Mitochondrial APE1/Ref-1 suppressed protein kinase C-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in mouse endothelial cells

Protein kinase C (PKC) induces mitochondrial dysfunction, which is an important pathological factor in cardiovascular diseases. The role of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease-1/redox factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1) on PKC-induced mitochondrial dysfunction has not been variously investigated. In this study, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), an activator of protein kinase C, induced mitochondrial hyperpolarization and reactive oxygen species generation and also increased mitochondrial translocation of APE1/Ref-1. APE1/Ref-1 overexpression suppressed PMA-induced mitochondrial dysfunction. In contrast, gene silencing of APE1/Ref-1 increased the sensitivity of mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS)-fused APE1/Ref-1 more effectively suppressed PMA-induced mitochondrial dysfunctions. These results suggest that mitochondrial APE1/Ref-1 is contributed to the protective role to protein kinase C-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in endothelial cells.