Selective and reversible disruption of mitochondrial inner membrane protein complexes by lipophilic cations.

Triphenylphosphonium (TPP) derivatives are commonly used to target chemical into mitochondria. We show that alkyl-TPP cause reversible, dose- and hydrophobicity-dependent alterations of mitochondrial morphology and function and a selective decrease of mitochondrial inner membrane proteins including subunits of the respiratory chain complexes, as well as components of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex. The treatment with alkyl-TPP resulted in the cleavage of the pro-fusion and cristae organisation regulator Optic atrophy-1.

Cell-Tak coating interferes with DNA-based normalization of metabolic flux data.

Metabolic flux investigations of cells and tissue samples are a rapidly advancing tool in diverse research areas. Reliable methods of data normalization are crucial for an adequate interpretation of results and to avoid a misinterpretation of experiments and incorrect conclusions. The most common methods for metabolic flux data normalization are to cell number, DNA and protein.

Mitochondria-targeted compounds in the treatment of cancer.

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles involved in many cellular functions. Beyond their central role in metabolism, they also take a part in maintaining calcium homeostasis, cell death, immunity, and ROS production. Changes in these functions have been shown to be crucial for the adaptation and survival of cancer cells.

Association of follicular lymphoma risk with BRCA2 N372H polymorphism in Slovak population.

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is one of the most common Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtype. Only small number of studies concerning NHL and DNA reparation gene polymorphisms has been performed so far. Hence, we have assessed the effect of 4 selected polymorphisms with possible influence on risk of FL development in a case-control study in Slovak population.

Cytogenetic abnormalities predict treatment-free interval and response to therapy in previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.

We evaluated the prognostic impact of chromosomal abnormalities as detected by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH) in 86 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Overall, 39 of 86 (45%) patients displayed one (35%) or more (10%) chromosomal abnormalities, del13q (31%) being more frequently detected than trisomy 12 (19%) followed by del11q (17%), del17p (6%) and del6q (5%). Significant differences in the treatment free intervals (TFIs) were observed among individual cytogenetic subgroups (p=0.