8 UCP2 (and this website UCP3) contain reactive cysteines that can be modified by GSH. The deglutathionylation/glutathionylation regulates UCP2 and UCP3 activity. In the presence of elevated ROS, GSH is depleted and the

proteins lose the conjugated glutathione, thereby rendering them active and able to neutralized ROS. Under the conditions of APAP-induced hepatotoxicity, elevated ROS levels likely mediate similar activation of UCP2, however, only following activation by PPARα. In conclusion, this study adds to our understanding of how toxic doses of APAP mediate hepatotoxicity and provides new insight into the importance of PPARα activation in maintaining proper mitochondrial function, most likely through UCP2 under normal and pathologic conditions. Further, this study lends even greater support for how repression of PPARα activation can lead to deleterious effects. Using Ucp2-null mice and mice transiently expressing UCP2 (from adenovirus), a convincing role for UPC2 in protecting against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity through preservation of mitochondrial function was demonstrated. Further studies to determine the mechanisms by which UCP2 facilitates this protection are warranted and will provide

greater understanding by which ROS elevating hepatoxicants, such as APAP, mediate their effects. We thank Jared Correll and Jessica Montanez for technical assistance and Dr. Chi Chen for insightful discussions. Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article. “
“BACKGROUND and AIM: Hepatitis C virus Sclareol (HCV) causes mitochondrial injury buy Rucaparib and oxidative stress, and impaired mitochondria are selectively eliminated through autophagy-dependent degradation (mitophagy). However, whether HCV infection affects mitophagy in terms of

mitochondrial quality control remains unknown. METHODS: The effect of HCV on mitophagy was examined using HCV-JFH1-infected cells, genome-length HCV RNA-replicating cells (OR6 cells), HCV core-expressing cells and the uncoupling reagent carbonyl cyanide mchlorophenylhydrazone as a mitophagy inducer in addition to liver cells from HCV-infected human hepatocyte chimeric mice and. transgenic mice expressing the HCV polyprotein. RESULTS : The results indicated that translocation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin to the mitochondria was impaired without reduction of PTEN-induced putative kinase 1activity in the presence of HCV infection both in vitro and in vivo. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed that Parkin was associated with the HCV core protein but not other HCV proteins, such as NS3, NS4A and NS5A. Furthermore, a yeast two-hybrid assay identified a specific interaction between the HCV core protein and an N-terminal Parkin fragment that contains one of the amino acids that is essential for its mitochondrial localization.