Calcium modulation of mitochondrial inner membrane channel activity.

Protocols were defined that enable patch-clamp studies of the approximately 107 pS voltage dependent channel and a class of activity we refer to as MCC (multiconductance channel) which is characterized by multiple levels and transitions as high as 1 to 1.5 nS. If free calcium was kept at 10(-7) M or lower during mitochondrial isolation, no activity was observed at low voltage (+/- 60 mV). If free calcium levels were higher, MCC activity was observed in about 96% of the patches. The observation of approximately 107 pS channel was enhanced from 2% to 68% of patches by washing isolated mitoplasts (mitochondria stripped of outer membrane) with EGTA. Increasing matrix calcium from 10(-9) to 10(-5) M decreased the probability of opening for the MCC and approximately 107 pS activities.     

Perspectives on the mitochondrial multiple conductance channel

A multiple conductance channel (MCC) with a peak conductance of over 1 nS is recorded from mitoplasts (mitochondria with the inner membrane exposed) using patch-clamp techniques. MCC shares many general characteristics with other intracellular megachannels, many of which are weakly selective, voltage-dependent, and calcium sensitive. A role in protein import is suggested by the transient blockade of MCC by peptides responsible for targeting mitochondrial precursor proteins. MCC is compared with the peptide-sensitive channel of the outer membrane because of similarities in targeting peptide blockade. The pharmacology and regulation of MCC by physiological effectors are reviewed and compared with the properties of the pore hypothesized to be responsible for the mitochondrial inner membrane permeability transition.     

Probing the structure of the mitochondrial channel,VDAC, by site-directed mutagenesis: A progress report

The voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC) of the mitochondrial outer membrane is formed by a small ( 30 kDa) polypeptide, but shares with more complex channels the properties of voltage-dependent gating and ion selectivity. Thus, it is a useful model for studying these properties. The molecular biology techniques available in yeast allow us to construct mutant versions of the cloned yeast VDAC genein vitro, using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, and to express the mutant genes in yeast cells in the absence of wild-type VDAC. We find that one substitution mutation (lys 61 to glu) alters the selectivity of VDAC.     

The key role of the energized state of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondria in modulations of the outer membrane channels by the intermembrane space proteins

Mitochondria of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae constitute a perfect model to study the outer membrane channel modulation as besides the TOM complex channel they contain only a single isoform of the VDAC channel and it is possible to obtain viable mutants devoid of the channel. Here, we report that the fraction of the intermembrane space isolated from wild type and the VDAC channel-depleted yeast mitochondria, except of the well-known VDAC channel modulator activity, displays also the TOM complex channel modulating activity as measured in the reconstituted system and with intact mitochondria. The important factor influencing the action of both modulating activities is the energized state of mitochondria. Moreover, the presence of the VDAC channel itself seems to be crucial to properties of the intermembrane space protein (s) able to modulate the outer membrane channels because in the case of intact mitochondria quantitative differences are observed between modulating capabilities of the fractions isolated from wild type and mutant mitochondria.     

Determination of the number of polypeptide subunits in a functional VDAC channel fromSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Genes encoding VDAC proteins containing specific site-directed amino acid alterations were introduced into wild-typeSaccharomyces cerevisiae. The mutant VDAC proteins form channels with ion selectivities very different from that of the wild-type channel. Therefore, the resulting yeast strains express two different genes capable of coding for functional, yet distinct, VDAC channels. If VDAC were an oligomeric channel, analysis of VDAC from these strains should have revealed not only the presence of channels with wild-type or mutant selectivity but also channels with intermediate selectivities. While channels with wild-type and mutant selectivities were observed with approximately equal frequency, no channels with intermediate selectivity were observed. Sufficient observations were performed with two different mutant genes (K61E.K65E and K19E.K61E) that the likelihood of having missed hybrid channels was less than 1 in 10⁷. These findings favor the hypothesis that each functional VDAC channel is composed of a single 30-kDa polypeptide chain.     

