Jana Buzkova

FGF-21 as a biomarker for muscle-manifesting mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiencies: a diagnostic study

BACKGROUND Muscle biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders because of the lack of sensitive biomarkers in serum. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) is a growth factor with regulatory roles in lipid metabolism and the starvation response, and concentrations are raised in skeletal muscle and serum in mice with mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiencies. We investigated in a retrospective diagnostic study whether FGF-21 could be a biomarker for human mitochondrial disorders. METHODS We assessed samples from adults and children with mitochondrial disorders or non-mitochondrial neurological disorders (disease controls) from seven study centres in Europe and the USA, and recruited healthy volunteers (healthy controls), matched for age where possible, from the same centres. We used ELISA to measure FGF-21 concentrations in serum or plasma samples (abnormal values were defined as >200 pg/mL). We compared these concentrations with values for lactate, pyruvate, lactate-to-pyruvate ratio, and creatine kinase in serum or plasma and calculated sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for all biomarkers. FINDINGS We analysed serum or plasma from 67 patients (41 adults and 26 children) with mitochondrial disorders, 34 disease controls (22 adults and 12 children), and 74 healthy controls. Mean FGF-21 concentrations in serum were 820 (SD 1151) pg/mL in adult and 1983 (1550) pg/mL in child patients with respiratory chain deficiencies and 76 (58) pg/mL in healthy controls. FGF-21 concentrations were high in patients with mitochondrial disorders affecting skeletal muscle but not in disease controls, including those with dystrophies. In patients with abnormal FGF-21 concentrations in serum, the odds ratio of having a muscle-manifesting mitochondrial disease was 132·0 (95% CI 38·7-450·3). For the identification of muscle-manifesting mitochondrial disease, the sensitivity was 92·3% (95% CI 81·5-97·9%) and specificity was 91·7% (84·8-96·1%). The positive and negative predictive values for FGF-21 were 84·2% (95% CI 72·1-92·5%) and 96·1 (90·4-98·9%). The accuracy of FGF-21 to correctly identify muscle-manifesting respiratory chain disorders was better than that for all conventional biomarkers. The area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve for FGF-21 was 0·95; by comparison, the values for other biomarkers were 0·83 lactate (p=0·037, 0·83 for pyruvate (p=0·015), 0·72 for the lactate-to-pyruvate ratio (p=0·0002), and 0·77 for creatine kinase (p=0·013). INTERPRETATION Measurement of FGF-21 concentrations in serum identified primary muscle-manifesting respiratory chain deficiencies in adults and children and might be feasible as a first-line diagnostic test for these disorders to reduce the need for muscle biopsy. FUNDING Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, Molecular Medicine Institute of Finland, University of Helsinki, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Academy of Finland, Novo Nordisk, Arvo and Lea Ylppö Foundation.

Impaired Mitochondrial Biogenesis in Adipose Tissue in Acquired Obesity

Low mitochondrial number and activity have been suggested as underlying factors in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. However, the stage at which mitochondrial dysfunction manifests in adipose tissue after the onset of obesity remains unknown. Here we examined subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) samples from healthy monozygotic twin pairs, 22.8–36.2 years of age, who were discordant (ΔBMI >3 kg/m2, mean length of discordance 6.3 ± 0.3 years, n = 26) and concordant (ΔBMI <3 kg/m2, n = 14) for body weight, and assessed their detailed mitochondrial metabolic characteristics: mitochondrial-related transcriptomes with dysregulated pathways, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) amount, mtDNA-encoded transcripts, and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) protein levels. We report global expressional downregulation of mitochondrial oxidative pathways with concomitant downregulation of mtDNA amount, mtDNA-dependent translation system, and protein levels of the OXPHOS machinery in the obese compared with the lean co-twins. Pathway analysis indicated downshifting of fatty acid oxidation, ketone body production and breakdown, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which inversely correlated with adiposity, insulin resistance, and inflammatory cytokines. Our results suggest that mitochondrial biogenesis, oxidative metabolic pathways, and OXPHOS proteins in SAT are downregulated in acquired obesity, and are associated with metabolic disturbances already at the preclinical stage.

