Deficiency in a mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase increases vulnerability to oxidative stress in PC12 cells

• Published in: Journal of neurochemistry 2003-03, Vol.84 (5), p.1110-1117
• Main Authors: Ohsawa, Ikuroh, Nishimaki, Kiyomi, Yasuda, Chie, Kamino, Kouzin, Ohta, Shigeo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 4‐hydroxy‐2‐nonenal; aldehyde dehydrogenase; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase - deficiency; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase - genetics; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial; Aldehydes - metabolism; Aldehydes - pharmacology; Alzheimer's disease; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antimycin A - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Death - drug effects; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Genes, Dominant; Medical sciences; Mice; mitochondria; Mitochondria - drug effects; Mitochondria - enzymology; Neurology; oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Oxidative Stress - physiology; PC12 Cells; Pheochromocytoma - drug therapy; Pheochromocytoma - enzymology; Rats; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Transfection
• ISSN: 0022-3042; 1471-4159
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2003.01619.x

Mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) plays a major role in acetaldehyde detoxification. The alcohol sensitivity is associated with a genetic deficiency of ALDH2. We have previously reported that this deficiency influences the risk for late‐onset Alzheimer's disease. However, the biological effects of the deficiency on neuronal cells are poorly understood. Thus, we obtained ALDH2‐deficient cell lines by introducing mouse mutant Aldh2 cDNA into PC12 cells. The mutant ALDH2 repressed mitochondrial ALDH activity in a dominant negative fashion, but not cytosolic activity. The resultant ALDH2‐deficient transfectants were highly vulnerable to exogenous 4‐hydroxy‐2‐nonenal, an aldehyde derivative generated by the reaction of superoxide with unsaturated fatty acid. In addition, the ALDH2‐deficient transfectants were sensitive to oxidative insult induced by antimycin A, accompanied by an accumulation of proteins modified with 4‐hydroxy‐2‐nonenal. Thus, these findings suggest that mitochondrial ALDH2 functions as a protector against oxidative stress.