New insights into the mechanism of permeation through large channels

The mitochondrial channel, VDAC, regulates metabolite flux across the outer membrane. The open conformation has a higher conductance and anionic selectivity, whereas closed states prefer cations and exclude metabolites. In this study five mutations were introduced into mouse VDAC2 to neutralize the voltage sensor. Inserted into planar membranes, mutant channels lack voltage gating, have a lower conductance, demonstrate cationic selectivity, and, surprisingly, are still permeable to ATP. The estimated ATP flux through the mutant is comparable to that for wild-type VDAC2. The outer membranes of mitochondria containing the mutant are permeable to NADH and ADP/ATP. Both experiments support the counterintuitive conclusion that converting a channel from an anionic to a cationic preference does not substantially influence the flux of negatively charged metabolites. This finding supports our previous proposal that ATP translocation through VDAC is facilitated by a set of specific interactions between ATP and the channel wall.     

Comparison of the TIM and TOM channel activities of the mitochondrial protein import complexes

Water-filled channels are central to the process of translocating proteins since they provide aqueous pathways through the hydrophobic environment of membranes. The Tom and Tim complexes translocate precursors across the mitochondrial outer and inner membranes, respectively, and contain channels referred to as TOM and TIM (previously called PSC and MCC). In this study, little differences were revealed from a direct comparison of the single channel properties of the TOM and TIM channels of yeast mitochondria. As they perform similar functions in translocating proteins across membranes, it is not surprising that both channels are high conductance, voltage-dependent channels that are slightly cation selective. Reconstituted TIM and TOM channel activities are not modified by deletion of the outer membrane channel VDAC, but are similarly affected by signal sequence peptides.     

Role of voltage-dependent anion channels in glutathione transport into yeast mitochondria

Glutathione (GSH) is imported into mitochondria from the extra-mitochondrial cytoplasm. Translocation across the inner membrane of mitochondria is thought to occur via the dicarboxylate and 2-oxoglutarate carriers; however, the means by which GSH passes through the outer membrane is unknown. Disruption of the outer membrane of yeast mitochondria using either digitonin or osmotic shock did not alter GSH accumulation as compared with accumulation in intact mitochondria. These results suggested that passage across the outer membrane was not the rate-limiting step in GSH accumulation. Mitochondria isolated from yeast strains with a disruption in the major pore-forming protein of the outer membrane, VDAC1, accumulated GSH to a greater extent than mitochondria isolated from a wild-type strain. Disruption of the gene for VDAC2 did not affect GSH import. Thus, neither VDAC form is essential for GSH translocation into mitochondria, and the participation of another outer membrane channel in GSH import is possible.     

Tim23, a Protein Import Component of the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane, Is Required for Normal Activity of the Multiple Conductance Channel, MCC

We previously showed that the conductance of a mitochondrial inner membrane channel, called MCC, was specifically blocked by peptides corresponding to mitochondrial import signals. To determine if MCC plays a role in protein import, we examined the relationship between MCC and Tim23p, a component of the protein import complex of the mitochondrial inner membrane. We find that antibodies against Tim23p, previously shown to inhibit mitochondrial protein import, inhibit MCC activity. We also find that MCC activity is altered in mitochondria isolated from yeast carrying the tim23-1 mutation. In contrast to wild-type MCC, we find that the conductance of MCC from the tim23-1 mutant is not significantly blocked by mitochondrial presequence peptides. Tim23 antibodies and the tim23-1 mutation do not, however, alter the activity of PSC, a presequence-peptide sensitive channel in the mitochondrial outer membrane. Our results show that Tim23p is required for normal MCC activity and raise the possibility that precursors are translocated across the inner membrane through the pore of MCC.     

The outer envelope protein OEP24 from pea chloroplasts can functionally replace the mitochondrial VDAC in yeast

The chloroplastic outer envelope protein OEP24 from pea forms a high-conductance low specificity solute channel as shown by in vitro studies. In order to establish its function also in an in vivo-like system, the gene encoding OEP24 was transformed into a yeast strain which lacks the general mitochondria solute channel porin, also known as voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC). Transformation of the yeast VDAC(-) strain with the OEP24 gene resulted in the recovery of a phenotype indistinguishable from the wild-type. The OEP24 polypeptide is targeted to the mitochondrial outer membrane in this heterologous system. We conclude that OEP24 forms a solute channel in pea chloroplasts in planta.     

