Increased longevity and refractoriness to Ca2+-dependent neurodegeneration in Surf1 knockout mice

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Abstract

Leigh syndrome associated with cytochrome c oxidase (COX) deficiency is a mitochondrial disorder usually caused by mutations of SURF1, a gene encoding a putative COX assembly factor. We present here a Surf1-/- recombinant mouse obtained by inserting a loxP sequence in the open reading frame of the gene. The frequency of -/-, +/+ and +/- genotypes in newborn mice followed a mendelian distribution, indicating that the ablation of Surf1 is compatible with postnatal survival. The biochemical and assembly COX defect was present in Surf1loxP -/- mice, but milder than in humans. Surprisingly, not only these animals failed to show spontaneous neurodegeneration at any age, but they also displayed markedly prolonged lifespan, and complete protection from Ca2+-dependent neurotoxicity induced by kainic acid. Experiments on primary neuronal cultures showed markedly reduced rise of cytosolic and mitochondrial Ca2+ in Surf1loxP -/- neurons, and reduced mortality, compared to controls. The mitochondrial membrane potential was unchanged in KO versus wild-type neurons, suggesting that the effects of the ablation of Surf1 on Ca2+ homeostasis, and possibly on longevity, may be independent, at least in part, from those on COX assembly and mitochondrial bioenergetics. © 2007 Oxford University Press.

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Dell’Agnello, C., Leo, S., Agostino, A., Szabadkai, G., Tiveron, C. C., Zulian, A. A., … Zeviani, M. (2007). Increased longevity and refractoriness to Ca2+-dependent neurodegeneration in Surf1 knockout mice. Human Molecular Genetics, 16(4), 431–444. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddl477

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