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Meyer EH, Letts JA, Maldonado M. Structural insights into the assembly and the function of the plant oxidative phosphorylation system. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:1315-1329. [PMID: 35588181 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
One of the key functions of mitochondria is the production of ATP to support cellular metabolism and growth. The last step of mitochondrial ATP synthesis is performed by the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system, an ensemble of protein complexes embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane. In the last 25 yr, many structures of OXPHOS complexes and supercomplexes have been resolved in yeast, mammals, and bacteria. However, structures of plant OXPHOS enzymes only became available very recently. In this review, we highlight the plant-specific features revealed by the recent structures and discuss how they advance our understanding of the function and assembly of plant OXPHOS complexes. We also propose new hypotheses to be tested and discuss older findings to be re-evaluated. Further biochemical and structural work on the plant OXPHOS system will lead to a deeper understanding of plant respiration and its regulation, with significant agricultural, environmental, and societal implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne H Meyer
- Institute of Plant Physiology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - James A Letts
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California-Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Maria Maldonado
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California-Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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52
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Respiratory complex I with charge symmetry in the membrane arm pumps protons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2123090119. [PMID: 35759670 PMCID: PMC9271201 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2123090119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory complex I is a central enzyme of cellular energy metabolism coupling quinone reduction with proton translocation. Its mechanism, especially concerning proton translocation, remains enigmatic. Three homologous subunits that contain a conserved pattern of charged and polar amino acid residues catalyze proton translocation. Strikingly, the central subunit NuoM contains a conserved glutamate residue at a position where conserved lysine residues are found in the other two subunits, resulting in a charge asymmetry discussed to be essential for proton translocation. We found that the respective glutamate to lysine mutation in Escherichia coli complex I lowers the amount of protons translocated per electron transferred by one-quarter. These data clarify the discussion about possible mechanisms of proton translocation by complex I. Energy-converting NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, respiratory complex I, is essential for cellular energy metabolism coupling NADH oxidation to proton translocation. The mechanism of proton translocation by complex I is still under debate. Its membrane arm contains an unusual central axis of polar and charged amino acid residues connecting the quinone binding site with the antiporter-type subunits NuoL, NuoM, and NuoN, proposed to catalyze proton translocation. Quinone chemistry probably causes conformational changes and electrostatic interactions that are propagated through these subunits by a conserved pattern of predominantly lysine, histidine, and glutamate residues. These conserved residues are thought to transfer protons along and across the membrane arm. The distinct charge distribution in the membrane arm is a prerequisite for proton translocation. Remarkably, the central subunit NuoM contains a conserved glutamate residue in a position that is taken by a lysine residue in the two other antiporter-type subunits. It was proposed that this charge asymmetry is essential for proton translocation, as it should enable NuoM to operate asynchronously with NuoL and NuoN. Accordingly, we exchanged the conserved glutamate in NuoM for a lysine residue, introducing charge symmetry in the membrane arm. The stably assembled variant pumps protons across the membrane, but with a diminished H+/e− stoichiometry of 1.5. Thus, charge asymmetry is not essential for proton translocation by complex I, casting doubts on the suggestion of an asynchronous operation of NuoL, NuoM, and NuoN. Furthermore, our data emphasize the importance of a balanced charge distribution in the protein for directional proton transfer.
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53
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Ansari F, Yoval B, Niatsetskaya Z, Ten V, Wittig I, Galkin A. How many molecules of mitochondrial complex I are in a cell? Anal Biochem 2022; 646:114646. [PMID: 35259403 PMCID: PMC9018534 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2022.114646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondrial complex I is the only enzyme responsible for oxidation of matrix NADH and regeneration of NAD+ for catabolism. Nuclear and mtDNA mutations, assembly impairments, and enzyme damage are implicated in inherited diseases, ischemia-reperfusion injury, neurodegeneration, and tumorogenesis. Here we introduce a novel method to measure the absolute content of complex I. The method is based on flavin fluorescence scanning of a polyacrylamide gel after separation of complexes by Clear Native electrophoresis. Using mouse primary astrocytes as an example, we calculated an average value of 2.2 × 105 complex I molecules/cell. Our method can be used for accurate quantification of complex I content.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fariha Ansari
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Belem Yoval
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Zoya Niatsetskaya
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA; Department of Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Vadim Ten
- Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA; Department of Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Ilka Wittig
- Functional Proteomics, Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology, Goethe University, 60590, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner site RheinMain, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Alexander Galkin
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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54
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Kampjut D, Sazanov LA. Structure of respiratory complex I – An emerging blueprint for the mechanism. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 74:102350. [PMID: 35316665 PMCID: PMC7613608 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Complex I is one of the major respiratory complexes, conserved from bacteria to mammals. It oxidises NADH, reduces quinone and pumps protons across the membrane, thus playing a central role in the oxidative energy metabolism. In this review we discuss our current state of understanding the structure of complex I from various species of mammals, plants, fungi, and bacteria, as well as of several complex I-related proteins. By comparing the structural evidence from these systems in different redox states and data from mutagenesis and molecular simulations, we formulate the mechanisms of electron transfer and proton pumping and explain how they are conformationally and electrostatically coupled. Finally, we discuss the structural basis of the deactivation phenomenon in mammalian complex I.
