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Fingerprinting Cardiolipin in Leukocytes by Mass Spectrometry for a Rapid Diagnosis of Barth Syndrome

Cardiolipin (CL), a dimeric phospholipid carrying four fatty acid chains in its structure, is the lipid marker of mitochondria, wherein it plays a crucial ...

Swansea University

Dysregulated cholesterol metabolism is implicated in a number of neurological disorders. Many sterols, including cholesterol and its precursors and metabolites, are biologically active and important for proper brain function. However, spatial cholesterol metabolism in brain and the resulting sterol distributions are poorly defined. To better understand cholesterol metabolism in situ across the complex functional regions of brain, we have developed on-tissue enzyme-assisted derivatization in combination with microliquid extraction for surface analysis and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to locate sterols in tissue slices (10 µm) of mouse brain. The method provides sterolomic analysis at 400-µm spot diameter with a limit of quantification of 0.01 ng/mm It overcomes the limitations of previous mass spectrometry imaging techniques in analysis of low-abundance and difficult-to-ionize sterol molecules, allowing isomer differentiation and structure identification. Here we demonstrate the spatial distribution and quantification of multiple sterols involved in cholesterol metabolic pathways in wild-type and  knockout mouse brain. The technology described provides a powerful tool for future studies of spatial cholesterol metabolism in healthy and diseased tissues.

Localization of sterols and oxysterols in mouse brain reveals distinct spatial cholesterol metabolism.

: Cachexia is a complex metabolic syndrome frequently occurring in cancer patients and exacerbated by chemotherapy. In skeletal muscle of cancer hosts, reduced oxidative capacity and low intracellular ATP resulting from abnormal mitochondrial function were described. : The present study aimed at evaluating the ability of the mitochondria-targeted compound SS-31 to counteract muscle wasting and altered metabolism in C26-bearing (C26) mice either receiving chemotherapy (OXFU: oxaliplatin plus 5-fluorouracil) or not. : Mitochondrial dysfunction in C26-bearing (C26) mice associated with alterations of cardiolipin fatty acid chains. Selectively targeting cardiolipin with SS-31 partially counteracted body wasting and prevented the reduction of glycolytic myofiber area. SS-31 prompted muscle mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and rescued intracellular ATP levels, although it was unable to counteract mitochondrial protein loss. Progressively increased dosing of SS-31 to C26 OXFU mice showed transient (21 days) beneficial effects on body and muscle weight loss before the onset of a refractory end-stage condition (28 days). At day 21, SS-31 prevented mitochondrial loss and abnormal autophagy/mitophagy. Skeletal muscle, liver and plasma metabolomes were analyzed, showing marked energy and protein metabolism alterations in tumor hosts. SS-31 partially modulated skeletal muscle and liver metabolome, likely reflecting an improved systemic energy homeostasis. : The results suggest that targeting mitochondrial function may be as important as targeting protein anabolism/catabolism for the prevention of cancer cachexia. With this in mind, prospective multi-modal therapies including SS-31 are warranted.

Targeting Mitochondria by SS-31 Ameliorates the Whole Body Energy Status in Cancer- and Chemotherapy-Induced Cachexia.

Despite being a critical molecule in the brain, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of cholesterol has been under-reported compared to other lipids due to the difficulty in ionizing the sterol molecule. In the present work, we have employed an on-tissue enzyme-assisted derivatization strategy to improve detection of cholesterol in brain tissue sections. We report distribution and levels of cholesterol across specific structures of the mouse brain, in a model of Niemann-Pick type C1 disease, and during brain development. MSI revealed that in the adult mouse, cholesterol is the highest in the pons and medulla and how its distribution changes during development. Cholesterol was significantly reduced in the corpus callosum and other brain regions in the  null mouse, confirming hypomyelination at the molecular level. Our study demonstrates the potential of MSI to the study of sterols in neuroscience.

Roberto Angelini

Medical School

Swansea University

Fingerprinting Cardiolipin in Leukocytes by Mass Spectrometry for a Rapid Diagnosis of Barth Syndrome

Roberto Angelini

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Medical School

Swansea University

Fingerprinting Cardiolipin in Leukocytes by Mass Spectrometry for a Rapid Diagnosis of Barth Syndrome

Medical School