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Human GTPBP3 is an evolutionarily conserved, multidomain protein involved in mitochondrial tRNA modification. Characterization of its biochemical properties and the phenotype conferred by GTPBP3 inactivation is crucial to understanding the role of this protein in tRNA maturation and its effects on mitochondrial respiration. We show that the two most abundant GTPBP3 isoforms exhibit moderate affinity for guanine nucleotides like their bacterial homologue, MnmE, although they hydrolyze GTP at a 100-fold lower rate. This suggests that regulation of the GTPase activity, essential for the tRNA modification function of MnmE, is different in GTPBP3. In fact, potassium-induced dimerization of the G domain leads to stimulation of the GTPase activity in MnmE but not in GTPBP3. The GTPBP3 N-terminal domain mediates a potassium-independent dimerization, which appears as an evolutionarily conserved property of the protein family, probably related to the construction of the binding site for the one-carbon-unit donor in the modification reaction. Partial inactivation of GTPBP3 by small interfering RNA reduces oxygen consumption, ATP production, and mitochondrial protein synthesis, while the degradation of these proteins slightly increases. It also results in mitochondria with defective membrane potential and increased superoxide levels. These phenotypic traits suggest that GTPBP3 defects contribute to the pathogenesis of some oxidative phosphorylation diseases.

The immune cells, such as phagocytes and lymphocytes, which use reactive oxygen species (ROS) for carrying out many of their functions, need appropriate levels of intracellular antioxidants to avoid the harmful effect of oxidative stress. In previous studies, we have observed changes in several functions of those leukocytes from female BALB/c mice with lethal endotoxic shock caused by intraperitoneal injection of Escherichia coli 055:B5 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (100 mg/kg), which were associated with high ROS production. In the present study, we have investigated the redox state of the above mentioned immune cells in that lethal endotoxic shock model measuring the oxidant/antioxidant balance through the following parameters: production of ROS, proinflammatory cytokine TNFalpha reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, malonaldehyde (MDA) and transcription factor NF-kappaB expression at different times after LPS injection. The results show an increase in ROS, TNFalpha and MDA production in both cell types, being higher in macrophages than in lymphocytes. GSSG/GSH ratio was increased in both macrophages and lymphocytes after LPS injection. With respect to the activity of the antioxidant enzymes SOD and CAT were decreased in both macrophages and lymphocytes. The activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB was stimulated in macrophages and lymphocytes. These results point out that both lymphocytes and macrophages, which are able to play an important role in host response to endotoxin, show an oxidative stress thus contributing to the pathogenesis of this septic shock.

Ascorbic acid (AA) is an important cytoplasmic antioxidant that mice synthesize in the liver, the intracellular levels of which decrease in an oxidative stress situation such as endotoxic shock. The present work deals with the changes in AA levels, that modulate the immune function, in the two main immune cells, namely macrophages and lymphocytes, from female BALB/c mice suffering endotoxic shock caused by intraperitoneal injection of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (100 mg/kg). The intake by cells of this antioxidant present in vitro at different concentrations was also studied. The animals show an oxidative stress, standardized in previous studies, that causes mortality at 30 h after LPS injection. The cells were obtained from the peritoneum at 2, 4, 12 and 24 h after LPS or PBS (control) injections and were incubated without or with AA at 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mM for 10, 30, 60, 120 or 180 min. The hepatic AA levels were also studied at 0, 2, 4, 12 and 24 h after LPS injection. The peritoneal cells obtained from animals injected with LPS showed increased AA levels in relation to the control cells at all times after LPS injection, with maximal effect at 12h. The AA levels decreased after this time, in agreement with changes in the AA hepatic levels. The increase was due to the AA of lymphocytes since macrophages showed a decrease in AA at different times after LPS injection. Both cells showed an increase in the intracellular levels of AA when this antioxidant was added in vitro. This takes place mainly at 30-60 min of incubation in cells from controls and at 10 min in cells from treated mice 12-24 h after LPS injection. The incorporation decreased at these times of endotoxic shock, a few hours before death. In all cases AA levels were higher in lymphocytes than in macrophages, and 1 mM was the most effective concentration. These results suggest that the immune cells need appropriate levels of antioxidants, such as AA, under oxidative stress conditions, and that while lymphocytes take and accumulate AA, macrophages use it.