An in situ study of bioenergetic properties of human colorectal cancer: the regulation of mitochondrial respiration and distribution of flux control among the components of ATP synthasome.

The aim of this study is to characterize the function of mitochondria and main energy fluxes in human colorectal cancer (HCC) cells. We have performed quantitative analysis of cellular respiration in post-operative tissue samples collected from 42 cancer patients. Permeabilized tumor tissue in combination with high resolution respirometry was used. Our results indicate that HCC is not a pure glycolytic tumor and the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system may be the main provider of ATP in these tumor cells. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) for ADP and maximal respiratory rate (Vm) values were calculated for the characterization of the affinity of mitochondria for exogenous ADP: normal colon tissue displayed low affinity (Km = 260 ± 55 µM) whereas the affinity of tumor mitochondria was significantly higher (Km = 126 ± 17 µM). But concurrently the Vm value of the tumor samples was 60-80% higher than that in control tissue. The reason for this change is related to the increased number of mitochondria. Our data suggest that in both HCC and normal intestinal cells tubulin ß-II isoform probably does not play a role in the regulation of permeability of the MOM for adenine nucleotides. The mitochondrial creatine kinase energy transfer system is not functional in HCC and our experiments showed that adenylate kinase reactions could play an important role in the maintenance of energy homeostasis in colorectal carcinomas instead of creatine kinase. Immunofluorescent studies showed that hexokinase 2 (HK-2) was associated with mitochondria in HCC cells, but during carcinogenesis the total activity of HK did not change. Furthermore, only minor alterations in the expression of HK-1 and HK-2 isoforms have been observed. Metabolic Control analysis showed that the distribution of the control over electron transport chain and ATP synthasome complexes seemed to be similar in both tumor and control tissues. High flux control coefficients point to the possibility that the mitochondrial respiratory chain is reorganized in some way or assembled into large supercomplexes in both tissues.

The role of tubulin in the mitochondrial metabolism and arrangement in muscle cells.

Tubulin, a well-known component of the microtubule in the cytoskeleton, has an important role in the transport and positioning of mitochondria in a cell type dependent manner. This review describes different functional interactions of tubulin with cellular protein complexes and its functional interaction with the mitochondrial outer membrane. Tubulin is present in oxidative as well as glycolytic type muscle cells, but the kinetics of the in vivo regulation of mitochondrial respiration in these muscle types is drastically different. The interaction between VDAC and tubulin is probably influenced by such factors as isoformic patterns of VDAC and tubulin, post-translational modifications of tubulin and phosphorylation of VDAC. Important factor of the selective permeability of VDAC is the mitochondrial creatine kinase pathway which is present in oxidative cells, but is inactive or missing in glycolytic muscle and cancer cells. As the tubulin-VDAC interaction reduces the permeability of the channel by adenine nucleotides, energy transfer can then take place effectively only through the mitochondrial creatine kinase/phosphocreatine pathway. Therefore, closure of VDAC by tubulin may be one of the reasons of apoptosis in cells without the creatine kinase pathway. An important question in tubulin regulated interactions is whether other proteins are interacting with tubulin. The functional interaction may be direct, through other proteins like plectins, or influenced by simultaneous interaction of other complexes with VDAC.

Formation of highly organized intracellular structure and energy metabolism in cardiac muscle cells during postnatal development of rat heart.

Adult cardiomyocytes have highly organized intracellular structure and energy metabolism whose formation during postnatal development is still largely unclear. Our previous results together with the data from the literature suggest that cytoskeletal proteins, particularly ßII-tubulin, are involved in the formation of complexes between mitochondria and energy consumption sites. The aim of this study was to examine the arrangement of intracellular architecture parallel to the alterations in regulation of mitochondrial respiration in rat cardiomyocytes during postnatal development, from 1 day to 6 months. Respirometric measurements were performed to study the developmental alterations of mitochondrial function. Changes in the mitochondrial arrangement and cytoarchitecture of ßII- and αIV-tubulin were examined by confocal microscopy. Our results show that functional maturation of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria is completed much earlier than efficient feedback regulation is established between mitochondria and ATPases via creatine kinase system. These changes are accompanied by significant remodeling of regular intermyofibrillar mitochondrial arrays aligned along the bundles of ßII-tubulin. Additionally, we demonstrate that formation of regular arrangement of mitochondria is not sufficient per se to provide adult-like efficiency in metabolic feed-back regulation, but organized tubulin networks and reduction in mitochondrial outer membrane permeability for ADP are necessary as well. In conclusion, cardiomyocytes in rat heart become mature on the level of intracellular architecture and energy metabolism at the age of 3 months.

