CAMELIA BHATTACHARYYA, AMITY UNIVERSITY KOLKATA
“Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”- how often we have read and answered it in our 10th standard before we understood its role in detail. One of its major functions includes ATP production for which the first line is applicable. Few other important roles of these cytoplasmic cellular organelles related to the nervous system include reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and Ca2+ signaling. Thus, any dysfunction of the mitochondria can lead to neurodegenerative disorders. In a recent study conducted by Ranganayaki and his team, the neurogenerative disorders impairing movements were studied by inhibiting mitochondrial complex I (CI) and mitochondrial complex II (CII).
In the study, inhibitors like 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) and 3-nitropropionic acid (3NPA) were used to inhibit CI and CII. These are the inhibitors that undergo frequent research due to their roles in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Huntington’s disease (HD). The results showed the activation of several downstream events that lead to neurodegeneration, the root cause being the interference in autophagy. Several other transcriptomic changes were also noted in the N27 neuronal cells. These changes were restricted by the elevation of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).
More studies in this field can throw more light on neurotoxin-mediated neuronal cell damage and this can help to improve the pathway for autophagy. The CII complex should be the major target since it has a major part to play in movement-related disorders.
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Source: Ranganayaki, S., Jamshidi, N., Aiyaz, M. et al. Inhibition of mitochondrial complex II in neuronal cells triggers unique pathways culminating in autophagy with implications for neurodegeneration. Sci Rep 11, 1483 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79339-2
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