The Journal of Neuroscience, October 1, 2002, 22(19):8402-8410
Thioltransferase (Glutaredoxin) Mediates Recovery of Motor
Neurons from Excitotoxic Mitochondrial Injury
Rajappa S.
Kenchappa1, 2,
Latha
Diwakar1,
Michael R.
Boyd3, and
Vijayalakshmi
Ravindranath1, 2
1 Department of Neurochemistry, National Institute of
Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560 029, India,
2 National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon 122001, India,
and 3 Cancer Research Institute, College of Medicine,
Mobile, Alabama 36688
Mitochondrial dysfunction involving electron transport components
is implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders and is a critical event in excitotoxicity. Excitatory amino acid
L-
-N-oxalylamino-L-alanine
(L-BOAA), causes progressive corticospinal
neurodegeneration in humans. In mice, L-BOAA triggers glutathione loss and protein thiol oxidation that disrupts
mitochondrial complex I selectively in motor cortex and lumbosacral
cord, the regions affected in humans. We examined the factors
regulating postinjury recovery of complex I in CNS regions after a
single dose of L-BOAA. The expression of thioltransferase
(glutaredoxin), a protein disulfide oxidoreductase regulated through
AP1 transcription factor was upregulated within 30 min of
L-BOAA administration, providing the first evidence for
functional regulation of thioltransferase during restoration of
mitochondrial function. Regeneration of complex I activity in motor
cortex was concurrent with increase in thioltransferase protein and
activity, 1 hr after the excitotoxic insult. Pretreatment with
-lipoic acid, a thiol delivery agent that protects motor neurons
from L-BOAA-mediated toxicity prevented the upregulation of
thioltransferase and AP1 activation, presumably by maintaining thiol
homeostasis. Downregulation of thioltransferase using antisense
oligonucleotides prevented the recovery of complex I in motor cortex
and exacerbated the mitochondrial dysfunction in lumbosacral cord,
providing support for the critical role for thioltransferase in
maintenance of mitochondrial function in the CNS.
Key words:
excitatory amino acid; glutaredoxin; mitochondria; motor
neuron disease; glutathione; brain; complex I; oxidative stress
Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/02/22198402-09$05.00/0