De novo frameshift variant in MT-ND1 causes a mitochondrial complex I deficiency associated with MELAS syndrome

The variant m.3571_3572insC/MT-ND1 thus far only reported in oncocytic tumors of different tissues. However, the role of m.3571_3572insC in inherited mitochondrial diseases has yet to be elucidated.

A patient diagnosed with MELAS syndrome was recruited, and detailed medical records were collected and reviewed. The muscle was biopsied for mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activity. Series of fibroblast clones bearing different m.3571_3572insC variant loads were generated from patient-derived fibroblasts and subjected to functional assays.

Complex I deficiency was confirmed in the patient's muscle via mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activity assay. The m.3571_3572insC was filtered for the candidate variant of the patient according to the guidelines for mitochondrial mRNA variants interpretation. Three cell clones with different m.3571_3572insC variant loads were generated to evaluate mitochondrial function. Blue native PAGE analysis revealed that m.3571_3572insC caused a deficiency in the mitochondrial complex I. Oxygen consumption rate, ATP production, and lactate assays found an impairment of cellular bioenergetic capacity due to m.3571_3572insC. Mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased, and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production was increased with the variant of m.3571_3572insC. According to the competitive cell growth assay, the mutant cells had impaired cell growth capacity compared to wild type.

A novel variant m.3571_3572insC was identified in a patient diagnosed with MELAS syndrome, and the variant impaired mitochondrial respiration by decreasing the activity of complex I. In conclusion, the genetic spectrum of mitochondrial diseases was expanded by including m.3571_3572insC/MT-ND1.