Role of mitochondria-cytoskeleton interactions in respiration regulation and mitochondrial organization in striated muscles.

The aim of this work was to study the regulation of respiration and energy fluxes in permeabilized oxidative and glycolytic skeletal muscle fibers, focusing also on the role of cytoskeletal protein tubulin ßII isotype in mitochondrial metabolism and organization. By analyzing accessibility of mitochondrial ADP, using respirometry and pyruvate kinase-phosphoenolpyruvate trapping system for ADP, we show that the apparent affinity of respiration for ADP can be directly linked to the permeability of the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM). Previous studies have shown that MOM permeability in cardiomyocytes can be regulated by VDAC interaction with cytoskeletal protein, ßII tubulin. We found that in oxidative soleus skeletal muscle the high apparent Km for ADP is associated with low MOM permeability and high expression of non-polymerized ßII tubulin. Very low expression of non-polymerized form of ßII tubulin in glycolytic muscles is associated with high MOM permeability for adenine nucleotides (low apparent Km for ADP).

Metabolic control analysis of respiration in human cancer tissue.

Bioenergetic profiling of cancer cells is of great potential because it can bring forward new and effective therapeutic strategies along with early diagnosis. Metabolic Control Analysis (MCA) is a methodology that enables quantification of the flux control exerted by different enzymatic steps in a metabolic network thus assessing their contribution to the system's function. Our main goal is to demonstrate the applicability of MCA for in situ studies of energy metabolism in human breast and colorectal cancer cells as well as in normal tissues. We seek to determine the metabolic conditions leading to energy flux redirection in cancer cells. A main result obtained is that the adenine nucleotide translocator exhibits the highest control of respiration in human breast cancer thus becoming a prospective therapeutic target. Additionally, we present evidence suggesting the existence of mitochondrial respiratory supercomplexes that may represent a way by which cancer cells avoid apoptosis. The data obtained show that MCA applied in situ can be insightful in cancer cell energetic research.

Matters of the heart in bioenergetics: mitochondrial fusion into continuous reticulum is not needed for maximal respiratory activity.

Mitochondria are dynamic structures for which fusion and fission are well characterized for rapidly dividing cells in culture. Based on these data, it has recently been proposed that high respiratory activity is the result of fusion and formation of mitochondrial reticulum, while fission results in fragmented mitochondria with low respiratory activity. In this work we test the validity of this new hypothesis by analyzing our own experimental data obtained in studies of isolated heart mitochondria, permeabilized cells of cardiac phenotype with different mitochondrial arrangement and dynamics. Additionally, we reviewed published data including electron tomographic investigation of mitochondrial membrane-associated structures in heart cells. Oxygraphic studies show that maximal ADP-dependent respiration rates are equally high both in isolated heart mitochondria and in permeabilized cardiomyocytes. On the contrary, these rates are three times lower in NB HL-1 cells with fused mitochondrial reticulum. Confocal and electron tomographic studies show that there is no mitochondrial reticulum in cardiac cells, known to contain 5,000-10,000 individual, single mitochondria, which are regularly arranged at the level of sarcomeres and are at Z-lines separated from each other by membrane structures, including the T-tubular system in close connection to the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The new structural data in the literature show a principal role for the elaborated T-tubular system in organization of cell metabolism by supplying calcium, oxygen and substrates from the extracellular medium into local domains of the cardiac cells for calcium cycling within Calcium Release Units, associated with respiration and its regulation in Intracellular Energetic Units.

