Mitochondrial dynamics in human NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase deficiency

Mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase or complex I (CI) is a frequently affected enzyme in cases of mitochondrial disorders. However, the cytopathological mechanism of the associated pediatric syndromes is poorly understood. Evidence in the literature suggests a connection between mitochondrial metabolism and morphology. Previous quantitative analysis of mitochondrial structure in cultured fibroblasts of 14 patients revealed that mitochondria were fragmented and/or less branched in patients with severe CI deficiency. These patient cells also displayed greatly increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and marked aberrations in mitochondrial and cellular Ca²⁺/ATP handling upon hormone stimulation. Here, we discuss the interrelationship between these parameters and demonstrate that the hormone-induced increase in mitochondrial Ca²⁺ and ATP concentration, as well as the rate of cytosolic Ca²⁺ removal, are not related to mitochondrial length and/or degree of branching, but decrease as a function of the number of mitochondria per cell. This suggests that the amount of mitochondria, and not their shape, is important for Ca²⁺-induced stimulation of mitochondrial ATP generation to feed cytosolic ATP-demanding processes.     

Mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis in human NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase deficiency

NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase or complex I is a large multisubunit assembly of the mitochondrial inner membrane that channels high-energy electrons from metabolic NADH into the electron transport chain (ETC). Its dysfunction is associated with a range of progressive neurological disorders, often characterized by a very early onset and short devastating course. To better understand the cytopathological mechanisms of these disorders, we use live cell luminometry and imaging microscopy of patient skin fibroblasts with mutations in nuclear-encoded subunits of the complex. Here, we present an overview of our recent work, showing that mitochondrial membrane potential, Ca(2+) handling and ATP production are to a variable extent impaired among a large cohort of patient fibroblast lines. From the results obtained, the picture emerges that a reduction in cellular complex I activity leads to a depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential, resulting in a decreased supply of mitochondrial ATP to the Ca(2+)-ATPases of the intracellular stores and thus to a reduced Ca(2+) content of these stores. As a consequence, the increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration evoked by a Ca(2+) mobilizing stimulus is decreased, leading to a reduction in mitochondrial Ca(2+) accumulation and ensuing ATP production and thus to a hampered energization of stimulus-induced cytosolic processes.     

Mitochondrial and cytosolic thiol redox state are not detectably altered in isolated human NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase deficiency

Isolated complex I deficiency is the most common enzymatic defect of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system, causing a wide range of clinical phenotypes. We reported before that the rates at which reactive oxygen species (ROS)-sensitive dyes are converted into their fluorescent oxidation products are markedly increased in cultured skin fibroblasts of patients with nuclear-inherited isolated complex I deficiency. Using video-imaging microscopy we show here that these cells also display a marked increase in NAD(P)H autofluorescence. Linear regression analysis revealed a negative correlation with the residual complex I activity and a positive correlation with the oxidation rates of the ROS-sensitive dyes 5-(and-6)-chloromethyl-2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein and hydroethidine for a cohort of 10 patient cell lines. On the other hand, video-imaging microscopy of cells expressing reduction-oxidation sensitive GFP1 in either the mitochondrial matrix or cytosol showed the absence of any detectable change in thiol redox state. In agreement with this result, neither the glutathione nor the glutathione disulfide content differed significantly between patient and healthy fibroblasts. Finally, video-rate confocal microscopy of cells loaded with C11-BODIPY(581/591) demonstrated that the extent of lipid peroxidation, which is regarded as a measure of oxidative damage, was not altered in patient fibroblasts. Our results indicate that fibroblasts of patients with isolated complex I deficiency maintain their thiol redox state despite marked increases in ROS production.     

NADH/NAD+ interaction with NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I)

The quantitative data on the binding affinity of NADH, NAD(+), and their analogues for complex I as emerged from the steady-state kinetics data and from more direct studies under equilibrium conditions are summarized and discussed. The redox-dependency of the nucleotide binding and the reductant-induced change of FMN affinity to its tight non-covalent binding site indicate that binding (dissociation) of the substrate (product) may energetically contribute to the proton-translocating activity of complex I.     

