem import of nutrients. Wheat seeds that were developing at ambient oxygen (21%) were found to be hypoxic (2.1%). Altering the oxygen supply by decreasing or increasing the external oxygen concentration induced parallel changes in the internal oxygen tension. However, the decrease in internal concentration was proportionally less than the reduction in external oxygen. This indicates that decreasing the oxygen supply induces short-term adaptive responses to reduce oxygen consumption of the seeds. When external oxygen was decreased to 8%, internal oxygen decreased to approximately 0.5% leading to a decrease in energy production via respiration. Conversely, increasing the external oxygen concentration above ambient levels increased the oxygen content as well as the energy status of the seeds, indicating that under normal conditions the oxygen supply is strongly limiting for energy metabolism in developing wheat seeds. The intermediate metabolites of seed storage metabolism were not substantially affected when oxygen was either increased or decreased. However, at subambient external oxygen concentrations (8%) the metabolic flux of carbon into starch and protein, measured by injecting (14)C-Suc into the seeds, was reduced by 17% and 32%, respectively, whereas no significant effect was observed at superambient (40%) oxygen. The observed decrease in biosynthetic fluxes to storage compounds is suggested to be part of an adaptive response to reduce energy consumption preventing excessive oxygen consumption when oxygen supply is limited. Phloem transport toward ears exposed to low (8%) oxygen was significantly reduced within 1 h, whereas exposing ears to elevated oxygen (40%) had no significant effect. This contrasts with the situation where the distribution of assimilates has been modified by removing the lower source leaves from the plant, resulting in less assimilates transported to the ear in favor of transport to the lower parts of the plant. Under these conditions, with two strongly competing sinks, elevated oxygen (40%) did lead to a strong increase in phloem transport to the ear. The results show that sink metabolism is affected by the prevailing low oxygen concentrations in developing wheat seeds, determining the import rate of assimilates via the phloem.     

Nitric oxide inhibits cardiac energy production via inhibition of mitochondrial creatine kinase

Nitric oxide biosynthesis in cardiac muscle leads to a decreased oxygen consumption and lower ATP synthesis. It is suggested that this effect of nitric oxide is mainly due to the inhibition of the mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme, cytochrome c oxidase. However, this work demonstrates that nitric oxide is able to inhibit soluble mitochondrial creatine kinase (CK), mitochondrial CK bound in purified mitochondria, CK in situ in skinned fibres as well as the functional activity of mitochondrial CK in situ in skinned fibres. Since mitochondrial isoenzyme is functionally coupled to oxidative phosphorylation, its inhibition also leads to decreased sensitivity of mitochondrial respiration to ADP and thus decreases ATP synthesis and oxygen consumption under physiological ADP concentrations.     

Impaired cardiac mitochondrial membrane potential and respiration in copper-deficient rats

Cardiac mitochondrial respiration, ATP synthase activity, and membrane potential and intactness were evaluated in copper-deficient rats. In the presence of NADH, both copper-deficient and copper-adequate mitochondria had very low oxygen consumption rates, indicating membrane intactness. However copper-deficient mitochondria had significantly lower oxygen consumption rates with NADH than did copper-adequate mitochondria. Copper-deficient mitochondria had significantly lower membrane potential than did copper-adequate mitochondria using fluorescent dyes. Copper-deficient mitochondria had significantly lower state 3 oxygen consumption rates and were less sensitive to inhibition by oligomycin, an ATP synthase inhibitor. Copper-deficient and copper-adequate mitochondria responded similiarly to CCCP. No difference was observed in mitochondrial ATPase activity between copper-deficient and copper-adequate rats using submitochondrial particles. We conclude that cardiac mitochondrial respiration is compromised in copper-deficient rats, and may be related to an altered ATP synthase complex and/or a decreased mitochondrial membrane potential.     

