It was proposed that increased level of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), mediating execution of the aging program of an organism, could also be critical for neoplastic transformation and tumorigenesis. This proposal was addressed using new mitochondria-targeted antioxidant SkQ1 (10-(6'-plastoquinonyl) decyltriphenylphosphonium) that scavenges ROS in mitochondria at nanomolar concentrations. We found that diet supplementation with SkQ1 (5 nmol/kg per day) suppressed spontaneous development of tumors (predominantly lymphomas) in p53(-/-) mice. The same dose of SkQ1 inhibited the growth of human colon carcinoma HCT116/p53(-/-) xenografts in athymic mice. Growth of tumor xenografts of human HPV-16-associated cervical carcinoma SiHa was affected by SkQ1 only slightly, but survival of tumor-bearing animals was increased. It was also shown that SkQ1 inhibited the tumor cell proliferation, which was demonstrated for HCT116 p53(-/-) and SiHa cells in culture. Moreover, SkQ1 induced differentiation of various tumor cells in vitro. Coordinated SkQ1-initiated changes in cell shape, cytoskeleton organization, and E-cadherin-positive intercellular contacts were observed in epithelial tumor cells. In Ras- and SV40-transformed fibroblasts, SkQ1 was found to initiate reversal of morphological transformation of a malignant type, restoring actin stress fibers and focal adhesion contacts. SkQ1 suppressed angiogenesis in Matrigel implants, indicating that mitochondrial ROS could be important for tumor angiogenesis. This effect, however, was less pronounced in HCT116/p53(-/-) tumor xenografts. We have also shown that SkQ1 and related positively charged antioxidants are substrates of the P-glycoprotein multidrug resistance pump. The lower anti-tumor effect and decreased intracellular accumulation of SkQ1, found in the case of HCT116 xenografts bearing mutant forms of p53, could be related to a higher level of P-glycoprotein. The effects of traditional antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) on tumor growth and tumor cell phenotype were similar to the effects of SkQ1 but more than 1,000,000 times higher doses of NAC than those of SkQ1 were required. Extremely high efficiency of SkQ1, related to its accumulation in the mitochondrial membrane, indicates that mitochondrial ROS production is critical for tumorigenesis at least in some animal models.

Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mitochondria was studied using the novel mitochondria-targeted antioxidants (SkQ) in cultures of human cells. It was shown that SkQ rapidly (1-2 h) and selectively accumulated in mitochondria and prevented oxidation of mitochondrial components under oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide. At nanomolar concentrations, SkQ inhibited oxidation of glutathione, fragmentation of mitochondria, and translocation of Bax from cytosol into mitochondria. The last effect could be related to prevention of conformational change in the adenine nucleotide transporter, which depends on oxidation of critical thiols. Mitochondria-targeted antioxidants at nanomolar concentrations prevented accumulation of ROS and cell death under oxidative stress. These effects required 24 h or more (depending on the cell type) preincubation, and this was not related to slow induction of endogenous antioxidant systems. It is suggested that SkQ slowly accumulates in a small subpopulation of mitochondria that have decreased membrane potential and produce the major part of ROS under oxidative stress. This population was visualized in the cells using potential-sensitive dye. The possible role of the small fraction of "bad" mitochondria in cell physiology is discussed.

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The level of susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) infection depends upon allelic variations in numerous interacting genes. In our mouse model system, the whole-genome quantitative trait loci (QTLs) scan revealed three QTLs involved in TB control on chromosomes 3, 9, and in the vicinity of the H2 complex on chromosome 17. For the present study, we have established a panel of new congenic, MHC-recombinant mouse strains bearing differential small segments of chromosome 17 transferred from the TB-susceptible I/St (H2 j) strain onto the genetic background of TB-resistant C57BL/6 (B6) mice (H2 b). This allowed narrowing the QTL interval to 17Ch: 33, 77–34, 34 Mb, containing 36 protein-encoding genes. Cloning and sequencing of the H2 j allelic variants of these genes demonstrated profound polymorphic variations compare to the H2 b haplotype. In two recombinant strains, B6.I-249.1.15.100 and B6.I-249.1.15.139, recombination breakpoints occurred in different sites of the H2-Aβ 1 gene (beta-chain of the Class II heterodimer H2-A), providing polymorphic variations in the domain β1 of the Aβ-chain. These variations were sufficient to produce different TB-relevant phenotypes: the more susceptible B6.I-249.1.15.100 strain demonstrated shorter survival time, more rapid body weight loss, higher mycobacterial loads in the lungs and more severe lung histopathology compared to the more resistant B6.I-249.1.15.139 strain. CD4+ T cells recognized mycobacterial antigens exclusively in the context of the H2-A Class II molecule, and the level of IFN-γ-producing CD4+ T cells in the lungs was significantly higher in the resistant strain. Thus, we directly demonstrated for the first time that the classical H2- Ab1 Class II gene is involved in TB control. Molecular modeling of the H2-Aj product predicts that amino acid (AA) substitutions in the Aβ-chain modify the motif of the peptide–MHC binding groove. Moreover, unique AA substitutions in both α- and β-chains of the H2-Aj molecule might affect its interactions with the T-cell receptor (TCR).