The VDAC channel as the mitochondria function regulator

Regulation of mitochondria physiology, indispensable for proper cell activity, requires an efficient exchange of molecules between mitochondria and cytoplasm at the level of the mitochondrial outer membrane. The common pathway for the metabolite exchange between mitochondria and cytoplasm is the VDAC channel (voltage dependent anion channel), known also as mitochondrial porin. The channel was identified for the first time in 1976 and since that time has been extensively studied. It has been recognized that the VDAC channel plays a crucial role in the regulation of metabolic and energetic functions of mitochondria. In this article we review the VDAC channel relevance to ATP rationing, Ca2+ homeostasis, protection against oxidative stress and apoptosis execution.     

Under Conditions of Insufficient Permeability of VDAC1, External NADH May Use the TOM Complex Channel to Cross the Outer Membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mitochondria

Thus far, only three channel-forming activities have been identified in the outer membrane of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondria. Two of them, namely the TOM complex channel (translocase of the outer membrane) and the PSC (peptide-sensitive channel) participate in protein translocation and are probably identical, whereas a channel-forming protein called VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel) serves as the major pathway for metabolites. The VDAC is present in two isoforms (VDAC1 and VDAC2) of which only VDAC1 has been shown to display channel-forming activity. Moreover, the permeability of VDAC1 has been reported to be limited in uncoupled mitochondria of S. cerevisiae. The presented data indicate that in S. cerevisiae-uncoupled mitochondria, external NADH, applied at higher concentrations (above 50 nmoles per 0.1 mg of mitochondrial protein), may use the TOM complex channel, besides VDAC1, to cross the outer membrane. Thus, the permeability of VDAC1 could be a limiting step in transport of external NADH across the outer membrane and might be supplemented by the TOM complex channel.     

Direct membrane insertion of voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein catalyzed by mitochondrial Tom20.

Insertion of newly synthesized proteins into or across the mitochondrial outer membrane is initiated by import receptors at the surface of the organelle. Typically, this interaction directs the precursor protein into a preprotein translocation pore, comprised of Tom40. Here, we show that a prominent beta-barrel channel protein spanning the outer membrane, human voltage- dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC), bypasses the requirement for the Tom40 translocation pore during biogenesis. Insertion of VDAC into the outer membrane is unaffected by plugging the translocation pore with a partially translocated matrix preprotein, and mitochondria containing a temperature-sensitive mutant of Tom40 insert VDAC at the nonpermissive temperature. Synthetic liposomes harboring the cytosolic domain of the human import receptor Tom20 efficiently insert newly synthesized VDAC, resulting in transbilayer transport of ATP. Therefore, Tom20 transforms newly synthesized cytosolic VDAC into a transmembrane channel that is fully integrated into the lipid bilayer.     

The voltage dependent anion channel affects mitochondrial cholesterol distribution and function

We have observed abnormally high membrane cholesterol levels and a subsequent deficiency of oxidative energy production in mitochondria from cultured Morris hepatoma cells (MH7777). Using cholesterol affinity chromatography and MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry, we have identified the voltage dependent anion channel (VDAC) as a necessary component of a protein complex involved in mitochondrial membrane cholesterol distribution. VDAC is known to associate strongly with hexokinase, particularly in glycolytic cancers. By constructing an E72Q mutant form of VDAC that inhibits its binding of hexokinase, we report an increase in oxidative phosphorylation activity of MH7777 cells, as well as reduced membrane cholesterol ratios to levels near that of normal liver mitochondria. This paper demonstrates that the ability of VDAC to influence mitochondrial membrane cholesterol distribution may have implications on mitochondrial characteristics such as oxidative phosphorylation and induction of apoptosis, as well as the propensity of cancer cells to exhibit a glycolytic phenotype.     

