Connessioni scientifiche n.7: Alessandro Morelli
Bioenergetic Hypothesis of Sleep and Cognitive Disorders Caused by COVID-19 Infection
Prof. Alessandro Maria Morelli
Introduction: The outer segments of rod cells, platelets, plasma cells, and the myelin sheath have a higher ATP synthesis capacity than mitochondria. Therefore, processes must exist that lead to the delocalization of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) molecular machinery.
Results: The existence of mitochondrial-derived vesicles, both cellular and extracellular, capable of synthesizing ATP is well documented. This may be due to the ease with which mitochondria produce vesicles, a property evidently inherited from bacteria, supporting the endosymbiotic theory. This process allows many cellular regions to synthesize ATP locally. Therefore, the hypothesis that mitochondria, through membrane vesiculation and fusion, enable the synthesis of extramitochondrial ATP is gaining strength. The myelin sheath, which surrounds the nerve, features a range of mitochondrial components derived from mitochondria generated in oligodendrocytes that fuse into the developing myelin. Laboratory tests have revealed myelin’s ability to store energy in the form of protons absorbed by the basic proteins—myelin basic protein and proteolipid—in which it is rich, and myelin has thus been attributed the function of a “proton capacitor.”
Perspectives: This ability has led to the formulation of a theory of sleep that predicts the accumulation of protons, and therefore energy, by myelin during sleep. The energy stored in the form of protons is converted into ATP during waking life to support nerve conduction. Sleep disturbances are common in many pathologies, such as COVID-19 infection, and this is linked to the existence of an amino acid sequence homology between the COVID-19 virus capsid and the myelin proteolipid, so Covid-19 infection produces antibodies against the proteolipid, unbalancing its function as a proton capacitor, with consequent disturbances in sleep and cognitive ability.