Metabolic control analysis of cellular respiration in situ in intraoperational samples of human breast cancer.

The aim of this study was to analyze quantitatively cellular respiration in intraoperational tissue samples taken from human breast cancer (BC) patients. We used oxygraphy and the permeabilized cell techniques in combination with Metabolic Control Analysis (MCA) to measure a corresponding flux control coefficient (FCC). The activity of all components of ATP synthasome, and respiratory chain complexes was found to be significantly increased in human BC cells in situ as compared to the adjacent control tissue. FCC(s) were determined upon direct activation of respiration with exogenously-added ADP and by titrating the complexes with their specific inhibitors to stepwise decrease their activity. MCA showed very high sensitivity of all complexes and carriers studied in human BC cells to inhibition as compared to mitochondria in normal oxidative tissues. The sum of FCC(s) for all ATP synthasome and respiratory chain components was found to be around 4, and the value exceeded significantly that for normal tissue (close to 1). In BC cells, the key sites of the regulation of respiration are Complex IV (FCC = 0.74), ATP synthase (FCC = 0.61), and phosphate carrier (FCC = 0.60); these FCC(s) exceed considerably (~10-fold) those for normal oxidative tissues. In human BC cells, the outer mitochondrial membrane is characterized by an increased permeability towards adenine nucleotides, the mean value of the apparent K(m) for ADP being equal to 114.8 ± 13.6 µM. Our data support the two-compartment hypothesis of tumor metabolism, the high sum of FCC(s) showing structural and functional organization of mitochondrial respiratory chain and ATP synthasome as supercomplexes in human BC.

Regulation of respiration in muscle cells in vivo by VDAC through interaction with the cytoskeleton and MtCK within Mitochondrial Interactosome.

This review describes the recent experimental data on the importance of the VDAC-cytoskeleton interactions in determining the mechanisms of energy and metabolite transfer between mitochondria and cytoplasm in cardiac cells. In the intermembrane space mitochondrial creatine kinase connects VDAC with adenine nucleotide translocase and ATP synthase complex, on the cytoplasmic side VDAC is linked to cytoskeletal proteins. Applying immunofluorescent imaging and Western blot analysis we have shown that ß2-tubulin coexpressed with mitochondria is highly important for cardiac muscle cells mitochondrial metabolism. Since it has been shown by Rostovtseva et al. that αß-heterodimer of tubulin binds to VDAC and decreases its permeability, we suppose that the ß-tubulin subunit is bound on the cytoplasmic side and α-tubulin C-terminal tail is inserted into VDAC. Other cytoskeletal proteins, such as plectin and desmin may be involved in this process. The result of VDAC-cytoskeletal interactions is selective restriction of the channel permeability for adenine nucleotides but not for creatine or phosphocreatine that favors energy transfer via the phosphocreatine pathway. In some types of cancer cells these interactions are altered favoring the hexokinase binding and thus explaining the Warburg effect of increased glycolytic lactate production in these cells. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: VDAC structure, function, and regulation of mitochondrial metabolism.

Studies of the role of tubulin beta II isotype in regulation of mitochondrial respiration in intracellular energetic units in cardiac cells.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of tubulin ßII, a cytoskeletal protein, in regulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and energy fluxes in heart cells. This isotype of tubulin is closely associated with mitochondria and co-expressed with mitochondrial creatine kinase (MtCK). It can be rapidly removed by mild proteolytic treatment of permeabilized cardiomyocytes in the absence of stimulatory effect of cytochrome c, that demonstrating the intactness of the outer mitochondrial membrane. Contrary to isolated mitochondria, in permeabilized cardiomyocytes (in situ mitochondria) the addition of pyruvate kinase (PK) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) in the presence of creatine had no effect on the rate of respiration controlled by activated MtCK, showing limited permeability of voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) in mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) for ADP regenerated by MtCK. Under normal conditions, this effect can be considered as one of the most sensitive tests of the intactness of cardiomyocytes and controlled permeability of MOM for adenine nucleotides. However, proteolytic treatment of permeabilized cardiomyocytes with trypsin, by removing mitochondrial ßII tubulin, induces high sensitivity of MtCK-regulated respiration to PK-PEP, significantly changes its kinetics and the affinity to exogenous ADP. MtCK coupled to ATP synthasome and to VDAC controlled by tubulin ßII provides functional compartmentation of ATP in mitochondria and energy channeling into cytoplasm via phosphotransfer network. Therefore, direct transfer of mitochondrially produced ATP to sites of its utilization is largely avoided under physiological conditions, but may occur in pathology when mitochondria are damaged. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ''Local Signaling in Myocytes''.

