Moving Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria: is spatial intimacy enough?

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.A. Rutter

A number of studies in recent years have demonstrated that the ER (endoplasmic reticulum) makes intimate contacts with mitochondria, the latter organelles existing both as individual organelles and occasionally as a more extensive interconnected network. Demonstrations that mitochondria take up Ca2+ more avidly upon its mobilization from the ER than when delivered to permeabilized cells as a buffered solution also indicate that a shielded conduit for Ca2+ may exist between the two organelle types, perhaps comprising the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor and mitochondrial outer membrane proteins including the VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel). Although the existence of such intracellular ER–mitochondria ‘synapses’, or of an ER–mitochondria Ca2+ ‘translocon’, is an exciting idea, more definitive experiments are needed to test this possibility.

2006 ◽  
Vol 175 (6) ◽  
pp. 901-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
György Szabadkai ◽  
Katiuscia Bianchi ◽  
Péter Várnai ◽  
Diego De Stefani ◽  
Mariusz R. Wieckowski ◽  
...  

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) of the outer mitochondrial membrane mediates metabolic flow, Ca2+, and cell death signaling between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondrial networks. We demonstrate that VDAC1 is physically linked to the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-release channel inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) through the molecular chaperone glucose-regulated protein 75 (grp75). Functional interaction between the channels was shown by the recombinant expression of the ligand-binding domain of the IP3R on the ER or mitochondrial surface, which directly enhanced Ca2+ accumulation in mitochondria. Knockdown of grp75 abolished the stimulatory effect, highlighting chaperone-mediated conformational coupling between the IP3R and the mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake machinery. Because organelle Ca2+ homeostasis influences fundamentally cellular functions and death signaling, the central location of grp75 may represent an important control point of cell fate and pathogenesis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Flinner ◽  
Enrico Schleiff ◽  
Oliver Mirus

The eukaryotic porin superfamily consists of two families, voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) and Tom40, which are both located in the mitochondrial outer membrane. In Trypanosoma brucei , only a single member of the VDAC family has been described. We report the detection of two additional eukaryotic porin-like sequences in T. brucei . By bioinformatic means, we classify both as putative VDAC isoforms.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sisi Wang ◽  
Han Xu ◽  
Na Guan ◽  
Qijiao Wei ◽  
Yinghong Tao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Podocyte injury plays a key role in the development of proteinuria. We previously found that the intracellular inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R)- glucose-regulated protein 75 (Grp75)- voltage dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1)- mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) calcium axis contributes to podocyte injury in cultured mouse podocytes. Objective This study investigated whether the IP3R-Grp75-VDAC1-MCU calcium axis is involved in the development and improvement of proteinuria in nephropathy rats.Methods The expression of members of the IP3R-Grp75-VDAC1-MCU calcium axis in the renal cortex of a previously established adriamycin (ADR)-induced nephropathy rat model and cultured mouse podocytes was investigated by western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining. The effects of ruthenium red (RR), an MCU inhibitor, oninteractions in the IP3R-Grp75-VDAC1-MCU calcium axis were investigated by in vitro co-immunoprecipitation assays.Results The overexpression and inhibition of members of the glomerular IP3R-Grp75-VDAC1-MCU calcium axis were accompanied by the development and improvement of proteinuria, respectively, in nephropathy rats. RR inhibited the upregulation of members of the IP3R-Grp75-VDAC1-MCU calcium axis induced by ADR and their interactions. Conclusions The IP3R-Grp75-VDAC1-MCU calcium axis is involved in proteinuria in ADR-induced nephropathy and can be inhibited by RR.


2008 ◽  
Vol 105 (40) ◽  
pp. 15370-15375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Bayrhuber ◽  
Thomas Meins ◽  
Michael Habeck ◽  
Stefan Becker ◽  
Karin Giller ◽  
...  

