RT Journal Article
T1 Developmental Sex Differences in the Metabolism of Cardiolipin in Mouse Cerebral Cortex Mitochondria
A1 Acaz Fonseca, Estefanía
A1 Ortiz Rodriguez, Ana
A1 López Rodríguez, Ana Belén
A1 García Segura, Luis Miguel
A1 Astiz, Mariana
AB Cardiolipin (CL) is a mitochondrial-specific phospholipid. CL content and acyl chain composition are crucial for energy production. Given that estradiol induces CL synthesis in neurons, we aimed to assess CL metabolism in the cerebral cortex (CC) of male and female mice during early postnatal life, when sex steroids induce sex-dimorphic maturation of the brain. Despite the fact that total amount of CL was similar, its fatty acid composition differed between males and females at birth. In males, CL was more mature (lower saturation ratio) and the expression of the enzymes involved in synthetic and remodeling pathways was higher, compared to females. Importantly, the sex differences found in CL metabolism were due to the testosterone peak that male mice experience perinatally. These changes were associated with a higher expression of UCP-2 and its activators in the CC of males. Overall, our results suggest that the perinatal testosterone surge in male mice regulates CL biosynthesis and remodeling in the CC, inducing a sex-dimorphic fatty acid composition. In male’s CC, CL is more susceptible to peroxidation, likely explaining the testosterone-dependent induction of neuroprotective molecules such as UCP-2. These differences may account for the sex-dependent mitochondrial susceptibility after perinatal hypoxia/ischemia.
PB Springer Nature
SN 2045-2322
YR 2017
FD 2017-03-06
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/18020
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/18020
LA eng
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)
NO National Agency for Scientific and Technological Promotion (Argentina)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 5 abr 2025