Benzothiadiazole inhibits mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase in tobacco

An inducer of acquired disease resistance in plants, benzo (1,2,3) thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester, exhibited direct, concentration-dependent inhibition of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity of complex I of the mitochondrial electron transport chain of cultured tobacco cells. The complex I activity was less sensitive to inhibition by salicylic acid, an endogenous activator of acquired disease resistance. Using a dichlorodihydrofluorescein assay, it was found that benzothiadiazole, salicylic acid and the complex I inhibitor rotenone, increased reactive oxygen species production within cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The results indicate that both benzothiadiazole and salicylic acid affect the mitochondria of treated plant cells and result in increased production of reactive oxygen species. The biochemical basis of this response could be related to the inhibition of the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity of complex I that results in channelling of electrons via complex II, with concomitant higher levels of superoxide production.     

The reaction of NADPH with bovine mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase revisited

The first purification of bovine NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Complex I) was reported nearly half a century ago (Hatefi et al. J Biol Chem 237:1676–1680, 1962). The pathway of electron-transfer through the enzyme is still under debate. A major obstacle is the assignment of EPR signals to the individual iron-sulfur clusters in the subunits. The preceding paper described a working model based on the kinetics with NADPH. This model is at variance with current views in the field. The present paper provides a critical overview on the possible causes for the discrepancies. It is concluded that the stability of all purified preparations described thus far, including Hatefi’s Complex I, is compromised due to removal of the enzyme from the protective membrane environment. In addition, most preparations described during the last two decades are purified by methods involving synthetic detergents and column chromatography. This results in delipidation, loss of endogenous quinones and loss of reactions with (artificial) quinones in a rotenone-sensitive way. The Fe:FMN ratio’s indicate that FMN-a is absent, but that all Fe-S clusters may be present. In contrast to the situation in bovine SMP and Hatefi’s Complex I, three of the six expected [4Fe-4S] clusters are not detected in EPR spectra. Qualitatively, the overall EPR lineshape of the remaining three cubane signals may seem similar to that of Hatefi’s Complex I, but quantitatively it is not. It is further proposed that point mutations in any of the TYKY, PSST, 49-kDa or 30-kDa subunits, considered to make up the delicate structural heart of Complex I, may have unpredictable effects on any of the other subunits of this quartet. The fact that most point mutations led to inactive enzymes makes a correct interpretation of such mutations even more ambiguous. In none of the Complex-I-containing membrane preparations from non-bovine origin, the pH dependencies of the NAD(P)H→O₂ reactions and the pH-dependent reduction kinetics of the Fe-S clusters with NADPH have been determined. This excludes a proper discussion on the absence or presence of FMN-a in native Complex I from other organisms.     

The reaction of NADPH with bovine mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase revisited

Bovine NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Complex I) is the first complex in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It has long been assumed that it contained only one FMN group. However, as demonstrated in 2003, the intact enzyme contains two FMN groups. The second FMN was proposed to be located in a conserved flavodoxin fold predicted to be present in the PSST subunit. The long-known reaction of Complex I with NADPH differs in many aspects from that with NADH. It was proposed that the second flavin group was specifically involved in the reaction with NADPH. The X-ray structure of the hydrophilic domain of Complex I from Thermus thermophilus (Sazanov and Hinchliffe 2006, Science 311, 1430–1436) disclosed the positions of all redox groups of that enzyme and of the subunits holding them. The PSST subunit indeed contains the predicted flavodoxin fold although it did not contain FMN. Inspired by this structure, the present paper describes a re-evaluation of the enigmatic reactions of the bovine enzyme with NADPH. Published data, as well as new freeze-quench kinetic data presented here, are incompatible with the general opinion that NADPH and NADH react at the same site. Instead, it is proposed that these pyridine nucleotides react at opposite ends of the 90?Å long chain of prosthetic groups in Complex I. Ubiquinone is proposed to react with the Fe-S clusters in the TYKY subunit deep inside the hydrophilic domain. A new model for electron transfer in Complex I is proposed. In the accompanying paper this model is compared with the one advocated in current literature.     

Inhibition of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase by ethoxyformic anhydride

The NADH:ubiquinone, but not the NADH:ferricyanide, reductase activity of mitochondrial complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is inhibited by incubation of the enzyme at pH 6.0 and 0 degree C with ethoxyformic anhydride (EFA), and the inhibition is partially reversed by subsequent incubation of EFA-treated complex I with hydroxylamine. These results and spectral changes of EFA-treated complex I in the u.v. region are consistent with modification of essential histidyl or tyrosyl residues between the primary NADH dehydrogenase and the site of ubiquinone reduction. Treatment of complex I with EFA in the presence of high concentrations of Seconal or Demerol did not protect against EFA inactivation, suggesting that the site of EFA modification may not be the same as the inhibiton sites of Seconal and Demerol. However, the presence of NADH during incubation of complex I with EFA greatly enhanced the inhibition rate, indicating that the reduced conformation of complex I is more susceptible to attack by EFA.     

