The functional role of OGDH for maintaining mitochondrial respiration and identity of primed human embryonic stem cells

Metabolic disruption exacerbates intestinal damage during sleep deprivation by abolishing HIF1α-mediated repair

Sleep deprivation (SD) has been reported to induce intestinal damage by several mechanisms, yet its role in modulating epithelial repair remains unclear. In this study, we find that chronic SD leads to colonic damage through continuous hypoxia. However, HIF1α, which generally responds to hypoxia to modulate barrier integrity, was paradoxically dysregulated in the colon. Further investigation revealed that a metabolic disruption during SD causes accumulation of α-ketoglutarate in the colon. The excessive α-ketoglutarate degrades HIF1α protein through PHD2 (prolyl hydroxylase 2) to abolish the intestinal repair functions of HIF1α. Collectively, these findings provide insights into how SD can exacerbate intestinal damage by fine-tuning metabolism to abolish HIF1α-mediated repair.

Acrylamide Exposure Impairs Ovarian Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle and Reduces Oocyte Quality in Mouse

Acrylamide (AAM), a compound extensively utilized in various industrial applications, has been reported to induce toxic effects across multiple tissues in living organisms. Despite its widespread use, the impact of AAM on ovarian function and the mechanisms underlying these effects remain poorly understood. Here, we established an AAM-exposed mouse toxicological model using 21 days of intragastric AAM administration. AAM exposure decreased ovarian coefficient and impaired follicle development. Further investigations revealed AAM would trigger apoptosis and disturb tricarboxylic acid cycle in ovarian tissue, thus affecting mitochondrial electron transport function. Moreover, AAM exposure decreased oocyte and embryo development potential, mechanically associated with pericentrin and phosphorylated Aurora A cluster failure, leading to meiotic spindle assembly defects. Collectively, these results suggest that AAM exposure may lead to apoptosis, glucose metabolic disorders, and mitochondrial dysfunction in ovary tissue, ultimately compromising oocyte quality.

Prenatal PM2.5 exposure contributes to neuronal tau lesion in male offspring mice through mitochondrial dysfunction-mediated insulin resistance

The epidemiological evidence has linked prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) pollution with neurological diseases in offspring. However, the biological process and toxicological mechanisms remain unclear. Tau protein is a neuronal microtubule-associated protein expressed in fetal brain and plays a critical role in mediating neuronal development. Aberrant expression of tau is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. To study whether prenatal exposure to PM_2.5 pollution induce tau lesion in mice offspring and elucidate the underlying pathogenic mechanism, we exposed pregnant mice to PM_2.5 (3 mg/kg b.w.) by oropharyngeal aspiration every other day. The results indicate that prenatal PM_2.5 exposure induced hyperphosphorylation of tau in the cortex of postnatal male offspring, which was accompanied by insulin resistance through the IRS-1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Importantly, we further found that prenatal PM_2.5 exposure induced mitochondrial dysfunction by disrupting mitochondrial ultrastructure and decreasing the expression of rate-limiting enzymes (CS, IDH2 and FH) in the Krebs cycle and the subunits of mitochondrial complex IV and V (CO1, CO4, ATP6, and ATP8) during postnatal neurodevelopment. The findings suggest that prenatal PM_2.5 exposure could induce tauopathy-like changes in male offspring, in which mitochondrial dysfunction-induced insulin resistance might play an important role.