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Zhang J, Huang J, Lan J, Li Q, Ke L, Jiang Q, Li Y, Zhang H, Zhong H, Yang P, Chen T, Song Y. Astragaloside IV protects against autoimmune myasthenia gravis in rats via regulation of mitophagy and apoptosis. Mol Med Rep 2024; 30:129. [PMID: 38785143 PMCID: PMC11140232 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2024.13253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Astragaloside IV (AS‑IV) has various pharmacological effects, including antioxidant and immunoregulatory properties, which can improve myasthenia gravis (MG) symptoms. However, the potential mechanism underlying the effects of AS‑IV on MG remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate whether AS‑IV has a therapeutic effect on MG and its potential mechanism of action. By subcutaneously immunizing rats with R97‑116 peptide, an experimental autoimmune (EA) MG rat model was established. AS‑IV (40 or 80 mg/kg/day) treatment was then applied for 28 days after modeling. The results demonstrated that AS‑IV significantly ameliorated the weight loss, Lennon score and pathological changes in the gastrocnemius muscle of EAMG rats compared with the model group. Additionally, the levels of acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR‑Ab) were significantly decreased, whereas mitochondrial function [ATPase and cytochrome c (Cyt‑C) oxidase activities] and ultrastructure were improved in the AS‑IV treated rats. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expression levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog‑induced putative kinase 1, Parkin, LC3II and Bcl‑2, key signaling molecules for mitophagy and apoptosis, were upregulated, whereas the mRNA and protein expression levels of p62, Cyt‑C, Bax, caspase 3 and caspase 9 were downregulated following AS‑IV intervention. In conclusion, AS‑IV may protect against EAMG in a rat model by modulating mitophagy and apoptosis. These findings indicated the potential mechanism underlying the effects of AS‑IV on MG and provided novel insights into treatment strategies for MG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zhang
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
- Institute of Pi-Wei, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Jiayan Huang
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
- Institute of Pi-Wei, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Jinlian Lan
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
- Institute of Pi-Wei, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Qing Li
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
- Institute of Pi-Wei, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Lingling Ke
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
- Institute of Pi-Wei, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Qilong Jiang
- Department of Gastrosplenic Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Yanwu Li
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
- Institute of Pi-Wei, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Han Zhang
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, P.R. China
| | - Huiya Zhong
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
- Institute of Pi-Wei, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Peidan Yang
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
- Institute of Pi-Wei, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Tongkai Chen
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
| | - Yafang Song
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
- Institute of Pi-Wei, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, P.R. China
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Hughes LA, Rackham O, Filipovska A. Illuminating mitochondrial translation through mouse models. Hum Mol Genet 2024; 33:R61-R79. [PMID: 38779771 PMCID: PMC11112386 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddae020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are hubs of metabolic activity with a major role in ATP conversion by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The mammalian mitochondrial genome encodes 11 mRNAs encoding 13 OXPHOS proteins along with 2 rRNAs and 22 tRNAs, that facilitate their translation on mitoribosomes. Maintaining the internal production of core OXPHOS subunits requires modulation of the mitochondrial capacity to match the cellular requirements and correct insertion of particularly hydrophobic proteins into the inner mitochondrial membrane. The mitochondrial translation system is essential for energy production and defects result in severe, phenotypically diverse diseases, including mitochondrial diseases that typically affect postmitotic tissues with high metabolic demands. Understanding the complex mechanisms that underlie the pathologies of diseases involving impaired mitochondrial translation is key to tailoring specific treatments and effectively targeting the affected organs. Disease mutations have provided a fundamental, yet limited, understanding of mitochondrial protein synthesis, since effective modification of the mitochondrial genome has proven challenging. However, advances in next generation sequencing, cryoelectron microscopy, and multi-omic technologies have revealed unexpected and unusual features of the mitochondrial protein synthesis machinery in the last decade. Genome editing tools have generated unique models that have accelerated our mechanistic understanding of mitochondrial translation and its physiological importance. Here we review the most recent mouse models of disease pathogenesis caused by defects in mitochondrial protein synthesis and discuss their value for preclinical research and therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia A Hughes
- Telethon Kids Institute, Northern Entrance, Perth Children’s Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Oliver Rackham
- Telethon Kids Institute, Northern Entrance, Perth Children’s Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Aleksandra Filipovska
- Telethon Kids Institute, Northern Entrance, Perth Children’s Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, 19 Innovation Walk, Clayton, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
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Khan AM, Steffensen MA, Paskeviciute E, Abduljabar AB, Sørensen TL, Vorum H, Nissen MH, Honoré B. Neuroretinal degeneration in a mouse model of systemic chronic immune activation observed by proteomics. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1374617. [PMID: 38665911 PMCID: PMC11043527 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1374617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Blindness or vision loss due to neuroretinal and photoreceptor degeneration affects millions of individuals worldwide. In numerous neurodegenerative diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, dysregulated immune response-mediated retinal degeneration has been found to play a critical role in the disease pathogenesis. To better understand the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the retinal degeneration, we used a mouse model of systemic immune activation where we infected mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) clone 13. Here, we evaluated the effects of LCMV infection and present a comprehensive discovery-based proteomic investigation using tandem mass tag (TMT) labeling and high-resolution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Changes in protein regulation in the posterior part of the eye, neuroretina, and RPE/choroid were compared to those in the spleen as a secondary lymphoid organ and to the kidney as a non-lymphoid but encapsulated organ at 1, 8, and 28 weeks of infection. Using bioinformatic tools, we found several proteins responsible for maintaining normal tissue homeostasis to be differentially regulated in the neuroretina and the RPE/choroid during the degenerative process. Additionally, in the organs we observed, several important protein pathways contributing to cellular homeostasis and tissue development were perturbed and associated with LCMV-mediated inflammation, promoting disease progression. Our findings suggest that the response to a systemic chronic infection differs between the neuroretina and the RPE/choroid, and the processes induced by chronic systemic infection in the RPE/choroid are not unlike those induced in non-immune-privileged organs such as the kidney and spleen. Overall, our data provide detailed insight into several molecular mechanisms of neuroretinal degeneration and highlight various novel protein pathways that further suggest that the posterior part of the eye is not an isolated immunological entity despite the existence of neuroretinal immune privilege.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Egle Paskeviciute
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Torben Lykke Sørensen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Henrik Vorum
- Department of Ophthalmology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Mogens Holst Nissen
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bent Honoré
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
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Organization and expression of the mammalian mitochondrial genome. Nat Rev Genet 2022; 23:606-623. [PMID: 35459860 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-022-00480-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The mitochondrial genome encodes core subunits of the respiratory chain that drives oxidative phosphorylation and is, therefore, essential for energy conversion. Advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies and cryoelectron microscopy have shed light on the structure and organization of the mitochondrial genome and revealed unique mechanisms of mitochondrial gene regulation. New animal models of impaired mitochondrial protein synthesis have shown how the coordinated regulation of the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial translation machineries ensures the correct assembly of the respiratory chain complexes. These new technologies and disease models are providing a deeper understanding of mitochondrial genome organization and expression and of the diseases caused by impaired energy conversion, including mitochondrial, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. They also provide avenues for the development of treatments for these conditions.
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