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55
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Uno S, Masuya T, Zdorevskyi O, Ikunishi R, Shinzawa-Itoh K, Lasham J, Sharma V, Murai M, Miyoshi H. Diverse reaction behaviors of artificial ubiquinones in mitochondrial respiratory complex I. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102075. [PMID: 35643318 PMCID: PMC9243180 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquinone (UQ) reduction step catalyzed by NADH-UQ oxidoreductase (mitochondrial respiratory complex I) is key to triggering proton translocation across the inner mitochondrial membrane. Structural studies have identified a long, narrow, UQ-accessing tunnel within the enzyme. We previously demonstrated that synthetic oversized UQs, which are unlikely to transit this narrow tunnel, are catalytically reduced by native complex I embedded in submitochondrial particles but not by the isolated enzyme. To explain this contradiction, we hypothesized that access of oversized UQs to the reaction site is obstructed in the isolated enzyme because their access route is altered following detergent solubilization from the inner mitochondrial membrane. In the present study, we investigated this using two pairs of photoreactive UQs (pUQm-1/pUQp-1 and pUQm-2/pUQp-2), with each pair having the same chemical properties except for a ∼1.0 Å difference in side-chain widths. Despite this subtle difference, reduction of the wider pUQs by the isolated complex was significantly slower than of the narrower pUQs, but both were similarly reduced by the native enzyme. In addition, photoaffinity-labeling experiments using the four [125I]pUQs demonstrated that their side chains predominantly label the ND1 subunit with both enzymes but at different regions around the tunnel. Finally, we show that the suppressive effects of different types of inhibitors on the labeling significantly changed depending on [125I]pUQs used, indicating that [125I]pUQs and these inhibitors do not necessarily share a common binding cavity. Altogether, we conclude that the reaction behaviors of pUQs cannot be simply explained by the canonical UQ tunnel model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinpei Uno
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takahiro Masuya
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Ryo Ikunishi
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kyoko Shinzawa-Itoh
- Department of Life Science, Graduate School of Life Science, University of Hyogo, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Jonathan Lasham
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Vivek Sharma
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Masatoshi Murai
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hideto Miyoshi
- Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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56
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Zhou L, Maldonado M, Padavannil A, Guo F, Letts JA. Structures of Tetrahymena's respiratory chain reveal the diversity of eukaryotic core metabolism. Science 2022; 376:831-839. [PMID: 35357889 PMCID: PMC9169680 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn7747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Respiration is a core biological energy-converting process whose last steps are carried out by a chain of multisubunit complexes in the inner mitochondrial membrane. To probe the functional and structural diversity of eukaryotic respiration, we examined the respiratory chain of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila (Tt). Using cryo-electron microscopy on a mixed sample, we solved structures of a supercomplex between Tt complex I (Tt-CI) and Tt-CIII2 (Tt-SC I+III2) and a structure of Tt-CIV2. Tt-SC I+III2 (~2.3 megadaltons) is a curved assembly with structural and functional symmetry breaking. Tt-CIV2 is a ~2.7-megadalton dimer with more than 50 subunits per protomer, including mitochondrial carriers and a TIM83-TIM133-like domain. Our structural and functional study of the T. thermophila respiratory chain reveals divergence in key components of eukaryotic respiration, thereby expanding our understanding of core metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Zhou
- Department of Biophysics and Department of Critical Care Medicine of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - María Maldonado
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Abhilash Padavannil
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Fei Guo
- BIOEM Facility, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - James A. Letts
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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57
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Cryo-EM structures define ubiquinone-10 binding to mitochondrial complex I and conformational transitions accompanying Q-site occupancy. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2758. [PMID: 35589726 PMCID: PMC9120487 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30506-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial complex I is a central metabolic enzyme that uses the reducing potential of NADH to reduce ubiquinone-10 (Q10) and drive four protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane, powering oxidative phosphorylation. Although many complex I structures are now available, the mechanisms of Q10 reduction and energy transduction remain controversial. Here, we reconstitute mammalian complex I into phospholipid nanodiscs with exogenous Q10. Using cryo-EM, we reveal a Q10 molecule occupying the full length of the Q-binding site in the 'active' (ready-to-go) resting state together with a matching substrate-free structure, and apply molecular dynamics simulations to propose how the charge states of key residues influence the Q10 binding pose. By comparing ligand-bound and ligand-free forms of the 'deactive' resting state (that require reactivating to catalyse), we begin to define how substrate binding restructures the deactive Q-binding site, providing insights into its physiological and mechanistic relevance.