Intracellular Energetic Units regulate metabolism in cardiac cells.

This review describes developments in historical perspective as well as recent results of investigations of cellular mechanisms of regulation of energy fluxes and mitochondrial respiration by cardiac work - the metabolic aspect of the Frank-Starling law of the heart. A Systems Biology solution to this problem needs the integration of physiological and biochemical mechanisms that take into account intracellular interactions of mitochondria with other cellular systems, in particular with cytoskeleton components. Recent data show that different tubulin isotypes are involved in the regular arrangement exhibited by mitochondria and ATP-consuming systems into Intracellular Energetic Units (ICEUs). Beta II tubulin association with the mitochondrial outer membrane, when co-expressed with mitochondrial creatine kinase (MtCK) specifically limits the permeability of voltage-dependent anion channel for adenine nucleotides. In the MtCK reaction this interaction changes the regulatory kinetics of respiration through a decrease in the affinity for adenine nucleotides and an increase in the affinity for creatine. Metabolic Control Analysis of the coupled MtCK-ATP Synthasome in permeabilized cardiomyocytes showed a significant increase in flux control by steps involved in ADP recycling. Mathematical modeling of compartmentalized energy transfer represented by ICEUs shows that cyclic changes in local ADP, Pi, phosphocreatine and creatine concentrations during contraction cycle represent effective metabolic feedback signals when amplified in the coupled non-equilibrium MtCK-ATP Synthasome reactions in mitochondria. This mechanism explains the regulation of respiration on beat to beat basis during workload changes under conditions of metabolic stability. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Local Signaling in Myocytes."

Mitochondria-cytoskeleton interaction: distribution of ß-tubulins in cardiomyocytes and HL-1 cells.

Mitochondria-cytoskeleton interactions were analyzed in adult rat cardiomyocytes and in cancerous non-beating HL-1 cells of cardiac phenotype. We show that in adult cardiomyocytes ßII-tubulin is associated with mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM). ßI-tubulin demonstrates diffused intracellular distribution, ßIII-tubulin is colocalized with Z-lines and ßIV-tubulin forms microtubular network. HL-1 cells are characterized by the absence of ßII-tubulin, by the presence of bundles of filamentous ßIV-tubulin and diffusely distributed ßI- and ßIII-tubulins. Mitochondrial isoform of creatine kinase (MtCK), highly expressed in cardiomyocytes, is absent in HL-1 cells. Our results show that high apparent K(m) for exogenous ADP in regulation of respiration and high expression of MtCK both correlate with the expression of ßII-tubulin. The absence of ßII-tubulin isotype in isolated mitochondria and in HL-1 cells results in increased apparent affinity of oxidative phosphorylation for exogenous ADP. This observation is consistent with the assumption that the binding of ßII-tubulin to mitochondria limits ADP/ATP diffusion through voltage-dependent anion channel of MOM and thus shifts energy transfer via the phosphocreatine pathway. On the other hand, absence of both ßII-tubulin and MtCK in HL-1 cells can be associated with their more glycolysis-dependent energy metabolism which is typical for cancer cells (Warburg effect).

Molecular system bioenergics of the heart: experimental studies of metabolic compartmentation and energy fluxes versus computer modeling.

