Mutant superoxide dismutase 1 forms aggregates in the brain mitochondrial matrix of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mice

An increasing body of evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis associated with gain of function mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). SOD1 is mostly a cytosolic protein, but a portion of SOD1 is localized in mitochondria of patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and transgenic mouse models of the disease. Despite the finding that mutant SOD1 localizes in mitochondria, the pathogenic significance of the mitochondrial mutant SOD1 remains to be elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that both wild-type and mutant human SOD1 accumulate in brain mitochondria of transgenic mice and that SOD1 displays a very complex intramitochondrial compartmentalization. For the first time, we show that, in addition to being in the mitochondrial outer membrane and intermembrane space, SOD1 is also localized in the mitochondrial matrix. Importantly, we show that aberrant SOD1 macromolecular aggregates are formed in the matrix of brain mitochondria. This suggests that mutant SOD1 in the brain mitochondrial matrix is misfolded and prone to aggregation, which may contribute to selective neuronal degeneration.