Raft-like microdomains play a key role in mitochondrial impairment in lymphoid cells from patients with Huntington's disease

J Lipid Res. 2012 Oct;53(10):2057-2068. doi: 10.1194/jlr.M026062. Epub 2012 Jul 6.

Abstract

Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disease characterized by an exceedingly high number of contiguous glutamine residues in the translated protein, huntingtin (Htt). The primary site of cell toxicity is the nucleus, but mitochondria have been identified as key components of cell damage. The present work has been carried out in immortalized lymphocytes from patients with HD. These cells, in comparison with lymphoid cells from healthy subjects, displayed: i) a redistribution of mitochondria, forming large aggregates; ii) a constitutive hyperpolarization of mitochondrial membrane; and iii) a constitutive alteration of mitochondrial fission machinery, with high apoptotic susceptibility. Moreover, mitochondrial fission molecules, e.g., protein dynamin-related protein 1, as well as Htt, associated with mitochondrial raft-like microdomains, glycosphingolipid-enriched structures detectable in mitochondria. These findings, together with the observation that a ceramide synthase inhibitor and a raft disruptor are capable of impairing the peculiar mitochondrial remodeling in HD cells, suggest that mitochondrial alterations occurring in these cells could be due to raft-mediated defects of mitochondrial fission/fusion machinery.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis
  • Dynamins
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / genetics
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Huntingtin Protein
  • Huntington Disease / genetics
  • Huntington Disease / metabolism*
  • Lymphocytes / metabolism*
  • Lymphocytes / ultrastructure
  • Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
  • Microscopy, Immunoelectron
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / genetics
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / metabolism
  • Mitochondria / metabolism*
  • Mitochondria / ultrastructure
  • Mitochondrial Membranes / metabolism
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / genetics
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / metabolism
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / metabolism
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism

Substances

  • HTT protein, human
  • Huntingtin Protein
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • Mitochondrial Proteins
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases
  • DNM1L protein, human
  • Dynamins