Proton re-uptake partitioning between uncoupling protein and ATP synthase during benzohydroxamic acid-resistant state 3 respiration in tomato fruit mitochondria

The yield of oxidative phosphorylation in isolated tomato fruit mitochondria depleted of free fatty acids remains constant when respiratory rates are decreased by a factor of 3 by the addition of n-butyl malonate. This constancy makes the determination of the contribution of the linoleic acid-induced energy-dissipating pathway by the ADP/O method possible. No decrease in membrane potential is observed in state 3 respiration with increasing concentration of n-butyl malonate, indicating that the rate of ATP synthesis is steeply dependent on membrane potential. Linoleic acid decreases the yield of oxidative phosphorylation in a concentration-dependent manner by a pure protonophoric process like that in the presence of FCCP. ADP/O measurements allow calculation of the part of respiration leading to ATP synthesis and the part of respiration sustained by the dissipative H(+) re-uptake induced by linoleic acid. Respiration sustained by this energy-dissipating process remains constant at a given LA concentration until more than 50% inhibition of state 3 respiration by n-butyl malonate is achieved. The energy dissipative contribution to oxygen consumption is proposed to be equal to the protonophoric activity of plant uncoupling protein divided by the intrinsic H(+)/O of the cytochrome pathway. It increases with linoleic acid concentration, taking place at the expense of ADP phosphorylation without an increase in the respiration.     

Metabolic profiling of hypoxic cells revealed a catabolic signature required for cell survival

Hypoxia is one of the features of poorly vascularised areas of solid tumours but cancer cells can survive in these areas despite the low oxygen tension. The adaptation to hypoxia requires both biochemical and genetic responses that culminate in a metabolic rearrangement to counter-balance the decrease in energy supply from mitochondrial respiration. The understanding of metabolic adaptations under hypoxia could reveal novel pathways that, if targeted, would lead to specific death of hypoxic regions. In this study, we developed biochemical and metabolomic analyses to assess the effects of hypoxia on cellular metabolism of HCT116 cancer cell line. We utilized an oxygen fluorescent probe in anaerobic cuvettes to study oxygen consumption rates under hypoxic conditions without the need to re-oxygenate the cells and demonstrated that hypoxic cells can maintain active, though diminished, oxidative phosphorylation even at 1% oxygen. These results were further supported by in situ microscopy analysis of mitochondrial NADH oxidation under hypoxia. We then used metabolomic methodologies, utilizing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), to determine the metabolic profile of hypoxic cells. This approach revealed the importance of synchronized and regulated catabolism as a mechanism of adaptation to bioenergetic stress. We then confirmed the presence of autophagy under hypoxic conditions and demonstrated that the inhibition of this catabolic process dramatically reduced the ATP levels in hypoxic cells and stimulated hypoxia-induced cell death. These results suggest that under hypoxia, autophagy is required to support ATP production, in addition to glycolysis, and that the inhibition of autophagy might be used to selectively target hypoxic regions of tumours, the most notoriously resistant areas of solid tumours.     

Mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide production alters oxygen consumption in an oxygen-concentration-dependent manner

Metabolic responses of mammalian cells toward declining oxygen concentration are generally thought to occur when oxygen limits mitochondrial ATP production. However, at oxygen concentrations markedly above those limiting to mitochondria, several mammalian cell types display reduced rates of oxygen consumption without energy stress or compensatory increases in glycolytic ATP production. We used mammalian Jurkat T cells as a model system to identify mechanisms responsible for these changes in metabolic rate. Oxygen consumption was 31% greater at high oxygen (150–200 μM) compared to low oxygen (5–10 μM). Hydrogen peroxide was implicated in the response as catalase prevented the increase in oxygen consumption normally associated with high oxygen. Cell-derived hydrogen peroxide, predominately from the mitochondria, was elevated with high oxygen. Oxygen consumption related to intracellular calcium turnover was shown, through EDTA chelation and dantrolene antagonism of the ryanodine receptor, to account for 70% of the response. Oligomycin inhibition of oxygen consumption indicated that mitochondrial proton leak was also sensitive to changes in oxygen concentration. Our results point toward a mechanism in which changes in oxygen concentration influence the rate of hydrogen peroxide production by mitochondria, which, in turn, alters cellular ATP use associated with intracellular calcium turnover and energy wastage through mitochondrial proton leak.