title: Lethal dysregulation of energy metabolism during embryonic vitamin E deficiency.
abstract: Vitamin E (α-tocopherol, VitE) was discovered in 1922 for its role in preventing embryonic mortality. We investigated the underlying mechanisms causing lethality using targeted metabolomics analyses of zebrafish VitE-deficient embryos over five days of development, which coincided with their increased morbidity and mortality. VitE deficiency resulted in peroxidation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), depleting DHA-containing phospholipids, especially phosphatidylcholine, which also caused choline depletion. This increased lipid peroxidation also increased NADPH oxidation, which depleted glucose by shunting it to the pentose phosphate pathway. VitE deficiency was associated with mitochondrial dysfunction with concomitant impairment of energy homeostasis. The observed morbidity and mortality outcomes could be attenuated, but not fully reversed, by glucose injection into VitE-deficient embryos at developmental day one. Thus, embryonic VitE deficiency in vertebrates leads to a metabolic reprogramming that adversely affects methyl donor status and cellular energy homeostasis with lethal outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McDougall
authors.affiliation: Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
authors.forename: Jaewoo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Kyeong
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bobe
authors.affiliation: Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; Environmental Health Sciences Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
authors.forename: J Frederik
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cadenas
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Sciences Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; Sinnhuber Aquatic Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanguay
authors.affiliation: Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; Environmental Health Sciences Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. Electronic address: maret.traber@oregonstate.edu.
authors.forename: Maret G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Traber
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000235:genetics; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014811:Vitamin E Deficiency / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids
keywords: Docosahexaenoic acid; Methyl donors; Mitochondria; Oxygen consumption; Phosphatidylcholine; α-tocopherol