DARS2 mutations in mitochondrial leucoencephalopathy and multiple sclerosis

Background Leucoencephalopathy with brain stem and spinal cord involvement and high brain lactate (LBSL) was first defined by characteristic magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopic findings. The clinical features include childhood or juvenile onset slowly progressive ataxia, spasticity, and dorsal column dysfunction, occasionally accompanied by learning difficulties. Mutations in DARS2, encoding mitochondrial aspartyl-tRNA synthetase, were recently shown to cause LBSL. The signs and symptoms show some overlap with the most common leucoencephalopathy of young adults, multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective To clarify the molecular background of LBSL patients in Finland, and to look for DARS2 mutations in a group of MS patients. Methods Clinical evaluation of LBSL patients, DARS2 sequencing and haplotype analysis, and carrier frequency determination in Finland. Results All eight LBSL patients were compound heterozygotes for DARS2 mutations: all carried R76SfsX5 change, seven had M134_K165del, and one had C152F change. Axonal neuropathy was found in five of the eight patients. The carrier frequencies of the R76SfsX5 and M134_K165del mutations were 1:95 and 1:380, respectively. All patients shared common European haplotypes, suggestive of common European LBSL ancestors. No enrichment of the two common DARS2 mutations was found in 321 MS patients. Conclusion All LBSL patients were compound heterozygotes, which suggests that DARS2 mutation homozygosity may be lethal or manifest as a different phenotype. The authors show here that despite identical mutations the clinical picture was quite variable in the patients. Axonal neuropathy was an important feature of LBSL. DARS2 mutations cause childhood-to-adolescence onset leucoencephalopathy, but they do not seem to be associated with MS.

Expression and processing of the TMEM70 protein.

TMEM70 protein represents a novel ancillary factor of mammalian ATP synthase. We have investigated import and processing of this factor in human cells using GFP- and FLAG-tagged forms of TMEM70 and specific antibodies. TMEM70 is synthesized as a 29kDa precursor protein that is processed to a 21kDa mature form. Immunocytochemical detection of TMEM70 showed mitochondrial colocalization with MitoTracker Red and ATP synthase. Western blot of subcellular fractions revealed the highest signal of TMEM70 in isolated mitochondria and mitochondrial location was confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis. Based on analysis of submitochondrial fractions, TMEM70 appears to be located in the inner mitochondrial membrane, in accordance with predicated transmembrane regions in the central part of the TMEM70 sequence. Two-dimensional electrophoretic analysis did not show direct interaction of TMEM70 with assembled ATP synthase but indicated the presence of dimeric form of TMEM70. No TMEM70 protein could be found in cells and isolated mitochondria from patients with ATP synthase deficiency due to TMEM70 c.317-2A>G mutation thus confirming that TMEM70 biosynthesis is prevented in these patients.

Modified Atkins diet induces subacute selective ragged-red-fiber lysis in mitochondrial myopathy patients

Mitochondrial myopathy (MM) with progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO) is a common manifestation of mitochondrial disease in adulthood, for which there is no curative therapy. In mice with MM, ketogenic diet significantly delayed progression of the disease. We asked in this pilot study what effects high‐fat, low‐carbohydrate “modified Atkins” diet (mAD) had for PEO/MM patients and control subjects and followed up the effects by clinical, morphological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses. All of our five patients, irrespective of genotype, showed a subacute response after 1.5–2 weeks of diet, with progressive muscle pain and leakage of muscle enzymes, leading to premature discontinuation of the diet. Analysis of muscle ultrastructure revealed selective fiber damage, especially in the ragged‐red‐fibers (RRFs), a MM hallmark. Two years of follow‐up showed improvement of muscle strength, suggesting activation of muscle regeneration. Our results indicate that (i) nutrition can modify mitochondrial disease progression, (ii) dietary counseling should be part of MM care, (iii) short mAD is a tool to induce targeted RRF lysis, and (iv) mAD, a common weight‐loss method, may induce muscle damage in a population subgroup.