title: Preliminary evidences on mitochondrial injury and impaired oxidative metabolism in breast cancer.
abstract: Mitochondriopathy is emerging as a new cancer theory; however, the relevance of mitochondrial pathobiology in breast cancer has not yet been completely explored. Herein we report on altered expression levels of the oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS) subunits, mitochondrial structural injury and impaired ATP content from a breast-infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC). With this purpose, a human mammary carcinoma (HMC-1) cell, referred to a human mammary epithelial cell (HMEC) line, was assayed for: a) OXPHOS levels by quantitative cryo-immunoelectron microscopy (CIEM) labeling; b) morphological characterization by a newly introduced damage grading (scale Mt-g1-3), calculated on the % of intact cristae carrying mitochondria; c) bioenergetic impairment by luminometric determinations of cellular ATP content and cytochemical visualization of COX activity. Drastic OXPHOS reduction was observed in HMC-1 cells for the succinate-dehydrogenase complex II SDH-B protein, while decreasing was reported for the NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex I NDUFS3 and the ubiquinol cytochrome c reductase complex III UQCRC2 subunits. A significant dropping was detected for the ATP-synthase complex V F1β protein. For the COX complex near-depletion of the mitochondrial-encoded COXI and no apparent variation of the COXIV subunits were observed. Injury grading was categorized assigning three levels of morphological damage in HMC-1 mitochondria: i) severe (4.6%), ii) moderate (23.1%), iii) slight (44.6%), corresponding to 0%, 1-50% and 51-75% of area occupied by intact cristae. ATP generation and COX activity appeared significantly reduced in HMC-1 cells. The structural damage grading here described could provide new insight on IDC mitochondrial impairment and represent hallmark in the breast cancer mitochondriopathy.
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Piazza Sant'Onofrio 4, 00165 Rome, Italy. lorenza.putignani@opbg.net
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Putignani
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raffa
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pescosolido
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rizza
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Del Chierico
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aimati
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Signore
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carrozzo
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Callea
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Torrisi
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grammatico
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured