Mitochondrial dysfunction caused by m.2336T>C mutation with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cybrid cell lines

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), affecting approximately 1 in 500 in the general population, is the most prominent cause of sudden heart disease-related mortality in the young. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are among the primary causes of HCM. We previously identified a novel m.2336T>C homoplasmic mutation in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene (MT-RNR2) in a Chinese maternally inherited HCM family. However, the molecular mechanisms by which m.2336T>C mutation contributes to HCM remain elusive. Here we generated transferring mitochondria cell lines (cybrids) with a constant nuclear background by transferring mitochondria from immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines carrying the HCM-associated m.2336T>C mutation into human mtDNA-less (ρ°) cells. Functional assays showed a decreased stability for 16S rRNA and the steady-state levels of its binding proteins in the mutant cybrids. This mutation impaired the mitochondrial translation capacity and resulted in many mitochondrial dysfunctions, including elevation of ROS generation, reduction of ATP production and impairment of mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, the mutant cybrids had poor physiological status and decreased survival ability. These results confirm that the m.2336T>C mutation leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and strongly suggest that this mutation may play a role in the pathogenesis of HCM.