Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P04179 (MnSOD)
 2,777 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Deleterious mitochondrial mutations accumulate during normal human aging in postmitotic tissues. How these mutations affect aging cells is currently unknown. This issue has been addressed in two ways. The first is to determine the likeliest effect of random mutations in the mitochondrial genome, and of the 4977 bp deletion and MELAS point mutation that rise in frequency with age. The results indicate that Complex I is statistically much more likely to be affected than any other product of the mitochondrial genome. We have also attempted to model Complex I deficiency in animals with the drug MPTP, a specific inhibitor of Complex I. We find that MPTP causes massive damage in brains of mice with a genetic deficiency in the mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, MnSOD, but less in mice that overexpress the enzyme. We conclude from these data that MPTP-induced cell death must be mediated through an increase in the steady-state concentration of superoxide anion in mitochondria. Since the likeliest target of mitochondrial mutation is Complex I, deficiency of which causes MnSOD-inhibitable lethality, we propose that rising mtDNA mutations with age will cause an increase in superoxide-mediated cell death. Such a mechanism for age-related cell death has the potential to explain several age-related phenotypes.
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PMID:Modelling the effects of age-related mtDNA mutation accumulation; complex I deficiency, superoxide and cell death. 759 5

This review discusses the etiology and pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Mitochondrial respiratory failure and oxidative stress appear to be two major contributors to nigral neuronal death in PD. Complex I deficiency has been reported by several groups and appears to be one of the basic abnormalities responsible for mitochondrial failure. The principal question is whether or not complex I deficiency is primary or secondary. The second question is whether or not complex I deficiency is localized in the nigrostriatal system or is systemically present. It is our impression that complex I deficiency is not the primary cause but that its deficiency appears to be systemic. The primary cause may be the combination of genetic background and potential nigral neurotoxins. Exposure of nigral neurons to a high risk for oxidative damage because of its high dopamine content may be the reason for more pronounced nigral complex I deficiency compared to systemic organs. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial failure produce a vicious cycle in nigral neurons. To explore the genetic risk factors of sporadic PD, studies on familial PD and parkinsonism are important. Recently, an autosomal dominant form of familial PD was found to be caused by point mutations of the alpha-synuclein gene, and an autosomal recessive familial parkinsonism was mapped to the long arm of chromosome 6 near the Mn-SOD gene locus. Information obtained in these familial cases will contribute to the research on sporadic PD.
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PMID:Mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. 974 80