ND3, ND1 and 39 kDa subunits are more exposed in the de-active form of bovine mitochondrial complex I

An intriguing feature of mitochondrial complex I from several species is the so-called A/D transition, whereby the idle enzyme spontaneously converts from the active (A) form to the de-active (D) form. The A/D transition plays an important role in tissue response to the lack of oxygen and hypoxic deactivation of the enzyme is one of the key regulatory events that occur in mitochondria during ischaemia. We demonstrate for the first time that the A/D conformational change of complex I does not affect the macromolecular organisation of supercomplexes in vitro as revealed by two types of native electrophoresis. Cysteine 39 of the mitochondrially-encoded ND3 subunit is known to become exposed upon de-activation. Here we show that even if complex I is a constituent of the I + III₂ + IV (S₁) supercomplex, cysteine 39 is accessible for chemical modification in only the D-form. Using lysine-specific fluorescent labelling and a DIGE-like approach we further identified two new subunits involved in structural rearrangements during the A/D transition: ND1 (MT-ND1) and 39 kDa (NDUFA9). These results clearly show that structural rearrangements during de-activation of complex I include several subunits located at the junction between hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains, in the region of the quinone binding site. De-activation of mitochondrial complex I results in concerted structural rearrangement of membrane subunits which leads to the disruption of the sealed quinone chamber required for catalytic turnover.     

Lipid modulation of ion channels through specific binding sites

Ion channel conformational changes within the lipid membrane are a key requirement to control ion passage. Thus, it seems reasonable to assume that lipid composition should modulate ion channel function. There is increasing evidence that this implicates not just an indirect consequence of the lipid influence on the physical properties of the membrane, but also specific binding of selected lipids to certain protein domains. The result is that channel function and its consequences on excitability, contractility, intracellular signaling or any other process mediated by such channel proteins, could be subjected to modulation by membrane lipids. From this it follows that development, age, diet or diseases that alter lipid composition should also have an influence on those cellular properties. The wealth of data on the non-annular lipid binding sites in potassium channel from Streptomyces lividans (KcsA) makes this protein a good model to study the modulation of ion channel structure and function by lipids. The fact that this protein is able to assemble into clusters through the same non-annular sites, resulting in large changes in channel activity, makes these sites even more interesting as a potential target to develop lead compounds able to disrupt such interactions and hopefully, to modulate ion channel function. This Article is Part of a Special Issue Entitled: Membrane Structure and Function: Relevance in the Cell's Physiology, Pathology and Therapy.     

A conserved α helix of Bcs1, a mitochondrial AAA chaperone,is required for the Respiratory Complex III maturation

Bcs1 is a transmembrane chaperone in the mitochondrial inner membrane, and is required for the mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Complex III assembly. It has been shown that the highly-conserved C-terminal region of Bcs1 including the AAA ATPase domain in the matrix side is essential for the chaperone function. Here we describe the importance of the N-terminal short segment located in the intermembrane space in the Bcs1 function. Among the N-terminal 44 amino acid residues of yeast Bcs1, the first 37 residues are dispensable whereas a hydrophobic amino acid in the residue 38 is essential for integration of Rieske Iron-sulfur Protein into the premature Complex III from the mitochondrial matrix. Substitution of the residue 38 by a hydrophilic amino acid residue affects conformation of Bcs1 and interactions with other proteins. The evolutionarily-conserved short α helix of Bcs1 in the intermembrane space is an essential element for the chaperone function.     

双向BN/SDS-PAGE分离鉴定痢疾杆菌福氏5型M90T株毒力相关膜蛋白复合物

通过蓝色非变性凝胶电泳(BN-PAGE)比较痢疾杆菌福氏5型野生株M90T和大质粒缺失株M90T△T的膜蛋白复合物,发现一个野生株特有的复合物,其分子量的为290 kD,命名为M90T-290.通过第二向SDS-PAGE分离M90T-290得到6个蛋白亚基,质谱鉴定为:一个由大质粒编码的毒力蛋白Apyrase(ATP-二磷酸水解酶)和5个染色体编码的蛋白,这些蛋白可能以膜复合物的形式影响毒力蛋白IcsA的单极性分布和痢疾杆菌在细胞间的扩散.这个新发现的毒力相关膜复合物在痢疾杆菌的致病过程中可能发挥重要作用.     

Histochemical staining and quantification of plant mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes using blue-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Our knowledge of the respiratory chain and associated defects depends on the study of the multisubunit protein complexes in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Functional analysis of the plant mitochondrial respiratory chain has been successfully achieved by a combination of blue-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (BN-PAGE) for separation of the protein complexes, and in-gel histochemical staining of the enzyme activities. We have optimized this powerful technique by determining linear ranges of amount of protein and enzyme activity for each respiratory complex. Time courses of the in-gel enzyme activities were also performed to determine optimal reaction times. Using the in-gel activity staining method we have previously shown decreased activity of complex V (F(1)F(0)-ATPase) in male-sterile sunflowers (Sabar et al., 2003). Here we have identified unique supercomplexes comprising complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase) in sunflower mitochondria. This method therefore represents a reliable tool for the diagnosis of respiratory dysfunction. In addition, the wider application of BN-PAGE in combination with enzyme activity staining is discussed.     