Purification and characterization of the voltage-dependent anion channel from the outer mitochondrial membrane of yeast

Summary The outer mitochondrial membranes of all organisms so far examined contain a protein which forms voltage-dependent anion selective channels (VDAC) when incorporated into planar phospholipid membranes. Previous reports have suggested that the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) outer mitochondrial membrane component responsible for channel formation is a protein of 29,000 daltons which is also the major component of this membrane. In this report, we describe the purification of this 29,000-dalton protein to virtual homogeneity from yeast outer mitochondrial membranes. The purified protein readily incorporates into planar phospholipid membranes to produce ionic channels. Electrophysiological characterization of these channels has demonstrated they have a size, selectivity and voltage dependence similar to VDAC from other organisms. Biochemically, the purified protein has been characterized by determining its amino acid composition and isoelectric point (pI). In addition, we have shown that the purified protein, when reconstituted into liposomes, can bind hexokinase in a glucose-6-phosphate dependent manner, as has been shown for VDAC purified from other sources. Since physiological characterization suggests that the functional parameters of this protein have been conserved, antibodies specific to yeast VDAC have been used to assess antigenic conservation among mitochondrial proteins from a wide number of species. These experiments have shown that yeast VDAC antibodies will recognize single mitochondrial proteins fromDrosophila, Dictyostelium andNeurospora of the appropriate molecular weight to be VDAC from these organisms. No reaction was seen to any mitochondrial protein from rat liver, rainbow trout,Paramecium, or mung bean. In addition, yeast VDAC antibodies will recognize a 50-kDa mol wt protein present in tobacco chloroplasts. These results suggest that there is some antigenic as well as functional conservation among different VDACs.     

The intrinsically disordered N-terminus of the voltage-dependent anion channel

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) is a critical β-barrel membrane protein of the mitochondrial outer membrane, which regulates the transport of ions and ATP between mitochondria and the cytoplasm. In addition, VDAC plays a central role in the control of apoptosis and is therefore of great interest in both cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Although not fully understood, it is presumed that the gating mechanism of VDAC is governed by its N-terminal region which, in the open state of the channel, exhibits an α-helical structure positioned midway inside the pore and strongly interacting with the β-barrel wall. In the present work, we performed molecular simulations with a recently developed force field for disordered systems to shed new light on known experimental results, showing that the N-terminus of VDAC is an intrinsically disordered region (IDR). First, simulation of the N-terminal segment as a free peptide highlighted its disordered nature and the importance of using an IDR-specific force field to properly sample its conformational landscape. Secondly, accelerated dynamics simulation of a double cysteine VDAC mutant under applied voltage revealed metastable low conducting states of the channel representative of closed states observed experimentally. Related structures were characterized by partial unfolding and rearrangement of the N-terminal tail, that led to steric hindrance of the pore. Our results indicate that the disordered properties of the N-terminus are crucial to properly account for the gating mechanism of VDAC.     

Multicopy suppressors of phenotypes resulting from the absence of yeast VDAC encode a VDAC-like protein.

