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Evidence of severe mitochondrial oxidative stress and a protective effect of low oxygen in mouse models of inherited photoreceptor degeneration

Vlachantoni, Dafni ; Bramall, Alexa N. ; Murphy, Michael P. ; Taylor, Robert W. ; Shu, Xinhua ; Tulloch, Brian ; van Veen, Theo LU ; Turnbull, Douglass M. ; McInnes, Roderick R. and Wright, Alan F. (2011) In Human Molecular Genetics 20(2). p.322-335
Abstract
The role of oxidative stress within photoreceptors (PRs) in inherited photoreceptor degeneration (IPD) is unclear. We investigated this question using four IPD mouse models (Pde6b(rd1/rd1), Pde6b(atrd1/atrd1), Rho(-/-) and Prph2(rds/rds)) and compared the abundance of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activity of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I), which is oxidative stress sensitive, as indirect measures of redox status, in the retinas of wild type and IPD mice. All four IPD mutants had significantly reduced retinal complex I activities (14-29% of wild type) and two showed reduced GSH, at a stage prior to the occurrence of significant cell death, whereas mitochondrial citrate synthase, which is oxidative stress... (More)
The role of oxidative stress within photoreceptors (PRs) in inherited photoreceptor degeneration (IPD) is unclear. We investigated this question using four IPD mouse models (Pde6b(rd1/rd1), Pde6b(atrd1/atrd1), Rho(-/-) and Prph2(rds/rds)) and compared the abundance of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activity of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I), which is oxidative stress sensitive, as indirect measures of redox status, in the retinas of wild type and IPD mice. All four IPD mutants had significantly reduced retinal complex I activities (14-29% of wild type) and two showed reduced GSH, at a stage prior to the occurrence of significant cell death, whereas mitochondrial citrate synthase, which is oxidative stress insensitive, was unchanged. We orally administered the mitochondrially targeted anti oxidant MitoQ in order to reduce oxidative stress but without any improvement in retinal complex I activity, GSH or rates of PR degeneration. One possible source of oxidative stress in IPDs is oxygen toxicity in the outer retina due to reduced consumption by PR mitochondria. We therefore asked whether a reduction in the ambient O-2 concentration might improve PR survival in Pde6b(rd1/rd1) retinal explants either directly, by reducing reactive oxygen species formation, or indirectly by a neuroprotective mechanism. Pde6b(rd1/rd1) retinal explants cultured in 6% O-2 showed 31% less PR death than normoxic explants. We conclude that (i) mitochondrial oxidative stress is a significant early feature of IPDs; (ii) the ineffectiveness of MitoQ may indicate its inability to reduce some mediators of oxidative stress, such as hydrogen peroxide; and (iii) elucidation of the mechanisms by which hypoxia protects mutant PRs may identify novel neuroprotective pathways in the retina. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Human Molecular Genetics
volume
20
issue
2
pages
322 - 335
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000285626900011
  • scopus:78650531381
  • pmid:21051333
ISSN
0964-6906
DOI
10.1093/hmg/ddq467
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9a306d6a-e02a-4d24-8755-faefaf6f0b88 (old id 1791108)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:07:56
date last changed
2022-01-25 20:02:56
@article{9a306d6a-e02a-4d24-8755-faefaf6f0b88,
  abstract     = {{The role of oxidative stress within photoreceptors (PRs) in inherited photoreceptor degeneration (IPD) is unclear. We investigated this question using four IPD mouse models (Pde6b(rd1/rd1), Pde6b(atrd1/atrd1), Rho(-/-) and Prph2(rds/rds)) and compared the abundance of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activity of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I), which is oxidative stress sensitive, as indirect measures of redox status, in the retinas of wild type and IPD mice. All four IPD mutants had significantly reduced retinal complex I activities (14-29% of wild type) and two showed reduced GSH, at a stage prior to the occurrence of significant cell death, whereas mitochondrial citrate synthase, which is oxidative stress insensitive, was unchanged. We orally administered the mitochondrially targeted anti oxidant MitoQ in order to reduce oxidative stress but without any improvement in retinal complex I activity, GSH or rates of PR degeneration. One possible source of oxidative stress in IPDs is oxygen toxicity in the outer retina due to reduced consumption by PR mitochondria. We therefore asked whether a reduction in the ambient O-2 concentration might improve PR survival in Pde6b(rd1/rd1) retinal explants either directly, by reducing reactive oxygen species formation, or indirectly by a neuroprotective mechanism. Pde6b(rd1/rd1) retinal explants cultured in 6% O-2 showed 31% less PR death than normoxic explants. We conclude that (i) mitochondrial oxidative stress is a significant early feature of IPDs; (ii) the ineffectiveness of MitoQ may indicate its inability to reduce some mediators of oxidative stress, such as hydrogen peroxide; and (iii) elucidation of the mechanisms by which hypoxia protects mutant PRs may identify novel neuroprotective pathways in the retina.}},
  author       = {{Vlachantoni, Dafni and Bramall, Alexa N. and Murphy, Michael P. and Taylor, Robert W. and Shu, Xinhua and Tulloch, Brian and van Veen, Theo and Turnbull, Douglass M. and McInnes, Roderick R. and Wright, Alan F.}},
  issn         = {{0964-6906}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{322--335}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{Human Molecular Genetics}},
  title        = {{Evidence of severe mitochondrial oxidative stress and a protective effect of low oxygen in mouse models of inherited photoreceptor degeneration}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddq467}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/hmg/ddq467}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}