CYC2 encodes a factor involved in mitochondrial import of yeast cytochrome c.

The gene CYC2 from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was previously shown to affect levels of mitochondrial cytochrome c by acting at a posttranslational step in cytochrome c biosynthesis. We report here the cloning and identification of the CYC2 gene product as a protein involved in import of cytochrome c into mitochondria. CYC2 encodes a 168-amino-acid open reading frame with at least two potential transmembrane segments. Antibodies against a synthetic peptide corresponding to the carboxyl terminus of the predicted sequence were raised. These antibodies recognize multiple bands on immunoblots of mitochondrial extracts. The intensities of these bands vary according to the gene dosage of CYC2 in various isogenic strains. Immunoblotting of subcellular fractions suggests that the CYC2 gene product is a mitochondrial protein. Deletion of CYC2 leads to accumulation of apocytochrome c in the cytoplasm. However, strains with deletions of this gene still import low levels of cytochrome c into mitochondria. The effects of cyc2 mutations are more pronounced in rho- strains than in rho+ strains, even though rho- strains that are CYC2+ contain normal levels of holocytochrome c. cyc2 mutations affect levels of iso-1-cytochrome c more than they do levels of iso-2-cytochrome c, apparently because of the greater susceptibility of apo-iso-1-cytochrome c to degradation in the cytoplasm. We propose that CYC2 encodes a factor that increases the efficiency of cytochrome c import into mitochondria.     

Amino acid sequence of cytochrome c from rice

The amino acid sequence of cytochrome c purified from rice, Oryza sativa L., was determined. The complete amino acid sequence of rice cytochrome c is as follows: Ac-Ala-8-Ser-Phe-Ser-Glu-Ala-Pro-Pro-Gly1-Asn-Pro-Lys-Ala-Gly-Glu-Lys-Ile-Phe10-Lys-Thr-Lys-Cys-Ala-Glx-Cys-His-Thr-Val20-Asp-Lys-Gly-Ala-Gly-His-Lys-Glx-Gly-Pro30-Asx-Leu-Asx-Gly-Leu-Phe-Gly-Arg-Glx-Ser40-Gly-Thr-Thr-Pro-Gly-Tyr-Ser-Tyr-Ser-Thr50-Ala-Asp-Lys-Asn-Met-Ala-Val-Ile-Trp-Glx60-Glx-Asx-Thr-Leu-Tyr-Asp-Tyr-Leu-Leu-Asn70-Pro-TML-Lys-Tyr-Ile-Pro-Gly-Thr-Lys-Met80-Val-Phe-Pro-Gly-Leu-TML-Lys-Pro-Glx-Glx90-Arg-Ala-Asp-Leu-Ile-Ser-Tyr-Leu-Lys-Glu100-Ala-Thr-Ser (Ac = acetyl group, TML = epsilon-N-trimethyllsine). The primary structure of rice cytochrome c was found to be homologous with those of other plant cytochromes c reported so far; it possesses general features common to plant cytochromes c, and all the invariant residues characterized in dicotyledonous cytochromes c are also conserved in the sequence of rice cytochrome c, as well as those of other monocotyledonous cytochromes c. The distinctive features of rice cytochrome c are a high content of proline residues, their unique locations in the sequence and the presence of a serine residue at position 96.     

Amino acid sequence of cytochrome c fromAspergillus niger

Cytochrome c fromAspergillus niger consists of two forms, a major one (80%) with 111 amino acid residues and a minor one (20%) with 108 residues, missing the three N-terminal residues of the major one. The primary sequence ofA. niger cytochrome c was determined by standard spinning-cup Edman degradation of purified peptides and of pairs of peptides, from which the desired sequence was readily deduced by subtraction of common sequencies. Except for the extension and some variability at the N-terminal sequence, theA. niger protein conforms well with other cytochrome c structures.     

Structural studies of yeast iso-1 cytochrome c mutants by resonance Raman spectroscopy.

The Ser82 and Phe82 variants of yeast iso-1 cytochrome c were studied by resonance Raman spectroscopy. In both oxidation states, distinct spectral changes were observed for some of those bands in the low-frequency region, which sensitively respond to conformational perturbations of the protein environment of the heme. These bands can be assigned to modes which include strong contributions of vibrations largely localized in the propionate-carrying pyrrole rings A and D. This indicates structural differences in the deeper part of the heme crevice, remote from the mutation site. This conclusion is in line with previous results from X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. No differences in the resonance-Raman spectra were observed which can be directly correlated with conformational changes of the heme pocket in the vicinity of the mutation site. Temperature-dependent resonance Raman experiments of the oxidized mutants revealed spectral changes which are closely related to those observed for cytochrome c upon adsorption to charged silver surfaces by surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy. These spectral changes can be attributed to an opening of the heme crevice accompanied by a weakening of the iron-methionine ligand bond. The temperature-dependent conformational transition occurs at approximately 30 degrees C for the Ser82 variant and at about 45 degrees C for the Phe82 variant, implying that the Phe----Ser substitution significantly lowers the thermal stability of the heme pocket. The reduced forms of both mutants are stable up to 65 degrees C.     

