scholarly journals Evidence of a Reduced and Modified Mitochondrial Protein Import Apparatus in Microsporidian Mitosomes

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross F. Waller ◽  
Carole Jabbour ◽  
Nickie C. Chan ◽  
Nermin Celik ◽  
Vladimir A. Likić ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Microsporidia are a group of highly adapted obligate intracellular parasites that are now recognized as close relatives of fungi. Their adaptation to parasitism has resulted in broad and severe reduction at (i) a genomic level by extensive gene loss, gene compaction, and gene shortening; (ii) a biochemical level with the loss of much basic metabolism; and (iii) a cellular level, resulting in lost or cryptic organelles. Consistent with this trend, the mitochondrion is severely reduced, lacking ATP synthesis and other typical functions and apparently containing only a fraction of the proteins of canonical mitochondria. We have investigated the mitochondrial protein import apparatus of this reduced organelle in the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi and find evidence of reduced and modified machinery. Notably, a putative outer membrane receptor, Tom70, is reduced in length but maintains a conserved structure chiefly consisting of tetratricopeptide repeats. When expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, EcTom70 inserts with the correct topology into the outer membrane of mitochondria but is unable to complement the growth defects of Tom70-deficient yeast. We have scanned genomic data using hidden Markov models for other homologues of import machinery proteins and find evidence of severe reduction of this system.

2020 ◽  
Vol 401 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 663-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Schneider

AbstractThe evolution of mitochondrial protein import and the systems that mediate it marks the boundary between the endosymbiotic ancestor of mitochondria and a true organelle that is under the control of the nucleus. Protein import has been studied in great detail in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. More recently, it has also been extensively investigated in the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, making it arguably the second best studied system. A comparative analysis of the protein import complexes of yeast and trypanosomes is provided. Together with data from other systems, this allows to reconstruct the ancestral features of import complexes that were present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA) and to identify which subunits were added later in evolution. How these data can be translated into plausible scenarios is discussed, providing insights into the evolution of (i) outer membrane protein import receptors, (ii) proteins involved in biogenesis of α-helically anchored outer membrane proteins, and (iii) of the intermembrane space import and assembly system. Finally, it is shown that the unusual presequence-associated import motor of trypanosomes suggests a scenario of how the two ancestral inner membrane protein translocases present in LECA evolved into the single bifunctional one found in extant trypanosomes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristofol Vives-Bauza ◽  
Jordi Magrané ◽  
Antoni L. Andreu ◽  
Giovanni Manfredi

In mammals, subunit c of the F1F0-ATP synthase has three isoforms (P1, P2, and P3). These isoforms differ by their cleavable mitochondrial targeting peptides, whereas the mature peptides are identical. To investigate this apparent genetic redundancy, we knocked down each of the three subunit c isoform by RNA interference in HeLa cells. Silencing any of the subunit c isoforms individually resulted in an ATP synthesis defect, indicating that these isoforms are not functionally redundant. We found that subunit c knockdown impaired the structure and function of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. In particular, P2 silencing caused defective cytochrome oxidase assembly and function. Because the expression of exogenous P1 or P2 was able to rescue the respective silencing phenotypes, but the two isoforms were unable to cross-complement, we hypothesized that their functional specificity resided in their targeting peptides. In fact, the expression of P1 and P2 targeting peptides fused to GFP variants rescued the ATP synthesis and respiratory chain defects in the silenced cells. Our results demonstrate that the subunit c isoforms are nonredundant, because they differ functionally by their targeting peptides, which, in addition to mediating mitochondrial protein import, play a yet undiscovered role in respiratory chain maintenance.


2009 ◽  
Vol 390 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiya Endo ◽  
Koji Yamano

Abstract Mitochondria are two-membrane bounded organelles consisting of 1000–2000 different proteins, most of which are synthesized in the cytosol and subsequently imported into mitochondria. The imported proteins are further sorted to one of the four compartments, the outer membrane, intermembrane space, inner membrane, and matrix, mostly following one of the five major pathways. Mitochondrial protein import and sorting are mediated by the translocator complexes in the membranes and chaperones in the aqueous compartments operating along the import pathways. Here, we summarize the expanding knowledge on the roles of translocators, chaperones, and related components in the multiple pathways for mitochondrial protein trafficking.


2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 3106-3113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Becker ◽  
Bernard Guiard ◽  
Nicolas Thornton ◽  
Nicole Zufall ◽  
David A. Stroud ◽  
...  

The preprotein translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane (TOM) consists of a central β-barrel channel, Tom40, and six proteins with α-helical transmembrane segments. The precursor of Tom40 is imported from the cytosol by a pre-existing TOM complex and inserted into the outer membrane by the sorting and assembly machinery (SAM). Tom40 then assembles with α-helical Tom proteins to the mature TOM complex. The outer membrane protein Mim1 promotes membrane insertion of several α-helical Tom proteins but also affects the biogenesis of Tom40 by an unknown mechanism. We have identified a novel intermediate in the assembly pathway of Tom40, revealing a two-stage interaction of the precursor with the SAM complex. The second SAM stage represents assembly of Tom5 with the precursor of Tom40. Mim1-deficient mitochondria accumulate Tom40 at the first SAM stage like Tom5-deficient mitochondria. Tom5 promotes formation of the second SAM stage and thus suppresses the Tom40 assembly defect of mim1Δ mitochondria. We conclude that the assembly of newly imported Tom40 is directly initiated at the SAM complex by its association with Tom5. The involvement of Mim1 in Tom40 biogenesis can be largely attributed to its role in import of Tom5.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (5) ◽  
pp. C1380-C1387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Takahashi ◽  
Alan Chesley ◽  
Damien Freyssenet ◽  
David A. Hood

We previously demonstrated that subsarcolemmal (SS) and intermyofibrillar (IMF) mitochondrial subfractions import proteins at different rates. This study was undertaken to investigate 1) whether protein import is altered by chronic contractile activity, which induces mitochondrial biogenesis, and 2) whether these two subfractions adapt similarly. Using electrical stimulation (10 Hz, 3 h/day for 7 and 14 days) to induce contractile activity, we observed that malate dehydrogenase import into the matrix of the SS and IMF mitochondia isolated from stimulated muscle was significantly increased by 1.4- to 1.7-fold, although the pattern of increase differed for each subfraction. This acceleration of import may be mitochondrial compartment specific, since the import of Bcl-2 into the outer membrane was not affected. Contractile activity also modified the mitochondrial content of proteins comprising the import machinery, as evident from increases in the levels of the intramitochondrial chaperone mtHSP70 as well as the outer membrane import receptor Tom20 in SS and IMF mitochondria. Addition of cytosol isolated from stimulated or control muscles to the import reaction resulted in similar twofold increases in the ability of mitochondria to import malate dehydrogenase, despite elevations in the concentration of mitochondrial import-stimulating factor within the cytosol of chronically stimulated muscle. These results suggest that chronic contractile activity modifies the extra- and intramitochondrial environments in a fashion that favors the acceleration of precursor protein import into the matrix of the organelle. This increase in protein import is likely an important adaptation in the overall process of mitochondrial biogenesis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (17) ◽  
pp. 2962-2975
Author(s):  
James Hamilton ◽  
Tatiana Brustovetsky ◽  
Rajesh Khanna ◽  
Nickolay Brustovetsky

Abstract Mutant huntingtin (mHTT) is associated with mitochondria, but the exact mitochondrial location of mHTT has not been definitively established. Recently, it was reported that mHTT is present in the intermembrane space and inhibits mitochondrial protein import by interacting with TIM23, a major component of mitochondrial protein import machinery, but evidence for functional ramifications were not provided. We assessed mHTT location using synaptic and nonsynaptic mitochondria isolated from brains of YAC128 mice and subjected to alkali treatment or limited trypsin digestion. Mitochondria were purified either with discontinuous Percoll gradient or with anti-TOM22-conjugated iron microbeads. We also used mitochondria isolated from postmortem brain tissues of unaffected individuals and HD patients. Our results demonstrate that mHTT is located on the cytosolic side of the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM) but does not cross it. This refutes the hypothesis that mHTT may interact with TIM23 and inhibit mitochondrial protein import. The levels of expression of nuclear-encoded, TIM23-transported mitochondrial proteins ACO2, TUFM, IDH3A, CLPP and mitochondrially encoded and synthesized protein mtCO1 were similar in mitochondria from YAC128 mice and their wild-type littermates as well as in mitochondria from postmortem brain tissues of unaffected individuals and HD patients, supporting the lack of deficit in mitochondrial protein import. Regardless of purification technique, mitochondria from YAC128 and WT mice had similar respiratory activities and mitochondrial membrane potentials. Thus, our data argue against mHTT crossing the MOM and entering into the mitochondrial intermembrane space, making it highly unlikely that mHTT interacts with TIM23 and inhibits protein import in intact mitochondria.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (5) ◽  
pp. C1393-C1400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Y. Grey ◽  
Michael K. Connor ◽  
Joseph W. Gordon ◽  
Masato Yano ◽  
Masataka Mori ◽  
...  

Mitochondrial biogenesis is accompanied by an increased expression of components of the protein import machinery, as well as increased import of proteins destined for the matrix. We evaluated the role of the outer membrane receptor Tom20 by varying its expression and measuring changes in the import of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) in differentiating C2C12 muscle cells. Cells transfected with Tom20 had levels that were twofold higher than in control cells. Labeling of cells followed by immunoprecipitation of MDH revealed equivalent increases in MDH import. This parallelism between import rate and Tom20 levels was also evident as a result of thyroid hormone treatment. Using antisense oligodeoxynucleotides, we inhibited Tom20 expression by 40%, resulting in 40–60% reductions in MDH import. In vitro assays also revealed that import into the matrix was more sensitive to Tom20 inhibition than import into the outer membrane. These data indicate a close relationship between induced changes in Tom20 and the import of a matrix protein, suggesting that Tom20 is involved in determining the kinetics of import. However, this relationship was dissociated during normal differentiation, since the expression of Tom20 remained relatively constant, whereas imported MDH increased 12-fold. Thus Tom20 is important in determining import during organelle biogenesis, but other mechanisms (e.g., intramitochondrial protein degradation or nuclear transcription) likely also play a role in establishing the final mitochondrial phenotype during normal muscle differentiation.


Nature ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 341 (6239) ◽  
pp. 205-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dietmar Vestweber ◽  
Josef Brunner ◽  
Alison Baker ◽  
Gottfried Schatz

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