Coenzyme Q and mitochondrial disease.

Coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) is an essential electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and an important antioxidant. Deficiency of CoQ(10) is a clinically and molecularly heterogeneous syndrome, which, to date, has been found to be autosomal recessive in inheritance and generally responsive to CoQ(10) supplementation. CoQ(10) deficiency has been associated with five major clinical phenotypes: (1) encephalomyopathy, (2) severe infantile multisystemic disease, (3) cerebellar ataxia, (4) isolated myopathy, and (5) nephrotic syndrome. In a few patients, pathogenic mutations have been identified in genes involved in the biosynthesis of CoQ(10) (primary CoQ(10) deficiencies) or in genes not directly related to CoQ(10) biosynthesis (secondary CoQ(10) deficiencies). Respiratory chain defects, ROS production, and apoptosis contribute to the pathogenesis of primary CoQ(10) deficiencies. In vitro and in vivo studies are necessary to further understand the pathogenesis of the disease and to develop more effective therapies.