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58
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Wright JJ, Biner O, Chung I, Burger N, Bridges HR, Hirst J. Reverse Electron Transfer by Respiratory Complex I Catalyzed in a Modular Proteoliposome System. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:6791-6801. [PMID: 35380814 PMCID: PMC9026280 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Respiratory complex I is an essential metabolic enzyme that uses the energy from NADH oxidation and ubiquinone reduction to translocate protons across an energy transducing membrane and generate the proton motive force for ATP synthesis. Under specific conditions, complex I can also catalyze the reverse reaction, Δp-linked oxidation of ubiquinol to reduce NAD+ (or O2), known as reverse electron transfer (RET). Oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species generated during RET underpins ischemia reperfusion injury, but as RET relies on several converging metabolic pathways, little is known about its mechanism or regulation. Here, we demonstrate Δp-linked RET through complex I in a synthetic proteoliposome system for the first time, enabling complete kinetic characterization of RET catalysis. We further establish the capability of our system by showing how RET in the mammalian enzyme is regulated by the active-deactive transition and by evaluating RET by complex I from several species in which direct assessment has not been otherwise possible. We thus provide new insights into the reversibility of complex I catalysis, an important but little understood mechanistic and physiological feature.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J. Wright
- Medical Research Council
Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of
Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, U.K.
| | | | - Injae Chung
- Medical Research Council
Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of
Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, U.K.
| | | | - Hannah R. Bridges
- Medical Research Council
Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of
Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, U.K.
| | - Judy Hirst
- Medical Research Council
Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of
Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, U.K.
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59
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Cloning and Organelle Expression of Bamboo Mitochondrial Complex I Subunits Nad1, Nad2, Nad4, and Nad5 in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23074054. [PMID: 35409414 PMCID: PMC8999482 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23074054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial respiratory complex I catalyzes electron transfer from NADH to ubiquinone and pumps protons from the matrix into the intermembrane space. In particular, the complex I subunits Nad1, Nad2, Nad4, and Nad5, which are encoded by the nad1, nad2, nad4, and nad5 genes, reside at the mitochondrial inner membrane and possibly function as proton (H+) and ion translocators. To understand the individual functional roles of the Nad1, Nad2, Nad4, and Nad5 subunits in bamboo, each cDNA of these four genes was cloned into the pYES2 vector and expressed in the mitochondria of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The mitochondrial targeting peptide mt gene (encoding MT) and the egfp marker gene (encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein, EGFP) were fused at the 5'-terminal and 3'-terminal ends, respectively. The constructed plasmids were then transformed into yeast. RNA transcripts and fusion protein expression were observed in the yeast transformants. Mitochondrial localizations of the MT-Nad1-EGFP, MT-Nad2-EGFP, MT-Nad4-EGFP, and MT-Nad5-EGFP fusion proteins were confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. The ectopically expressed bamboo subunits Nad1, Nad2, Nad4, and Nad5 may function in ion translocation, which was confirmed by growth phenotype assays with the addition of different concentrations of K+, Na+, or H+.