Functional sulfurtransferase is associated with mitochondrial complex I from Yarrowia lipolytica, but is not required for assembly of its iron-sulfur clusters

Here, we report that in the obligate aerobic yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, a protein exhibiting rhodanese (thiosulfate:cyanide sulfurtransferase) activity is associated with proton pumping NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I). Complex I is a key enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain that contains eight iron-sulfur clusters. From a rhodanese deletion strain, we purified functional complex I that lacked the additional protein but was fully assembled and displayed no functional defects or changes in EPR signature. In contrast to previous suggestions, this indicated that the sulfurtransferase associated with Y. lipolytica complex I is not required for assembly of its iron-sulfur clusters.     

A new hypothesis on the simultaneous direct and indirect proton pump mechanisms in NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (complex I)

Recently, Sazanov’s group reported the X-ray structure of whole complex I [Nature, 465, 441 (2010)], which presented a strong clue for a “piston-like” structure as a key element in an “indirect” proton pump. We have studied the NuoL subunit which has a high sequence similarity to Na⁺/H⁺ antiporters, as do the NuoM and N subunits. We constructed 27 site-directed NuoL mutants. Our data suggest that the H⁺/e⁻ stoichiometry seems to have decreased from (4H⁺/2e⁻) in the wild-type to approximately (3H⁺/2e⁻) in NuoL mutants. We propose a revised hypothesis that each of the “direct” and the “indirect” proton pumps transports 2H⁺ per 2e⁻.     

In-gel activity staining of oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide kinase by blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) kinase (NADK, E.C. 2.7.1.23) plays an instrumental role in cellular metabolism. Here we report on a blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic technique that allows the facile detection of this enzyme. The product, oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP(+)), formed following the reaction of NADK with NAD(+) and adenosine 5'-triphosphate was detected with the aid of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase or NADP(+)-isocitrate dehydrogenase, iodonitrotetrazolium chloride, and phenazine methosulfate. The bands at the respective activity sites were excised and subjected to native and denaturing two-dimensional electrophoresis for the determination of protein levels. Hence this novel electrophoretic method allows the easy detection of NADK, a critical enzyme involved in pyridine homeostasis. Furthermore, this technique allowed the monitoring of the activity and expression of this kinase in various biological systems.     

Evidence that late-endosomal SNARE multimerization complex is promoted by transmembrane segments

Assembly of SNARE proteins into quaternary complexes is a critical step in membrane docking and fusion. Here, we have studied the influence of the transmembrane segments on formation of the late endosomal SNARE complex. The complex was assembled in vitro from full-length recombinant SNAREs and from mutants, where the transmembrane segments were either deleted or replaced by oligo-alanine sequences. We show that endobrevin, syntaxin 7, syntaxin 8, and vti1b readily form a complex. This complex forms a dimer as well as multimeric structures. Interestingly, the natural transmembrane segments accelerate the conversion of the quaternary complex to the dimeric form and are essential for multimerization. These in vitro results suggest that the transmembrane segments are responsible for supramolecular assembly of the endosomal SNARE complex.     

Divergence of the mitochondrial electron transport chains from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and its colorless close relative Polytomella sp.

Compelling evidence exists that the colorless algae of the genus Polytomella arose from a green Chlamydomonas-like ancestor by losing its functional photosynthetic apparatus. Due to the close relationship between the colorless and the green chlorophyte, Polytomella sp. appeared as a useful indicative framework for structural studies of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mitochondria. However, comparative studies reported here unexpectedly revealed significant differences between the mitochondrial respiratory systems of the two algae. Two-dimensional blue native/SDS-PAGE of isolated mitochondria indicated that cytochrome-containing respiratory complexes III and IV in the two chlorophytes contrast in size, subunit composition and relative abundance. Complex IV in Polytomella is smaller than its counterpart in C. reinhardtii and occurs in two forms that differ presumably in the presence of subunit COXIII. The cytochrome c and the iron-sulfur Rieske protein of both chlorophytes revealed structural differences on the amino acid sequence level. Under comparable culture conditions, the colorless alga exhibits lower levels of cytochrome c and complex IV but a higher respiratory activity than the green alga. Cytochrome c levels were also found to be differently regulated by the growth conditions in both algae. The divergence between the respiratory systems in the two related chlorophytes can be viewed as a consequence of the loss of photosynthetic activity and/or of the adaptation to the environment via the acquisition of a more flexible, heterotrophic metabolism. Our understanding of mitochondrial function and evolution is expected to be greatly enhanced via further parallel studies of photosynthetic/non-photosynthetic algae, for which this study forms an incentive.