In this review we analyze the recent important and remarkable advancements in studies of compartmentation of adenine nucleotides in muscle cells due to their binding to macromolecular complexes and cellular structures, which results in non-equilibrium steady state of the creatine kinase reaction. We discuss the problems of measuring the energy fluxes between different cellular compartments and their simulation by using different computer models. Energy flux determinations by (18)O transfer method have shown that in heart about 80% of energy is carried out of mitochondrial intermembrane space into cytoplasm by phosphocreatine fluxes generated by mitochondrial creatine kinase from adenosine triphosphate (ATP), produced by ATP Synthasome. We have applied the mathematical model of compartmentalized energy transfer for analysis of experimental data on the dependence of oxygen consumption rate on heart workload in isolated working heart reported by Williamson et al. The analysis of these data show that even at the maximal workloads and respiration rates, equal to 174 µmol O(2) per min per g dry weight, phosphocreatine flux, and not ATP, carries about 80-85% percent of energy needed out of mitochondria into the cytosol. We analyze also the reasons of failures of several computer models published in the literature to correctly describe the experimental data.

Structure-function relationships in feedback regulation of energy fluxes in vivo in health and disease: mitochondrial interactosome.

The aim of this review is to analyze the results of experimental research of mechanisms of regulation of mitochondrial respiration in cardiac and skeletal muscle cells in vivo obtained by using the permeabilized cell technique. Such an analysis in the framework of Molecular Systems Bioenergetics shows that the mechanisms of regulation of energy fluxes depend on the structural organization of the cells and interaction of mitochondria with cytoskeletal elements. Two types of cells of cardiac phenotype with very different structures were analyzed: adult cardiomyocytes and continuously dividing cancerous HL-1 cells. In cardiomyocytes mitochondria are arranged very regularly, and show rapid configuration changes of inner membrane but no fusion or fission, diffusion of ADP and ATP is restricted mostly at the level of mitochondrial outer membrane due to an interaction of heterodimeric tubulin with voltage dependent anion channel, VDAC. VDAC with associated tubulin forms a supercomplex, Mitochondrial Interactosome, with mitochondrial creatine kinase, MtCK, which is structurally and functionally coupled to ATP synthasome. Due to selectively limited permeability of VDAC for adenine nucleotides, mitochondrial respiration rate depends almost linearly upon the changes of cytoplasmic ADP concentration in their physiological range. Functional coupling of MtCK with ATP synthasome amplifies this signal by recycling adenine nucleotides in mitochondria coupled to effective phosphocreatine synthesis. In cancerous HL-1 cells this complex is significantly modified: tubulin is replaced by hexokinase and MtCK is lacking, resulting in direct utilization of mitochondrial ATP for glycolytic lactate production and in this way contributing in the mechanism of the Warburg effect. Systemic analysis of changes in the integrated system of energy metabolism is also helpful for better understanding of pathogenesis of many other diseases.

Direct measurement of energy fluxes from mitochondria into cytoplasm in permeabilized cardiac cells in situ: some evidence for Mitochondrial Interactosome.

The aim of this study was to measure energy fluxes from mitochondria in isolated permeabilized cardiomyocytes. Respiration of permeabilized cardiomyocytes and mitochondrial membrane potential were measured in presence of MgATP, pyruvate kinase - phosphoenolpyruvate and creatine. ATP and phosphocreatine concentrations in medium surrounding cardiomyocytes were determined. While ATP concentration did not change in time, mitochondria effectively produced phosphocreatine (PCr) with PCr/O(2) ratio equal to 5.68 +/- 0.14. Addition of heterodimeric tubulin to isolated mitochondria was found to increase apparent Km for exogenous ADP from 11 +/- 2 microM to 330 +/- 47 microM, but creatine again decreased it to 23 +/- 6 microM. These results show directly that under physiological conditions the major energy carrier from mitochondria into cytoplasm is PCr, produced by mitochondrial creatine kinase (MtCK), which functional coupling to adenine nucleotide translocase is enhanced by selective limitation of permeability of mitochondrial outer membrane within supercomplex ATP Synthasome-MtCK-VDAC-tubulin, Mitochondrial Interactosome.