Leukocyte Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number Is Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• Published in: PloS one 2015-09, Vol.10 (9), p.e0138716
• Main Authors: Liu, Shih-Feng, Kuo, Ho-Chang, Tseng, Ching-Wan, Huang, Hung-Tu, Chen, Yung-Che, Tseng, Chia-Cheng, Lin, Meng-Chih
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analysis of Variance; Body mass; Body mass index; Body size; Chronic obstructive lung disease; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Copy number; Correlation; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Development and progression; DNA; DNA Copy Number Variations; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; Female; Genes; Glutathione; Glutathione - blood; Humans; Leukocytes; Leukocytes - metabolism; Lung diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial DNA; Mortality; Mutation; Obstructive lung disease; Oxidative stress; Pathogenesis; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - blood; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - genetics; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - physiopathology; Reactive oxygen species; Respiratory Function Tests; Respiratory therapy; Smokers; Smoking; White blood cells
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138716

Oxidative stress is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Evidence suggests that leukocytes mitochondria DNA (mtDNA) is susceptible to undergo mutations, insertions, or depletion in response to reactive oxidative stress (ROS). We hypothesize that mtDNA copy number is associated with the development of COPD. Relative mtDNA copy number was measured by a quantitative real-time PCR assay using DNA extracted from peripheral leukocytes. MtDNA copy number of peripheral leukocytes in the COPD group (n = 86) is significantly decreased compared with non-smoker group (n = 77) (250.3± 21.5 VS. 464.2± 49.9, P