DeCure for Mitochondrial complex I deficiency, nuclear type 19
DeCure's autonomous Metabolic AI scientist is researching a drug-repurposing hypothesis for mitochondrial complex I deficiency, nuclear type 19 — screening already-approved drugs against its 1-gene Open Targets disease module to publish open-access research. Research is fast; the path to publication is funded in milestone stages.
Disease moduleMitochondrial complex I deficiency, nuclear type 19 maps to a 1-gene Open Targets module — the target space DeCure's AI scientist screens approved drugs against.
DeCure.ai methodSignature reversal (LINCS) plus network proximity (STRING) rank already-approved drugs likely to perturb this module — the same engine that produces DeCure.ai's repurposing hypotheses.
Repurposing thesisScreening approved medicines against this disease module, then publishing the evidence for the strongest candidate. Known pharmacology and human exposure data make the first question sharper — they do not establish safety or efficacy in a new indication.
Research record
01
ResearchComing soon
Candidate research + dossier — target rationale, drug-repurposing thesis and evidence pack.proof: Published dossier + on-chain hash
02
ValidationComing soon
In-vitro biological validation at a contract research org (CRO).proof: CRO contract + in-vitro report
03
Peer review & paperComing soon
Peer-reviewed paper published open-access (preprint + journal).proof: DOI + open-access link + on-chain hash
Current lead
No approved-drug candidate for mitochondrial complex i deficiency, nuclear type 19 is corroborated in the literature DeepSearch retrieved. Some conditions are managed with non-pharmacological care — a device, surgery or physical therapy — rather than a medicine; that may be the case here, or the literature we found may simply be too sparse yet to support a drug-repurposing angle.
What the evidence adds up to
In primary open-angle glaucoma, trabecular meshwork cells from patients showed higher endogenous reactive oxygen species, lower ATP, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential compared with cells from age-matched controls. These glaucomatous cells were more sensitive to complex I inhibition by rotenone, which further increased ROS, triggered cytochrome c release, and lowered ATP and membrane potential, leading to apoptosis. Complex II and III inhibitors had little effect. Antioxidants vitamin E and N-acetylcysteine protected against rotenone-induced death by blocking ROS generation and cytochrome c release. The 2008 study proposed that a mitochondrial complex I defect is associated with trabecular meshwork cell degeneration in POAG and that antioxidants and mitochondrial permeability transition inhibitors might reduce progression.
Three unrelated patients with Leigh's disease and complex I deficiency carried the mitochondrial DNA G13513A mutation in the ND5 subunit at mutant loads of approximately 50% or less in all tested tissues, including multiple brain regions. The threshold for causing a complex I defect in cultured cells was about 30% mutant load. Fibroblasts with 45% mutant load had roughly 50% of the normal amount of fully assembled complex I, whereas fibroblasts with over 97% of the ND6 G14459A mutation had only 20% fully assembled complex I. The G13513A mutation thus causes a complex I defect at unusually low mutant load and may act dominantly.
Complex I deficiency is the most common oxidative phosphorylation disorder, with a birth prevalence of roughly 1 in 5,000. A 2011 literature survey identified 149 patients with isolated complex I deficiency and pathogenic mutations in nuclear genes, reporting 115 different mutations across 22 nuclear genes encoding complex I subunits or assembly factors. Missense mutations predominated in core subunit genes and some assembly factor genes, while null-type mutations were common in supernumerary subunit genes and other assembly factor genes. No single gene accounted for more than 5% of cases, and many patients remained without a molecular diagnosis, suggesting many disease genes await discovery. An earlier study screening the hydrophobic fraction of nuclear-encoded complex I subunits in 14 patients found no pathogenic mutations in those genes.
What is still missing is a molecular diagnosis for the majority of complex I deficiency patients, which requires identifying the remaining disease genes. The field also lacks rational treatment strategies developed from a full understanding of the cell biological consequences of isolated complex I deficiencies. For the glaucoma context, no clinical trial has tested whether antioxidants or MPT inhibitors actually slow disease progression in patients.
Evidence
Retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works and resolved on OpenAlex — ranked by citations, including the results that did not work.
Mitochondrial Complex I Defect Induces ROS Release and Degeneration in Trabecular Meshwork Cells of POAG Patients: Protection by Antioxidants
AbstractPURPOSE: There is growing evidence that oxidative stress contributes to the progression of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The authors provide evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction is a possible mechanism for the loss of trabecular meshwork (TM) cells in persons with POAG. METHODS: TM from patients with POAG (GTM) and age-matched subjects without disease (NTM) were obtained by standard surgical trabeculectomy. Primary TM cultures were treated with one of the following mitochondrial respiratory chain inhibitors: rotenone (ROT, complex I inhibitor), thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTFA, complex II inhibitor), myxothiazol or antimycin A (MYX, AM-complex III inhibitors); mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) inhibitor cyclosporine A (CsA); and antioxidants vitamin E (Vit E) or N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Mitochondrial function was determined by changes in mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production with the fluorescent probes 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1'3,3'-tetraethylbenzimid azolocarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) and a luciferin/luciferase-based ATP assay, respectively. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, determined by H(2)-DCF-DA, and cell death, measured by lactate dehydrogenase activity and Annexin V-FITC labeling, were also examined. RESULTS: GTM cells have higher endogenous ROS levels, lower ATP levels, and decreased Delta Psi m and they are more sensitive to mitochondrial complex I inhibition than their normal counterparts. ROT induces a further increase in ROS production, the release of cytochrome c, and decreases in ATP level and Delta Psi m in GTM cells, eventually leading to apoptosis. Complex II and III inhibition had little effect on the cells. Antioxidants protect against ROT-induced death by inhibiting ROS generation and cytochrome c release. CONCLUSIONS: The authors propose that a mitochondrial complex I defect is associated with the degeneration of TM cells in patients with POAG, and antioxidants and MPT inhibitors can reduce the progression of this condition.
