期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2010
卷号：107
期号：24
页码：10996-11001
DOI：10.1073/pnas.1006214107
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：To explore the lethal, ataxic phenotype of complex I deficiency in Ndufs4 knockout (KO) mice, we inactivated Ndufs4 selectively in neurons and glia (NesKO mice). NesKO mice manifested the same symptoms as KO mice including retarded growth, loss of motor ability, breathing abnormalities, and death by ~7 wk. Progressive neuronal deterioration and gliosis in specific brain areas corresponded to behavioral changes as the disease advanced, with early involvement of the olfactory bulb, cerebellum, and vestibular nuclei. Neurons, particularly in these brain regions, had aberrant mitochondrial morphology. Activation of caspase 8, but not caspase 9, in affected brain regions implicate the initiation of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Limited caspase 3 activation and the predominance of ultrastructural features of necrotic cell death suggest a switch from apoptosis to necrosis in affected neurons. These data suggest that dysfunctional complex I in specific brain regions results in progressive glial activation that promotes neuronal death that ultimately results in mortality.
