Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Studying Drug Induced Mitochondrial Toxicity.

ABSTRACT: Today HIV-1 infection is recognized as a chronic disease with obligatory lifelong treatment to keep viral titers below detectable levels. The continuous intake of antiretroviral drugs however, leads to severe and even life-threatening side effects, supposedly by the deleterious impact of nucleoside-analogue type compounds on the functioning of the mitochondrial DNA polymerase. For detailed investigation of the yet partially understood underlying mechanisms, the availability of a versatile model system is crucial. We therefore set out to develop the use of Caenorhabditis elegans to study drug induced mitochondrial toxicity. Using a combination of molecular-biological and functional assays, combined with a quantitative analysis of mitochondrial network morphology, we conclude that anti-retro

SUBMITTER: de Boer R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4430419 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature