The mitochondrial contact site complex, a determinant of mitochondrial architecture

Mitochondria are organelles with a complex architecture. They are bounded by an envelope consisting of the outer membrane and the inner boundary membrane (IBM). Narrow crista junctions (CJs) link the IBM to the cristae. OMs and IBMs are firmly connected by contact sites (CS). The molecular nature of the CS remained unknown. Using quantitative high-resolution mass spectrometry we identified a novel complex, the mitochondrial contact site (MICOS) complex, formed by a set of mitochondrial membrane proteins that is essential for the formation of CS. MICOS is preferentially located at the CJs. Upon loss of one of the MICOS subunits, CJs disappear completely or are impaired, showing that CJs require the presence of CS to form a superstructure that links the IBM to the cristae. Loss of MICOS subunits results in loss of respiratory competence and altered inheritance of mitochondrial DNA.     

Spatial organization of tettigoniid auditory receptors: Insights from neuronal tracing

The auditory sense organ of Tettigoniidae (Insecta, Orthoptera) is located in the foreleg tibia and consists of scolopidial sensilla which form a row termed crista acustica. The crista acustica is associated with the tympana and the auditory trachea. This ear is a highly ordered, tonotopic sensory system. As the neuroanatomy of the crista acustica has been documented for several species, the most distal somata and dendrites of receptor neurons have occasionally been described as forming an alternating or double row. We investigate the spatial arrangement of receptor cell bodies and dendrites by retrograde tracing with cobalt chloride solution. In six tettigoniid species studied, distal receptor neurons are consistently arranged in double‐rows of somata rather than a linear sequence. This arrangement of neurons is shown to affect 30–50% of the overall auditory receptors. No strict correlation of somata positions between the anterio‐posterior and dorso‐ventral axis was evident within the distal crista acustica. Dendrites of distal receptors occasionally also occur in a double row or are even massed without clear order. Thus, a substantial part of auditory receptors can deviate from a strictly straight organization into a more complex morphology. The linear organization of dendrites is not a morphological criterion that allows hearing organs to be distinguished from nonhearing sense organs serially homologous to ears in all species. Both the crowded arrangement of receptor somata and dendrites may result from functional constraints relating to frequency discrimination, or from developmental constraints of auditory morphogenesis in postembryonic development. J. Morphol. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Distinct roles of the two isoforms of the dynamin-like GTPase Mgm1 in mitochondrial fusion

The mitochondrial dynamin-like GTPase Mgm1 exists as a long (l-Mgm1) and a short isoform (s-Mgm1). They both are essential for mitochondrial fusion. Here we show that the isoforms interact in a homotypic and heterotypic manner. Their submitochondrial distribution between inner boundary membrane and cristae was markedly different. Overexpression of l-Mgm1 exerts a dominant negative effect on mitochondrial fusion. A functional GTPase domain is required only in s-Mgm1 but not in l-Mgm1. We propose that l-Mgm1 acts primarily as an anchor in the inner membrane that in concert with the GTPase activity of s-Mgm1 mediates the fusion of inner membranes.     

Fasting induces cyanide-resistant respiration and oxidative stress in the amoeba Chaos carolinensis: implications for the cubic structural transition in mitochondrial membranes

Summary. Large free-living amoeba (Chaos carolinensis) can survive in spring water without food intake for several weeks. Starvation is associated with a dramatic change in mitochondrial cristae from random tubular to ordered (paracrystalline) cubic morphology. Whole-cell polarography was used to monitor changes in respiratory activity during fasting. Basal respiration per cell decreased progressively during starvation, while the cyanide-resistant fraction increased. Spectrofluorometric assay of H₂O₂ and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cell lysates (using the dye 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate) indicates greater H₂O₂ and ROS generation in starved than in fed cells. Fluorescence microscopy of intact cells incubated with the same dye demonstrates that H₂O₂ and ROS tend to accumulate in vacuoles. A remarkable generation of O₂ observed with starved cells after addition of KCN may be explained by release of H₂O₂ from these compartments into the cytosol, where it can react with catalase. Together, these observations suggest that fasting increases oxidative stress in the amoeba and that this organism has several protective mechanisms to deal with it, including activation of a plantlike alternative oxidase. The hypothesis is forwarded that the cubic structural transition of the mitochondrial inner membrane represents another protective mechanism, reducing oxidative damage by enhancing the efflux of H₂O₂ and ROS and by reducing the susceptibility of membrane lipids to the oxidants. Received September 1, 2001 Accepted January 7, 2002     

Implications of calcium nutrition on the response of Caesalpinia crista (Fabaceae) to soil salinity

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to assess the effects of supplemental calcium in salinised soil on the response of germination and seedling growth of Caesalpinia crista, L. (Fabaceae). NaCl and CaSO₄·2H₂O were added to the soil and 0:0, !:0, 1:0.25, 1:0.50, 1:0.75, 1:1, 1:1.25, and 1:1.50 Na/Ca ratios were maintained. Salinity significantly retarded the seed germination and seedling growth, but the injurious effects of NaCl on seed germination were ameliorated and seedling growth was restored with calcium supply at the critical level (1:0.50 Na/Ca ratio) to salinised soil. Calcium supply above the critical level further retarded the seed germination and seedling growth due to the increased soil salinity. Salt stress reduced N, P, K and Ca content in plant tissues, but these nutrients were restored by addition of calcium at the critical level to saline soil. The opposite was true for Na⁺. The results are discussed in terms of the beneficial effects of calcium supply on the seedling growth of C. crista grown under saline conditions.     

Retrospective spatial analysis of the pollination of two miniature epiphytic orchids with different pollination strategies in a coffee plantation in Soconusco,Chiapas, Mexico

Quantitative and spatial data for orchid pollination are scarce and may be important tools for reintroduction and conservation; however, conclusions cannot be drawn on the basis of the typically infrequent and unpredictable pollination events. We carried out a novel, retrospective, spatial analysis of the pollination of the entire population of two miniature orchids, Erycina crista‐galli and Notylia barkeri, on coffee bushes in plantations at 900 m in Soconusco, south‐eastern Mexico. The numbers of mature flowering plants of both species in the experimental site were similar. Notylia barkeri produced nearly four times as many flowers, but a similar proportion of the total number of flowers produced was pollinated (1.23% and 1.48% for N. barkeri and E. crista‐galli, respectively). An estimated 29 919 977 (±4 983 995) seeds were produced by N. barkeri, nearly 12 times more than E. crista‐galli at 1 009 414 (±147 000). The pollinators of N. barkeri chose flower clusters at random and pollinated various flowers within a patch, whereas the pollinators of E. crista‐galli chose patches of flowers slightly more systematically, with less dependence on flower density, and appeared to dedicate less attention to each patch. For both species, pollinators slightly favoured larger clusters of flowers and left many individual and groups of flowers unvisited. To restore populations of these orchids in coffee plantations as a replacement habitat, N. barkeri should be planted in small, separate groups and E. crista‐galli in larger groups of individuals, dispersed regularly throughout the selected site to maximize the possibility that the flowers will be discovered by pollinators. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158 , 448–459.     

Effects of leaf litter on the growth of boreal feather mosses: Implication for forest floor development

Question: What is the effect of leaf litter on growth and mortality of feather mosses. Three experiments were conducted to isolate the shading effect from the effect of leaching of soluble compounds from the leaf litter effect on feather moss mortality and growth. Location: Edmonton, Alberta and the northern boreal coniferous forest, west‐central Alberta, Canada. Methods: In a field experiment Populus tremuloides (aspen) leaf litter was applied to beds of feather mosses dominated by Hylocomium splendens. Treatments were one layer of leaves held in place with netting; one layer of leaves coarsely ground, sprinkled over the moss layer; a shade cloth equivalent to one layer of leaves; and a control. In two growth chamber experiments, the application of aqueous extracts of P. tremuloides and Pinus contorta leaf litter and the effect of shade and soluble carbohydrates were tested on the growth and mortality of Ptilium crista‐castrensis. Results: Mortality of Hylocomium was greatest under the intact leaves, followed by the treatments using shade cloth and ground leaves and finally the control. The application of aqueous extracts of aspen leaf litter resulted in senescence or death of nearly all Ptilium shoots compared to no effects for the control or for similar extracts of pine needle litter. Extracts from aspen litter had greater concentrations of phenolic compounds and soluble sugars than pine extracts. Addition of sugars to Ptilium allowed it to grow and accumulate carbohydrates, even in low light conditions. Conclusions: Results suggest that broad‐leaved deciduous overstory species can limit the growth of feather mosses through their leaf litter and by implication affect the humus form, nutrient cycling, and understory composition of these forests.     

Organs of hearing and equilibrium during ontogenesis of mammals

The peripheral part of acoustic analyzer was studied during pre-and postnatal development of mammals. The main trends of structural evolution of the outer, middle, and inner ear were followed in representatives of different ecological groups during postnatal development. The use of ecologomorphological approach made it possible to establish that specific structural features of the hearing organ in different mammals are determined by adaptation to specific acoustic properties of the environment. It was shown that morphofunctional adaptations directed at optimization of acoustic sensitivity in different environmental conditions were leading in the hearing organ evolution. Comparative-embryological studies of the peripheral part of acoustic system made it possible to determine the stages of formation of individual structures and establish general patterns of prenatal development of the organs of hearing and equilibrium in different mammals.     

A new furanoditerpenoid marker for the distinction between the seeds of two species of Caesalpinia

A new cassane furanoditerpene, 17-methylvouacapane-8(14),-9(11)-diene (1), has been isolated from the seed kernels of Caesalpinia crista and its structure determined by mass, IR and NMR spectrometry. The 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra were assigned using a combination of 1H-1H COSY, HSQC and HMBC two-dimensional NMR experiments. An HPTLC method has been developed to quantify 1 in seed material. The furanoditerpene can serve as a marker chemically to differentiate C. crista from the synonymous C. bonduc.