Most cases of congenital lactic acidosis are caused by one or more inherited mutations of genes within the DNA located within the nucleus (nDNA) or within the mitochondria (mtDNA) of cells. Genes carry the genetic instructions for cells. A mutation is a change in a gene located in nuclear or mitochondrial DNA that may cause disease. Mutations of nDNA, which occur in cellular chromosomes, can be inherited through different forms of transmission of the mutation, including autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant or X-linked recessive inheritance. Mutations affecting the genes for mitochondria (mtDNA) are inherited from the mother. MtDNA that is found in sperm cells is typically lost during fertilization. As a result, all human mtDNA comes from the mother. An affected mother will pass on the mutation to all her children, but only her daughters will pass on the mutation to their children. Mitochondria, which are found by the hundreds or thousands in the cells of the body, particularly in muscle and nerve tissue, carry the blueprints for regulating energy production. As cells divide, the number of normal mtDNA and mutated mtDNA are distributed in an unpredictable fashion among different tissues. Consequently, mutated mtDNA accumulates at different rates among different tissues in the same individual. Thus, family members who have the identical mutation in mtDNA may exhibit a variety of different symptoms and signs at different times and to varying degrees of severity. Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) deficiency is a genetic mitochondrial disease of carbohydrate metabolism that is due to a mutation in nDNA. It is generally considered to be the most common cause of biochemically proven cases of congenital lactic acidosis. PDC deficiency can be inherited as an autosomal recessive or X-linked recessive trait. Genetic information is contained in two types of DNA: nuclear DNA (nDNA) is contained in the nucleus of a cell and is inherited from both biological parents. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is contained in the mitochondria of cells and is inherited exclusively from the child’s mother. Genetic diseases, due to mutations (changes in genetic information) in the nDNA of a cell, are determined by two genes, one received from the father and one from the mother. Recessive genetic disorders occur when an individual inherits two copies of an abnormal gene for the same trait, one from each parent. If an individual inherits one normal gene and one gene for the disease, the person will be a carrier for the disease but usually will not show symptoms. The risk for two carrier parents to both pass the altered gene and have an affected child is 25% with each pregnancy. The risk to have a child who is a carrier like the parents is 50% with each pregnancy. The chance for a child to receive normal genes from both parents is 25%. The risk is the same for males and females. Dominant genetic disorders occur when only a single copy of an abnormal gene is necessary to cause a particular disease. The abnormal gene can be inherited from either parent or can be the result of a new mutation (gene change) in the affected individual. The risk of passing the abnormal gene from an affected parent to an offspring is 50% for each pregnancy. The risk is the same for males and females. X-linked genetic disorders are conditions caused by an abnormal gene on the X chromosome and manifest mostly in males. Females that have an altered gene present on one of their X chromosomes are carriers for that disorder. Carrier females usually do not display symptoms because females have two X chromosomes and only one carries the altered gene. Males have one X chromosome that is inherited from their mother and if a male inherits an X chromosome that contains an altered gene he will develop the disease. Female carriers of an X-linked disorder have a 25% chance with each pregnancy to have a carrier daughter like themselves, a 25% chance to have a non-carrier daughter, a 25% chance to have a son affected with the disease and a 25% chance to have an unaffected son. If a male with an X-linked disorder is able to reproduce, he will pass the altered gene to all of his daughters who will be carriers. A male cannot pass an X-linked gene to his sons because males always pass their Y chromosome instead of their X chromosome to male offspring. Although genetic mitochondrial diseases are the commonest causes of congenital lactic acidosis, additional conditions that are present at birth can result in the disorder. These include biotin deficiency, bacterial infection in the bloodstream or body tissues (sepsis), certain types of glycogen storage disease, Reye syndrome, short-bowel syndrome, liver failure, a defect in the heart or blood vessels that leads to a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the body’s tissues (hypoxia) and bacterial meningitis (which causes elevated lactic acid in cerebrospinal fluid). Last updated: 8/2/2022  Pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency is a genetic disease most commonly linked to a mutation in the a -subunit of the mitochondrial enzyme that causes the enzyme to cease functioning. As a result of the mutation, affected individuals build up dangerous amounts of lactic acid. Which of the following best explains the buildup of lactic acid in individuals with the mutation? a. Cells use lactic acid to shunt electrons from pyruvate to the electron transport chain in the mitochondria. b. Cells undergo glycolysis because there is a buildup of pyruvate in affected individuals. c. Cells cannot transport pyruvate to the mitochondria in the absence of pyruvate dehydrogenase activity, so the pyruvate is broken down to lactic acid and ethanol. d. Cells undergo fermentation because pyruvate cannot be metabolized to proceed into the Krebs cycle. Show Answer Create an account. Get free access to expert answers
