Publications by authors named "J W Taanman"

Primary mitochondrial diseases (PMDs) are among the most common inherited neurological disorders. They are caused by pathogenic variants in mitochondrial or nuclear DNA that disrupt mitochondrial structure and/or function, leading to impaired oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). One emerging subcategory of PMDs involves defective phospholipid (PL) metabolism.

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Autosomal recessive pathogenetic variants in the gene cause deficiency of deoxyguanosine kinase activity and mitochondrial deoxynucleotides pool imbalance, consequently, leading to quantitative and/or qualitative impairment of mitochondrial DNA synthesis. Typically, patients present early-onset liver failure with or without neurological involvement and a clinical course rapidly progressing to death. This is an international multicentre study aiming to provide a retrospective natural history of deoxyguanosine kinase deficient patients.

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Background & Aims: The PNPLA3 rs738409 C>G (encoding for I148M) variant is a risk locus for the fibrogenic progression of chronic liver diseases, a process driven by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). We investigated how the PNPLA3 I148M variant affects HSC biology using transcriptomic data and validated findings in 3D-culture models.

Methods: RNA sequencing was performed on 2D-cultured primary human HSCs and liver biopsies of individuals with obesity, genotyped for the PNPLA3 I148M variant.

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Huntington's disease (HD) predominantly affects the brain, causing a mixed movement disorder, cognitive decline and behavioural abnormalities. It also causes a peripheral phenotype involving skeletal muscle. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported in tissues of HD models, including skeletal muscle, and lymphoblast and fibroblast cultures from patients with HD.

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Article Synopsis
  • Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation defects are linked to various neurological and neuromuscular diseases, and primary dermal fibroblasts are commonly used to study these disorders.
  • The study explored how using galactose or fructose instead of glucose in culture affects fibroblast energy metabolism, revealing that both sugars promote more oxidative processes while reducing cell growth, with galactose having a more significant impact on proliferation.
  • Results indicate that while both sugars enhance mitochondrial function, fructose is better suited for studying partial oxidative phosphorylation defects due to its less drastic effect on cell growth compared to galactose.
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