The permeability of the outer mitochondrial membrane to most metabolites is believed to be based in an outer membrane, channel-forming protein known as VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel). Although multiple isoforms of VDAC have been identified in multicellular organisms, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been thought to contain a single VDAC gene, designated POR1. However, cells missing the POR1 gene (delta por1) were able to grow on yeast media containing a nonfermentable carbon source (glycerol) but not on such media at elevated temperature (37 degrees C). If VDAC normally provides the pathway for metabolites to pass through the outer membrane, some other protein(s) must be able to partially substitute for that function. To identify proteins that could functionally substitute for POR1, we have screened a yeast genomic library for genes which, when overexpressed, can correct the growth defect of delta por1 yeast grown on glycerol at 37 degrees C. This screen identified a second yeast VDAC gene, POR2, encoding a protein (YVDAC2) with 49% amino acid sequence identity to the previously identified yeast VDAC protein (YVDAC1). YVDAC2 can functionally complement defects present in delta por1 strains only when it is overexpressed. Deletion of the POR2 gene alone had no detectable phenotype, while yeasts with deletions of both the POR1 and POR2 genes were viable and able to grow on glycerol at 30 degrees C, albeit more slowly than delta por1 single mutants. Like delta por1 single mutants, they could not grow on glycerol at 37 degrees C. Subcellular fractionation studies with antibodies which distinguish YVDAC1 and YVDAC2 indicate that YVDAC2 is normally present in the outer mitochondrial membrane. However, no YVDAC2 channels were detected electrophysiologically in reconstituted systems. Therefore, mitochondrial membranes made from wild-type cells, delta por1 cells, delta por1 delta por2 cells, and delta por1 cells overexpressing YVDAC2 were incorporated into liposomes and the permeability of resulting liposomes to nonelectrolytes of different sizes was determined. The results indicate that YVDAC2 does not confer any additional permeability to these liposomes, suggesting that it may not normally form a channel. In contrast, when the VDAC gene from Drosophila melanogaster was expressed in delta por1 yeast cells, VDAC-like channels could be detected in the mitochondria by both bilayer and liposome techniques, yet the cells failed to grow on glycerol at 37 degrees C. Thus, channel-forming activity does not seem to be either necessary or sufficient to restore growth on nonfermentable carbon sources, indicating that VDAC mediates cellular functions that do not depend on the ability to form channels.     

The voltage-dependent anion channel: an essential player in apoptosis

The increase of outer mitochondrial membrane permeability is a central event in apoptotic cell death, since it releases several apoptogenic factors such as cytochrome c into the cytoplasm that activate the downstream destructive processes. The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC or mitochondrial porin) plays an essential role in the increase of mitochondrial membrane permeability, and it is regulated by the Bcl-2 family of proteins via direct interaction. Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members close the VDAC, whereas some (but not all) pro-apoptotic members interact with the VDAC to generate a protein-conducting channel through which cytochrome c can pass. Although the VDAC is directly involved in the apoptotic increase of mitochondrial membrane permeability and is known to be a component of the permeability transition pore complex, its role in the regulation of outer membrane permeability can be separated from the occurrence of permeability transition events, such as mitochondrial swelling followed by rupture of the outer mitochondrial membrane. The VDAC not only interacts with Bcl-2 family members, but also with other proteins, and probably acts as a convergence point for a variety of life-or-death signals.     

Modulation of the voltage-dependent anion-selective channel by cytoplasmic proteins from wild type and the channel depleted cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

It is well known that effective exchange of metabolites between mitochondria and the cytoplasm is essential for cell physiology. The key step of the exchange is transport across the mitochondrial outer membrane, which is supported by the voltage-dependent anion-selective channel (VDAC). Therefore, it is clear that the permeability of VDAC must be regulated to adjust its activity to the actual cell needs. VDAC-modulating activities, often referred to as the VDAC modulator, were identified in the intermembrane space of different organism mitochondria but the responsible protein(s) has not been identified as yet. Because the VDAC modulator was reported to act on VDAC of intact mitochondria when added to the cytoplasmic side it has been speculated that a similar modulating activity might be present in the cytoplasm. To check the speculation we used mitochondria of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as they constitute a perfect model to study VDAC modulation. The mitochondria contain only a single isoform of VDAC and it is possible to obtain viable mutants devoid of the channel (Deltapor1). Moreover, we have recently characterised a VDAC-modulating activity located in the intermembrane space of wild type and Deltapor1 S. cerevisiae mitochondria. Here, we report that the cytoplasm of wild type and Deltapor1 cells of S. cerevisiae contains a VDAC-modulating activity as measured in a reconstituted system and with intact mitochondria. Since quantitative differences were observed between the modulating fractions isolated from wild type and Deltapor1 cells when they were studied with intact wild type mitochondria as well as by protein electrophoresis it might be concluded that VDAC may influence the properties of the involved cytoplasmic proteins. Moreover, the VDAC-modulating activity in the cytoplasm differs distinctly from that reported for the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Nevertheless, both these activities may contribute efficiently to VDAC regulation. Thus, the identification of the proteins is very important.