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), also known as mitochondrial porin, is the most abundant protein in the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM). VDAC is the channel known to guide the metabolic flux across the MOM and plays a key role in mitochondrially induced apoptosis. Here, we present the 3D structure of human VDAC1, which was solved conjointly by NMR spectroscopy and x-ray crystallography. Human VDAC1 (hVDAC1) adopts a β-barrel architecture composed of 19 β-strands with an α-helix located horizontally midway within the pore. Bioinformatic analysis indicates that this channel architecture is common to all VDAC proteins and is adopted by the general import pore TOM40 of mammals, which is also located in the MOM.


Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 366 (6472) ◽  
pp. 1531-1536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeonghan Kim ◽  
Rajeev Gupta ◽  
Luz P. Blanco ◽  
Shutong Yang ◽  
Anna Shteinfer-Kuzmine ◽  
...  

Mitochondrial stress releases mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) into the cytosol, thereby triggering the type Ι interferon (IFN) response. Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, which is required for mtDNA release, has been extensively studied in apoptotic cells, but little is known about its role in live cells. We found that oxidatively stressed mitochondria release short mtDNA fragments via pores formed by the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) oligomers in the mitochondrial outer membrane. Furthermore, the positively charged residues in the N-terminal domain of VDAC1 interact with mtDNA, promoting VDAC1 oligomerization. The VDAC oligomerization inhibitor VBIT-4 decreases mtDNA release, IFN signaling, neutrophil extracellular traps, and disease severity in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus. Thus, inhibiting VDAC oligomerization is a potential therapeutic approach for diseases associated with mtDNA release.


Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qunli Cheng ◽  
Zeljko J Bosnjak ◽  
Wai-Meng Kwok

The mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) has been implicated as the end effector in ischemic and pharmacological preconditioning. Though the molecular composition of the mPTP is thought to consist of cyclophilin D located in the mitochondrial matrix, adenine nucleotide translocase on the inner mitochondrial membrane, and the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) on the outer mitochondrial membrane, recent studies have raised the possibility that VDAC may be a regulatory, rather than a major, component of mPTP. Nevertheless, VDAC is likely to be a critical component of the preconditioning signaling pathway since it is the main conduit for metabolite diffusion across the mitochondrial outer membrane. Yet, the direct measurements of cardiac VDAC activity and modulation have been limited. In the present study, we purified VDAC from rat hearts using standard procedure and investigated its modulation by phosphatase and hexokinase. VDAC was incorporated into planar lipid bilayer for measurements of channel activities. The channel exhibited the reported voltage-dependent gating. Several conductance states were identified, with the most prevalent between 1.5 to 2 nS in 0.5 M NaCl. Koenig’s polyanion, a VDAC blocker, triggered channel flickering and decreased the mean current by 78±6%. In the presence of phosphatase (1 unit/ml), the mean conductance significantly increased from 1.81±0.03 to 3.68±0.61 nS (n=9; mean±SEM). However, the addition of a recombinant hexokinase (5 units/ml; GenWay Biotech) had no significant effect on the phosphatase-enhanced VDAC current (n=4). In contrast, recombinant hexokinase alone significantly decreased the mean conductance from 1.75±0.05 to 0.79±0.19 nS (n=4). The addition of phosphatase reversed the inhibitory effect of hexokinase and further enhanced VDAC activity, increasing the mean conductance to 2.69±0.19 nS (n=4). Our results suggest that the dephosphorylation of VDAC prevents the inhibitory effects of hexokinase. Furthermore, VDAC activity suppressed by hexokinase can be reversed by dephosphorylation of the channel. In conclusion, we have reported on a novel observation at the functional level that basal phosphorylation of the cardiac VDAC may be required for its modulation by hexokinase.