Low mutant load of mitochondrial DNA G13513A mutation can cause Leigh's disease
AbstractRespiratory chain complex I deficiency is a common cause of Leigh's disease (LD) and can be caused by mutations in genes encoded by either nuclear or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Most pathogenic mtDNA mutations act recessively and only cause disease when present at high mutant loads (typically >90%) in tissues such as muscle and brain. Two mitochondrial DNA mutations in complex I subunit genes, G14459A in ND6, and T12706C in ND5, have been associated with complex I deficiency and LD. We report another ND5 mutation, G13513A, in three unrelated patients with complex I deficiency and LD. The G13513A mutation was present at mutant loads of approximately 50% or less in all tissues tested, including multiple brain regions. The threshold mutant load for causing a complex I defect in cultured cells was approximately 30%. Blue Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that fibroblasts with 45% G13513A mutant load had approximately 50% of the normal amount of fully assembled complex I. Fibroblasts with greater than 97% of the ND6 G14459A mutation had only 20% fully assembled complex I, suggesting that both mutations disrupt complex I assembly or turnover. We conclude that the G13513A mutation causes a complex I defect when present at unusually low mutant load and may act dominantly.
Current Neurovascular Research · 2004 · 59 citations · open access
Cell Biological Consequences of Mitochondrial NADH: Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase Deficiency
AbstractHuman complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase; EC 1.6.5.3) is the first and largest multi-protein assembly of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system; the final biochemical cascade of events leading to the production of ATP. The complex consists of 46 subunits, 7 encoded by the mitochondrial DNA and the remainder by the nuclear genome. In recent years, numerous gene mutations leading to an isolated complex I deficiency have been characterized in both genomes. Disorders associated with complex I deficiency (OMIM 252010) mostly lead to multi-system disorders affecting brain, skeletal muscle and the heart. Of these, Leigh syndrome, a progressive fatal encephalopathy symmetrically affecting specific areas of the brain, brainstem and myelin, is the most frequently observed phenotype. Here, we review the current understanding of the cell biological consequences of isolated complex I deficiencies and propose further directions the field needs to take in order to develop rational treatment strategies for these devastating disorders.
AbstractDisorders of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) have a birth prevalence of ∼1/5,000 and are the most common inborn errors of metabolism. The most common OXPHOS disorder is complex I deficiency. Patients with complex I deficiency present with variable symptoms, such as muscle weakness, cardiomyopathy, developmental delay or regression, blindness, seizures, failure to thrive, liver dysfunction or ataxia. Molecular diagnosis of patients with complex I deficiency is a challenging task due to the clinical heterogeneity of patients and the large number of candidate disease genes, both nuclear-encoded and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-encoded. In this review, we have thoroughly surveyed the literature to identify 149 patients described with both isolated complex I deficiency and pathogenic mutations within nuclear genes. In total, 115 different pathogenic mutations have been reported in 22 different nuclear genes encoding complex I subunits or assembly factors, highlighting the allelic and locus heterogeneity of this disorder. Missense mutations predominate in genes encoding core subunits and some assembly factors while null-type mutations are common in the genes encoding supernumerary subunits and other assembly factors. Despite developments in molecular technology, many patients do not receive molecular diagnosis and no gene has yet been identified that accounts for more than 5% of cases, suggesting that there are likely many disease genes that await discovery.
Teaching Preschoolers To Avoid Abduction by Strangers: Evaluation of Maintenance Strategies. Final Report.
AbstractDeficiency of NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, the first enzyme complex of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, is one of the most frequent causes of human mitochondrial encephalomyopathies. A relatively small percentage of human complex I deficiency is associated with mitochondrial DNA mutations. cDNA characterization and mutational analysis of the structural complex I genes in 19 complex I-deficient patients, in whom common mtDNA mutations have been excluded, has so far revealed five patients with alterations in evolutionary conserved nuclear-encoded proteins. In order to complete our knowledge about the expected 36 structural nuclear complex I genes, we characterized the NDUFB7 and the 17.2-kDa cDNA sequences of the hydrophobic (HP) fraction of the complex. Subsequently, we screened all subunits of this fraction for the presence of mutations in those 14 patients of our initial patient cohort in whom the underlying genetic cause had not been elucidated. Strikingly, no pathogenic mutations were found in the HP subunits that would explain the complex I deficiency in our patients. Other strategies are needed to unravel proteins involved in the pathogenesis of the complicated cellular network of transcription until correct assemblage of complex I.
Disease module: DeepOracle (Open Targets). Structures: RDKit from PubChem SMILES. Literature: retrieved by DeepSearch across 234,678,978 indexed works (targeted per-candidate search), resolved on OpenAlex.
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