Pharmacological rescue of mitochondrial deficits in iPSC-derived neural cells from patients with familial Parkinson's disease

Sci Transl Med. 2012 Jul 4;4(141):141ra90. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3003985.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder caused by genetic and environmental factors that results in degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway in the brain. We analyzed neural cells generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from PD patients and presymptomatic individuals carrying mutations in the PINK1 (PTEN-induced putative kinase 1) and LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2) genes, and compared them to those of healthy control subjects. We measured several aspects of mitochondrial responses in the iPSC-derived neural cells including production of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial respiration, proton leakage, and intraneuronal movement of mitochondria. Cellular vulnerability associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in iPSC-derived neural cells from familial PD patients and at-risk individuals could be rescued with coenzyme Q(10), rapamycin, or the LRRK2 kinase inhibitor GW5074. Analysis of mitochondrial responses in iPSC-derived neural cells from PD patients carrying different mutations provides insight into convergence of cellular disease mechanisms between different familial forms of PD and highlights the importance of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in this neurodegenerative disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Indoles / therapeutic use
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2
  • Mitochondria / drug effects*
  • Mitochondria / pathology*
  • Neurons / cytology*
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / metabolism*
  • Parkinson Disease / metabolism*
  • Phenols / therapeutic use
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Sirolimus / therapeutic use
  • Ubiquinone / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Indoles
  • Phenols
  • Ubiquinone
  • LRRK2 protein, human
  • Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • 5-iodo-3-((3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)methylene)-2-indolinone
  • Sirolimus