2004 ◽  
Vol 377 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heftsi AZOULAY-ZOHAR ◽  
Adrian ISRAELSON ◽  
Salah ABU-HAMAD ◽  
Varda SHOSHAN-BARMATZ

In tumour cells, elevated levels of mitochondria-bound isoforms of hexokinase (HK-I and HK-II) result in the evasion of apoptosis, thereby allowing the cells to continue proliferating. The molecular mechanisms by which bound HK promotes cell survival are not yet fully understood. Our studies relying on the purified mitochondrial outer membrane protein VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel), isolated mitochondria or cells in culture suggested that the anti-apoptotic activity of HK-I occurs via modulation of the mitochondrial phase of apoptosis. In the present paper, a direct interaction of HK-I with bilayer-reconstituted purified VDAC, inducing channel closure, is demonstrated for the first time. Moreover, HK-I prevented the Ca2+-dependent opening of the mitochondrial PTP (permeability transition pore) and release of the pro-apoptotic protein cytochrome c. The effects of HK-I on VDAC activity and PTP opening were prevented by the HK reaction product glucose 6-phosphate, a metabolic intermediate in most biosynthetic pathways. Furthermore, glucose 6-phosphate re-opened both the VDAC and the PTP closed by HK-I. The HK-I-mediated effects on VDAC and PTP were not observed using either yeast HK or HK-I lacking the N-terminal hydrophobic peptide responsible for binding to mitochondria, or in the presence of an antibody specific for the N-terminus of HK-I. Finally, HK-I overexpression in leukaemia-derived U-937 or vascular smooth muscle cells protected against staurosporine-induced apoptosis, with a decrease of up to 70% in cell death. These results offer insight into the mechanisms by which bound HK promotes tumour cell survival, and suggests that its overexpression not only ensures supplies of energy and phosphometabolites, but also reflects an anti-apoptotic defence mechanism.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Michels ◽  
Oliver Kepp ◽  
Laura Senovilla ◽  
Delphine Lissa ◽  
Maria Castedo ◽  
...  

The BCL-2 homolog BCL-XL, one of the two protein products ofBCL2L1, has originally been characterized for its prominent prosurvival functions. Similar to BCL-2, BCL-XLbinds to its multidomain proapoptotic counterparts BAX and BAK, hence preventing the formation of lethal pores in the mitochondrial outer membrane, as well as to multiple BH3-only proteins, thus interrupting apical proapoptotic signals. In addition, BCL-XLhas been suggested to exert cytoprotective functions by sequestering a cytosolic pool of the pro-apoptotic transcription factor p53 and by binding to the voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), thereby inhibiting the so-called mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). Thus, BCL-XLappears to play a prominent role in the regulation of multiple distinct types of cell death, including apoptosis and regulated necrosis. More recently, great attention has been given to the cell death-unrelated functions of BCL-2-like proteins. In particular, BCL-XLhas been shown to modulate a number of pathophysiological processes, including—but not limited to—mitochondrial ATP synthesis, protein acetylation, autophagy and mitosis. In this short review article, we will discuss the functions of BCL-XLat the interface between cell death and metabolism.


2001 ◽  
Vol 152 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Krimmer ◽  
Doron Rapaport ◽  
Michael T. Ryan ◽  
Chris Meisinger ◽  
C. Kenneth Kassenbrock ◽  
...  

Porin, also termed the voltage-dependent anion channel, is the most abundant protein of the mitochondrial outer membrane. The process of import and assembly of the protein is known to be dependent on the surface receptor Tom20, but the requirement for other mitochondrial proteins remains controversial. We have used mitochondria from Neurospora crassa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae to analyze the import pathway of porin. Import of porin into isolated mitochondria in which the outer membrane has been opened is inhibited despite similar levels of Tom20 as in intact mitochondria. A matrix-destined precursor and the porin precursor compete for the same translocation sites in both normal mitochondria and mitochondria whose surface receptors have been removed, suggesting that both precursors utilize the general import pore. Using an assay established to monitor the assembly of in vitro–imported porin into preexisting porin complexes we have shown that besides Tom20, the biogenesis of porin depends on the central receptor Tom22, as well as Tom5 and Tom7 of the general import pore complex (translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane [TOM] core complex). The characterization of two new mutant alleles of the essential pore protein Tom40 demonstrates that the import of porin also requires a functional Tom40. Moreover, the porin precursor can be cross-linked to Tom20, Tom22, and Tom40 on its import pathway. We conclude that import of porin does not proceed through the action of Tom20 alone, but requires an intact outer membrane and involves at least four more subunits of the TOM machinery, including the general import pore.


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