Figure 8. BNIP3-, CTSB- and ATG16L1- fibroblasts all show mitochondrial dysfunction: OXPHOS and MitoTracker. (A) We evaluated the functional consequences of autophagic genes expression on mitochondrial activity in fibroblasts, by determining the levels of mitochondrial enzymes associated with the respiratory chain. Note that a strong reduction in key components of complex I, III, and IV was observed, for all the genes examined. Furthermore, in CTSB fibroblasts there is a downregulation of the expression of complex II. Lv- represents fibroblasts transduced with the vector alone control, namely Lv-105 (puro). (B) Note that all three types of autophagic fibroblasts (BNIP3, CTSB, and ATG16L1) show dramatic reductions in MitoTracker staining, indicative of a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential.