title: Involvement of mtDNA damage in free fatty acid-induced apoptosis.
abstract: A growing body of evidence indicates that free fatty acids (FFA) can have deleterious effects on beta-cells. It has been suggested that the beta-cell dysfunction and death observed in diabetes may involve exaggerated activation of the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) by FFA, with the resultant generation of excess nitric oxide (NO). However, the cellular targets with which NO interact have not been fully identified. We hypothesized that one of these targets might be mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Therefore, experiments were initiated to evaluate damage to mtDNA caused by exposure of INS-1 cells to FFA (2/1 oleate/palmetate). The results showed that FFA caused a dose-dependent increase in mtDNA damage. Additionally, using ligation-mediated PCR, we were able to show that the DNA damage pattern at the nucleotide level was identical to the one induced by pure NO and different from damage caused by peroxynitrite or superoxide. Following exposure to FFA, apoptosis was detected by DAPI staining and cytochrome c release. Treatment of INS-1 cells with the iNOS inhibitor aminoguanidine protected these cells from mtDNA damage and diminished the appearance of apoptosis. These studies suggest that mtDNA may be a sensitive target for NO-induced toxicity which may provoke apoptosis in beta-cells following exposure to FFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile, AL 36688, USA.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Grishko
authors.forename: Lyudmila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rachek
authors.forename: Sergiy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Musiyenko
authors.forename: Susan P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Ledoux
authors.forename: Glenn L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D004249:DNA Damage; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000378:metabolism*; D005609:Free Radicals; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D005609:Free Radicals; D007211:Indoles; D009573:Nitrites; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C007293:DAPI; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D045304:Cytochromes c; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat; D020169:Caspases; D005947:Glucose