The ubiquinone-binding site in NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase from Escherichia coli

An azido-ubiquinone derivative, 3-azido-2-methyl-5-methoxy[3H]-6-decyl-1,4-benzoquinone ([3H]azido-Q), was used to study the ubiquinone/protein interaction and to identify the ubiquinone-binding site in Escherichia coli NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I). The purified complex I showed no loss of activity after incubation with a 20-fold molar excess of [3H]azido-Q in the dark. Illumination of the incubated sample with long wavelength UV light for 10 min at 0 degrees C caused a 40% decrease of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity. SDS-PAGE of the complex labeled with [3H]azido-Q followed by analysis of the radioactivity distribution among the subunits revealed that subunit NuoM was heavily labeled, suggesting that this protein houses the Q-binding site. When the [3H]azido-Q-labeled NuoM was purified from the labeled reductase by means of preparative SDS-PAGE, a 3-azido-2-methyl-5-methoxy-6-decyl-1,4-benzoquinone-linked peptide, with a retention time of 41.4 min, was obtained by high performance liquid chromatography of the protease K digest of the labeled subunit. This peptide had a partial NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of NH2-VMLIAILALV-, which corresponds to amino acid residues 184-193 of NuoM. The secondary structure prediction of NuoM using the Toppred hydropathy analysis showed that the Q-binding peptide overlaps with a proposed Q-binding motif located in the middle of the transmembrane helix 5 toward the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Using the PHDhtm hydropathy plot, the labeled peptide is located in the transmembrane helix 4 toward the periplasmic side of the membrane.     

Mitigation of NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase deficiency by chronic Trolox treatment

Deficiency of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I), is associated with a variety of clinical phenotypes such as Leigh syndrome, encephalomyopathy and cardiomyopathy. Circumstantial evidence suggests that increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels contribute to the pathogenesis of these disorders. Here we assessed the effect of the water-soluble vitamin E derivative Trolox on ROS levels, and the amount and activity of complex I in fibroblasts of six children with isolated complex I deficiency caused by a mutation in the NDUFS1, NDUFS2, NDUFS7, NDUFS8 or NDUFV1 gene. Patient cells displayed increased ROS levels and a variable decrease in complex I activity and amount. For control cells, the ratio between activity and amount was 1 whereas for the patients this ratio was below 1, indicating a defect in intrinsic catalytic activity of complex I in the latter cells. Trolox treatment dramatically reduced ROS levels in both control and patient cells, which was paralleled by a substantial increase in the amount of complex I. Although the ratio between the increase in activity and amount of complex I was exactly proportional in control cells it varied between 0.1 and 0.8 for the patients. Our findings suggest that the expression of complex I is regulated by ROS. Furthermore, they provide evidence that both the amount and intrinsic activity of complex I are decreased in inherited complex I deficiency. The finding that Trolox treatment increased the amount of complex I might aid the future development of antioxidant treatment strategies for patients. However, such treatment may only be beneficial to patients with a relatively small reduction in intrinsic catalytic defect of the complex.     

Structure of the respiratory NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I)

Three-dimensional structures of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (or complex I) from the respiratory chain of mitochondria and bacteria have been recently studied by electron microscopy. The low-resolution structures all reveal a characteristic L shape for complex I; however, some of the differences among these structures may have important implications for the location of the functional elements of complex I, for example, the ubiquinone-binding site.     

The design and synthesis of novel inhibitors of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase

Potent new inhibitors of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) have been designed, with the help of molecular modelling, by hybridisation of known complex I inhibitors with inhibitors of cytochrome c oxidoreductase. The most interesting compound was the chromone 7 which was a selective inhibitor of complex I (IC(50) 15 nM) and showed acaricidal activity against spider mites.     

The Campylobacter jejuni NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) utilizes flavodoxin rather than NADH

Campylobacter jejuni encodes 12 of the 14 subunits that make up the respiratory enzyme NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (also called complex I). The two nuo genes not present in C. jejuni encode the NADH dehydrogenase, and in their place in the operon are the novel genes designated Cj1575c and Cj1574c. A series of mutants was generated in which each of the 12 nuo genes (homologues to known complex I subunits) was disrupted or deleted. Each of the nuo mutants will not grow in amino acid-based medium unless supplemented with an alternative respiratory substrate such as formate. Unlike the nuo genes, Cj1574c is an essential gene and could not be disrupted unless an intact copy of the gene was provided at an unrelated site on the chromosome. A nuo deletion mutant can efficiently respire formate but is deficient in α-ketoglutarate respiratory activity compared to the wild type. In C. jejuni, α-ketoglutarate respiration is mediated by the enzyme 2-oxoglutarate:acceptor oxidoreductase; mutagenesis of this enzyme abolishes α-ketoglutarate-dependent O₂ uptake and fails to reduce the electron transport chain. The electron acceptor for 2-oxoglutarate:acceptor oxidoreductase was determined to be flavodoxin, which was also determined to be an essential protein in C. jejuni. A model is presented in which CJ1574 mediates electron flow into the respiratory transport chain from reduced flavodoxin and through complex I.     

Mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase polymorphisms are associated with breast cancer in Poland

Complex I NADH-oxidoreductase-ubiquinone transports reducing equivalents from the reduced form of NADH to ubiquinone (coenzyme Q-CoQ). The purpose of this study was to analyze mutations in MT-ND1, MT-ND2, MT-ND3 and MT-ND6 genes and their effect on the biochemical properties, structure and functioning of proteins in patients with breast tumours. In research materials, in 50 patients, 28 total polymorphisms and five mutations were detected. Most detected polymorphisms (50 %, 14/28) were observed in MT-ND2 gene. Most of them were silent mutations. Five polymorphisms (m.G3916A, m.C4888T, m.A4918G, m.C5363T, m.C10283T) do not exist in the database. A total of five mutations in 13 patients (13/50) were detected, including two not described in the literature: m.C4987G and m.T10173C. It cannot be excluded that, through the mutations and polymorphism impact on the protein structure, they may cause mitochondrial dysfunction and contribute to the appearance of other changes in mtDNA. The results of our study indicate the presence of homological changes in the sequence of mtDNA in both breast cancer and in some mitochondrial diseases. Mutations in the examined genes in breast cancer may affect the cell and cause its dysfunction, as is the case in mitochondrial diseases.     

Sensitivity to NN''-dicyclohexylcarbodi-imide of proton translocation by mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase.

Proton extrusion during ferricyanide reduction by NADH-generating substrates or succinate was studied in isolated rat liver mitochondria with the use of optical indicators. NN'-Dicyclohexylcarbodi-imide (DCCD) caused a decrease of 84% in the H+/e- ratio of NADH:cytochrome c reduction, but a decrease of only 49% in that of succinate:cytochrome c reduction, even though electron transfer was decreased equally in both spans. The data indicate that a DCCD-sensitive channel operates in the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase region of the respiratory chain.     

Three-dimensional structure of bovine NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase of the mitochondrial respiratory chain

We have studied the structure of bovine heart mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone (Q) oxidoreductase (EC 1.6.99.3) by image analysis of electron micrographs. A three-dimensional reconstruction was calculated from a tilt-series of a two-dimensional crystal of the molecule. Our interpretation of the position of the molecule in the unit cell of the crystal is supported by additional (low-resolution) analysis of images of single molecules. The three-dimensional reconstruction was calculated with the aid of an iterative real-space reconstruction algorithm. The various projections used as input to the algorithm were obtained by averaging the images of the tilted crystal through a Fourier-space peak-filtering procedure. The reconstructed unit cell measures 15.2 X 15.2 nm in the plane of the two-dimensional crystal and has a height of 10-11 nm. The unit cell contains one molecule consisting of four large subunits. At the present resolution of about 1.3 nm in the untilted projection, these four monomers are seen as two dimers related by a two-fold axis. Two views of the single particles have been recognized; they are the top and side view of the building block of the crystal. After computer image alignment and correspondence analysis, clusters of similar particles have been averaged. In the averages an uneven stain distribution is seen around the molecules, which may result from preferential staining of hydrophilic parts of the molecule. The molecular mass of the whole molecule was determined from scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements as (1.6 +/- 0.2) X 10(6) daltons.