Neurodegenerative diseases are a spectrum of chronic, debilitating disorders characterised by the progressive degeneration and death of neurons. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in most neurodegenerative diseases, but in many instances it is unclear whether such dysfunction is a cause or an effect of the underlying pathology, and whether it represents a viable therapeutic target. It is therefore imperative to utilise and optimise cellular models and experimental techniques appropriate to determine the contribution of mitochondrial dysfunction to neurodegenerative disease phenotypes. In this consensus article, we collate details on and discuss pitfalls of existing experimental approaches to assess mitochondrial function in in vitro cellular models of neurodegenerative diseases, including specific protocols for the measurement of oxygen consumption rate in primary neuron cultures, and single-neuron, time-lapse fluorescence imaging of the mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial NAD(P)H. As part of the Cellular Bioenergetics of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CeBioND) consortium ( www.cebiond.org ), we are performing cross-disease analyses to identify common and distinct molecular mechanisms involved in mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction in cellular models of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. Here we provide detailed guidelines and protocols as standardised across the five collaborating laboratories of the CeBioND consortium, with additional contributions from other experts in the field.
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Brief flashes of light directed at neuronal cell bodies and proximal dendrites of neurons in culture can enhance whole-cell electrophysiological responses mediated by NMDA and GABA A receptors. In experiments aimed at identifying the molecular moieties responsible for mediating this phenomenon, we observed that broad-spectrum protein kinase inhibitors substantially amplified the actions of light. Kinase inhibitors, however, were surprisingly ineffective in altering light-induced potentiation of recombinant NMDA receptors expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Furthermore, receptors assembled from truncated NMDA receptor subunits, previously shown to be relatively insensitive to modulation via phosphorylation, remained light sensitive. Phosphatase inhibitors had no effects of lightinduced NMDA receptor potentiation in neurons, and nucleated patches excised from neuronal somata behaved similarly to CHO cells. Taken together, these data suggests that the effects of kinase inhibitors were unrelated to the molecular mechanism of light-induced potentiation. We propose a model whereby kinase inhibition promotes an enrichment of NMDA receptors in the neuronal cell body vs. the distal dendrites. Under these conditions, NMDA receptor redistribution elicited by kinase inhibitors would increase the number of receptors exposed to light and, as a consequence, the whole cell response. These observations support a critical role for protein kinases in the rapid redistribution of neurotransmitter receptors, with profound physiological significance. D
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