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DescriptionPyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency is characterized by the buildup of a chemical called lactic acid in the body and a variety of neurological problems. Signs and symptoms of this condition usually first appear shortly after birth, and they can vary widely among affected individuals. The most common feature is a potentially life-threatening buildup of lactic acid (lactic acidosis), which can cause nausea, vomiting, severe breathing problems, and an abnormal heartbeat. People with pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency usually have neurological problems as well. Most have delayed development of mental abilities and motor skills such as sitting and walking. Other neurological problems can include intellectual disability, seizures, weak muscle tone (hypotonia), poor coordination, and difficulty walking. Some affected individuals have abnormal brain structures, such as underdevelopment of the tissue connecting the left and right halves of the brain (corpus callosum), wasting away (atrophy) of the exterior part of the brain known as the cerebral cortex, or patches of damaged tissue (lesions) on some parts of the brain. Because of the severe health effects, many individuals with pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency do not survive past childhood, although some may live into adolescence or adulthood. FrequencyPyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency is believed to be a rare condition; however, its prevalence is unknown. CausesThe genes involved in pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency each provide instructions for making a protein that is a component of a group of proteins called the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. This complex plays an important role in the pathways that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex converts a molecule called pyruvate, which is formed from the breakdown of carbohydrates, into another molecule called acetyl-CoA. This conversion is essential to begin the series of chemical reactions that produce energy for cells. The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is made up of multiple copies of several enzymes called E1, E2, and E3, each of which performs part of the chemical reaction that converts pyruvate to acetyl-CoA. In addition, other proteins included in the complex ensure its proper function. One of these proteins, E3 binding protein, attaches E3 to the complex and provides the correct structure for the complex to perform its function. Other associated proteins control the activity of the complex: pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase turns on (activates) the complex, while pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase turns off (inhibits) the complex. The E1 enzyme, also called pyruvate dehydrogenase, is composed of four parts (subunits): two alpha subunits (called E1 alpha) and two beta subunits (called E1 beta). Mutations in the gene that provides instructions for making E1 alpha, the PDHA1 gene, are the most common cause of pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency, accounting for approximately 80 percent of cases. These mutations lead to a shortage of E1 alpha protein or result in an abnormal protein that cannot function properly. A decrease in functional E1 alpha leads to reduced activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Other components of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex are also involved in pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency. Mutations in the genes that provide instructions for E1 beta (the PDHB gene), the E2 enzyme (the DLAT gene), E3 binding protein (the PDHX gene), and pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (the PDP1 gene) have been identified in people with this condition. Although it is unclear how mutations in each of these genes affect the complex, reduced functioning of one component of the complex appears to impair the activity of the whole complex. As with PDHA1 gene mutations, changes in these other genes lead to a reduction of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity. With decreased function of this complex, pyruvate builds up and is converted in another chemical reaction to lactic acid. The excess lactic acid causes lactic acidosis in affected individuals. In addition, the production of cellular energy is diminished. The brain, which requires especially large amounts of energy, is severely affected, resulting in the neurological problems associated with pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency. InheritancePyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency can have different inheritance patterns. When the condition is caused by mutations in the PDHA1 gene, it is inherited in an X-linked pattern. The PDHA1 gene is located on the X chromosome, which is one of the two sex chromosomes. In males, who have only one X chromosome, a mutation in the only copy of the gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the condition. A characteristic of X-linked inheritance is that fathers cannot pass X-linked traits to their sons. In females, who have two copies of the X chromosome, one altered copy of the PDHA1 gene in each cell can lead to less severe features of the condition or may cause no signs or symptoms at all. However, many females with one altered copy of this gene have pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency similar to affected males because the X chromosome with the normal copy of the PDHA1 gene is turned off through a process called X-inactivation. Early in embryonic development in females, one of the two X chromosomes is permanently inactivated in somatic cells (cells other than egg and sperm cells). X-inactivation ensures that females, like males, have only one active copy of the X chromosome in each body cell. Usually X-inactivation occurs randomly, such that each X chromosome is active in about half of the body cells. Sometimes X-inactivation is not random, and one X chromosome is active in more than half of cells. When X-inactivation does not occur randomly, it is called skewed X-inactivation. Research shows that females with pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency caused by mutation of the PDHA1 gene often have skewed X-inactivation, which results in the inactivation of the X chromosome with the normal copy of the PDHA1 gene in most cells of the body. This skewed X-inactivation causes the chromosome with the mutated PDHA1 gene to be expressed in more than half of cells. When caused by mutations in other genes, pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition. Other Names for This Condition
References
Which of the following observations provides the best evidence that acetyl-CoA negatively regulates pyruvate dehydrogenase activity? presence of a higher concentration of acetyl-CoA. PDC is located in the mitochondrial matrix space, and is responsible for irreversibly converting pyruvate into acetyl CoA, the primary fuel of the citric acid cycle (CAC). Reactions of the CAC and fatty acid oxidation are performed in the mitochondrial matrix. In eukaryotes, the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, like the enzymes for citric acid cycle and oxidation of fatty acids, is located in the mitochondrion, where is associated with the surface of the inner membrane facing the matrix. In prokaryotes, it is located in the cytosol. In aerobic conditions, the process converts one molecule of glucose into two molecules of pyruvate (pyruvic acid), generating energy in the form of two net molecules of ATP. |
Which of the following best explains the buildup of lactic acid in individuals with the mutation?
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