A multicenter comparison of mitochondrial respiratory chain and complex V enzyme activity tests was performed. The average reproducibility of the enzyme assays is 16% in human muscle samples. In a blinded diagnostic accuracy test in patient fibroblasts and SURF1 knock-out mouse muscle, each lab made the correct diagnosis except for two complex I results. We recommend that enzyme activities be evaluated based on ratios, e.g. with complex IV or citrate synthase activity. In spite of large variations in observed enzyme activities, we show that inter-laboratory comparison of patient sample test results is possible by using normalization against a control sample.

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doi.org/10.1016/j.mito.2012.11.004, hdl.handle.net/1765/61070
Mitochondrion
Department of Neurology

Rodenburg, R., Schoonderwoerd, K., Tiranti, V., Taylor, R. W., Rötig, A., Valente, J., Invernizzi, F., Chretien, D., L. He (Langping), Backx, G. P. B. M., Janssen, K., Chinnery, P., Smeets, H. J., de Coo, R.& van den Heuvel, L. (2013). A multi-center comparison of diagnostic methods for the biochemical evaluation of suspected mitochondrial disorders. Mitochondrion, 13(1), 36–43.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mito.2012.11.004