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60
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Djurabekova A, Galemou Yoga E, Nyman A, Pirttikoski A, Zickermann V, Haapanen O, Sharma V. Docking and molecular simulations reveal a quinone binding site on the surface of respiratory complex I. FEBS Lett 2022; 596:1133-1146. [PMID: 35363885 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The first component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain is respiratory complex I. Several high-resolution structures of complex I from different species have been resolved. However, despite these significant achievements, the mechanism of redox-coupled proton pumping remains elusive. Here, we combined atomistic docking, molecular dynamics simulations and site-directed mutagenesis on respiratory complex I from Yarrowia lipolytica to identify a quinone (Q) binding site on its surface near the horizontal amphipathic helices of ND1 and NDUFS7 subunits. The surface-bound Q makes stable interactions with conserved charged and polar residues, including the highly conserved Arg72 from the NDUFS7 subunit. The binding and dynamics of a Q molecule at the surface-binding site raises interesting possibilities about the mechanism of complex I, which are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Etienne Galemou Yoga
- Institute of Biochemistry II, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Centre for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Aino Nyman
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Volker Zickermann
- Institute of Biochemistry II, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Centre for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Outi Haapanen
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Vivek Sharma
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland.,HiLIFE Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland
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61
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Oxygen-Sensitive Metalloprotein Structure Determination by Cryo-Electron Microscopy. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12030441. [PMID: 35327633 PMCID: PMC8945911 DOI: 10.3390/biom12030441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Metalloproteins are involved in key cell processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, and oxygen transport. However, the presence of transition metals (notably iron as a component of [Fe-S] clusters) often makes these proteins sensitive to oxygen-induced degradation. Consequently, their study usually requires strict anaerobic conditions. Although X-ray crystallography has been the method of choice for solving macromolecular structures for many years, recently electron microscopy has also become an increasingly powerful structure-solving technique. We have used our previous experience with cryo-crystallography to develop a method to prepare cryo-EM grids in an anaerobic chamber and have applied it to solve the structures of apoferritin and the 3 [Fe4S4]-containing pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) at 2.40 Å and 2.90 Å resolution, respectively. The maps are of similar quality to the ones obtained under air, thereby validating our method as an improvement in the structural investigation of oxygen-sensitive metalloproteins by cryo-EM.
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62
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Kühlbrandt W. Forty years in cryoEM of membrane proteins. Microscopy (Oxf) 2022; 71:i30-i50. [PMID: 35275191 PMCID: PMC8855526 DOI: 10.1093/jmicro/dfab041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In a surprisingly short time, electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) has developed from a niche technique in structural biology to a mainstream method practiced in a rapidly growing number of laboratories around the world. From its beginnings about 40 years ago, cryoEM has had a major impact on the study of membrane proteins, in particular the energy-converting systems from bacterial, mitochondrial and chloroplast membranes. Early work on two-dimensional crystals attained resolutions ∼3.5 Å, but at present, single-particle cryoEM delivers much more detailed structures without crystals. Electron cryo-tomography of membranes and membrane-associated proteins adds valuable context, usually at lower resolution. The review ends with a brief outlook on future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner Kühlbrandt
- Department of Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue Str. 3, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany
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63
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Padavannil A, Ayala-Hernandez MG, Castellanos-Silva EA, Letts JA. The Mysterious Multitude: Structural Perspective on the Accessory Subunits of Respiratory Complex I. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 8:798353. [PMID: 35047558 PMCID: PMC8762328 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.798353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Complex I (CI) is the largest protein complex in the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation electron transport chain of the inner mitochondrial membrane and plays a key role in the transport of electrons from reduced substrates to molecular oxygen. CI is composed of 14 core subunits that are conserved across species and an increasing number of accessory subunits from bacteria to mammals. The fact that adding accessory subunits incurs costs of protein production and import suggests that these subunits play important physiological roles. Accordingly, knockout studies have demonstrated that accessory subunits are essential for CI assembly and function. Furthermore, clinical studies have shown that amino acid substitutions in accessory subunits lead to several debilitating and fatal CI deficiencies. Nevertheless, the specific roles of CI’s accessory subunits have remained mysterious. In this review, we explore the possible roles of each of mammalian CI’s 31 accessory subunits by integrating recent high-resolution CI structures with knockout, assembly, and clinical studies. Thus, we develop a framework of experimentally testable hypotheses for the function of the accessory subunits. We believe that this framework will provide inroads towards the complete understanding of mitochondrial CI physiology and help to develop strategies for the treatment of CI deficiencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhilash Padavannil
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Maria G Ayala-Hernandez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Eimy A Castellanos-Silva
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - James A Letts
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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