Acetic acid triggers cytochrome c release in yeast heterologously expressing human Bax

Proteins of the Bcl-2 protein family, including pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL, are critical for mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis regulation. Since yeast lacks obvious orthologs of Bcl-2 family members, heterologous expression of these proteins has been used to investigate their molecular and functional aspects. Active Bax is involved in the formation of mitochondrial outer membrane pores, through which cytochrome c (cyt c) is released, triggering a cascade of downstream apoptotic events. However, when in its inactive form, Bax is largely cytosolic or weakly bound to mitochondria. Given the central role of Bax in apoptosis, studies aiming to understand its regulation are of paramount importance towards its exploitation as a therapeutic target. So far, studies taking advantage of heterologous expression of human Bax in yeast to unveil regulation of Bax activation have relied on the use of artificial mutated or mitochondrial tagged Bax for its activation, rather than the wild type Bax (Bax α). Here, we found that cell death could be triggered in yeast cells heterologoulsy expressing Bax α with concentrations of acetic acid that are not lethal to wild type cells. This was associated with Bax mitochondrial translocation and cyt c release, closely resembling the natural Bax function in the cellular context. This regulated cell death process was reverted by co-expression with Bcl-xL, but not with Bcl-xLΔC, and in the absence of Rim11p, the yeast ortholog of mammalian GSK3β. This novel system mimics human Bax α regulation by GSK3β and can therefore be used as a platform to uncover novel Bax regulators and explore its therapeutic modulation.

     

Folding of yeast iso-1-AM cytochrome c

We describe a specific modification of iso-1 cytochrome c which results in blocking a single free sulfhydryl group. The derivative differs from the unmodified protein by the introduction of a small, uncharged group, thus maintaining the same charge balance as the native protein. The modified protein, obtained by treatment of iso-1 cytochrome c with iodoacetamide, has an activity indistinguishable from that of the unmodified protein in the lactate dehydrogenase-cytochrome c reductase system from yeast and has the same stability toward denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride. The kinetics of fluorescence changes associated with the guanidine hydrochloride induced folding-unfolding transition for modified iso-1 cytochrome c (iso-1-AM) have been investigated throughout the transition zone by using stopped-flow mixing. The results are compared to those for the yeast isozyme, iso-2 cytochrome c. The main features of the fluorescence-detected folding kinetics are similar, as might be expected for homologous proteins; however, the limiting value of the fraction of fast refolding protein (alpha 2) below the transition zone is smaller for iso-1-AM (approximately 0.7) than for iso-2 (approximately 0.9).     

Amino acid sequence of Paracoccus denitrificans cytochrome c550.

The amino acid sequence of Paracoccus (formerly Micrococcus) denitrificans cytochrome c550 has been established by a combination of standard chemical techniques and interpretation of a 2.5 A resolution x-ray electron density map. Peptides derived from a trypsin digest were chemically sequenced, and then ordered by fitting them to the density map. The amino acid compositions of chymotryptic peptides confirmed the x-ray map ordering the tryptic peptides. The amino acid sequence of this respiratory, prokaryotic cytochrome with 134 residues is discussed in relation to those of eukaryotic respiratory cytochrome c (103 to 113 amino acids), and prokaryotic, photosynthetic c2 (103 to 124 amino acids). At the primary structure level, c and c550 differ no more from cytochromes c2 than the various cytochromes c2 do from one another. It is suggested that the respiratory electron transport chain in prokaryotes and eukaryotes is a relatively late evolutionary offshoot of the photosynthetic electron transport chain in purple non-sulfur bacteria.     

Amino acid sequence of cytochrome c fromAspergillus niger

Cytochrome c fromAspergillus niger consists of two forms, a major one (80%) with 111 amino acid residues and a minor one (20%) with 108 residues, missing the three N-terminal residues of the major one. The primary sequence ofA. niger cytochrome c was determined by standard spinning-cup Edman degradation of purified peptides and of pairs of peptides, from which the desired sequence was readily deduced by subtraction of common sequencies. Except for the extension and some variability at the N-terminal sequence, theA. niger protein conforms well with other cytochrome c structures.     

Proton NMR and electrophoretic studies of the covalent complex formed by cross-linking yeast cytochrome c peroxidase and horse cytochrome c with a water-soluble carbodiimide

The 1:1 covalently cross-linked complex between horse cytochrome c and yeast cytochrome c peroxidase (ccp) has been formed by a slight modification of the method of Waldmeyer and Bosshard [Waldmeyer, B., & Bosshard, H. R. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 5184-5190]. This earlier study has been extended to show that efficient cross-linking of the two proteins can occur in a variety of buffers over a broad ionic strength range. The substitution of ferrocytochrome c for ferricytochrome c in the cross-linking studies resulted in an increased yield of 1:1 complex (approximately 10-20%) under the conditions studied. An improved method for purifying the covalent complex in relatively large quantities is presented here as are the results of electrophoresis and proton NMR studies of the complex. Both electrophoresis and NMR studies indicate modification of some surface acidic amino acids in the covalent complex by the carbodiimide. The proton hyperfine-shifted resonances of cytochrome c are broadened in the covalent complex relative to free cytochrome c, and the resonances corresponding to the cytochrome c heme 3-CH3 and 8-CH3 groups are shifted closer together in the complex. Integration of NMR resonances confirms a 1:1 complex as the primary cross-linking reaction product. However, we also demonstrate that the covalent complex can be further coupled to ccp and to cytochrome c to form higher molecular weight aggregates.