Regulation of Electron Transport in the Respiratory Chain of Plant Mitochondria. In: Day DA, Millar AH, Whelan J, editors. Plant Mitochondria: From Genome to Function. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands; 2004. pp. 231-45. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4020-2400-9_10]

Unraveling the heater: new insights into the structure of the alternative oxidase

The alternative oxidase is a membrane-bound ubiquinol oxidase found in the majority of plants as well as many fungi and protists, including pathogenic organisms such as Trypanosoma brucei. It catalyzes a cyanide- and antimycin-A-resistant oxidation of ubiquinol and the reduction of oxygen to water, short-circuiting the mitochondrial electron-transport chain prior to proton translocation by complexes III and IV, thereby dramatically reducing ATP formation. In plants, it plays a key role in cellular metabolism, thermogenesis, and energy homeostasis and is generally considered to be a major stress-induced protein. We describe recent advances in our understanding of this protein's structure following the recent successful crystallization of the alternative oxidase from T. brucei. We focus on the nature of the active site and ubiquinol-binding channels and propose a mechanism for the reduction of oxygen to water based on these structural insights. We also consider the regulation of activity at the posttranslational and retrograde levels and highlight challenges for future research.

Characterization of Mitochondrial Alternative NAD(P)H Dehydrogenases in Arabidopsis: Intraorganelle Location and Expression

The intramitochondrial location of putative type II NAD(P)H dehydrogenases (NDs) in Arabidopsis was investigated by measuring the ability of isolated mitochondria to take up precursor proteins generated from cDNAs using an in vitro translation system. The mature proteins of NDA1, NDA2 and NDC1 were judged to be located on the inside of the inner membrane because they were protected from protease added after the mitochondrial outer membrane had been ruptured. In contrast, NDB1, NDB2 and NDB4 were not protected from protease digestion in mitochondria with ruptured outer membranes and were deemed to be located on the outside of the inner membrane. Expression of all ND genes was measured using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) to determine transcript abundance, and compared with expression of alternative oxidase, uncoupler proteins and selected components of the oxidative phosphorylation complexes. NDA1 and NDB2 were the most prominently expressed members in a variety of tissues, and were up-regulated in the early daytime in a diurnal manner. Analysis of array data suggested that NDA1 clustered closest to the gene encoding the P-subunit of glycine decarboxylase. Taken together with the diurnal regulation of NDA1 observed here and in other studies, this suggests that NDA1 plays a role in integrating metabolic activities of chloroplasts and mitochondria. NDA2, NDB2 and Aox1a were up-regulated in a coordinated manner under various treatments, potentially forming a complete respiratory chain capable of oxidizing matrix and cytosolic NAD(P)H. NDB1 and NDC1 were down-regulated under the same conditions and may be regarded as housekeeping genes.

Effects of water stress on respiration in soybean leaves

The effect of water stress on respiration and mitochondrial electron transport has been studied in soybean (Glycine max) leaves, using the oxygen-isotope-fractionation technique. Treatments with three levels of water stress were applied by irrigation to replace 100%, 50%, and 0% of daily water use by transpiration. The levels of water stress were characterized in terms of light-saturated stomatal conductance (g(s)): well irrigated (g(s) > 0.2 mol H(2)O m(-2) s(-1)), mildly water stressed (g(s) between 0.1 and 0.2 mol H(2)O m(-2) s(-1)), and severely water stressed (g(s) < 0.1 mol H(2)O m(-2) s(-1)). Although net photosynthesis decreased by 40% and 70% under mild and severe water stress, respectively, the total respiratory oxygen uptake (V(t)) was not significantly different at any water-stress level. However, severe water stress caused a significant shift of electrons from the cytochrome to the alternative pathway. The electron partitioning through the alternative pathway increased from 10% to 12% under well-watered or mild water-stress conditions to near 40% under severe water stress. Consequently, the calculated rate of mitochondrial ATP synthesis decreased by 32% under severe water stress. Unlike many other stresses, water stress did not affect the levels of mitochondrial alternative oxidase protein. This suggests a biochemical regulation (other than protein synthesis) that causes this mitochondrial electron shift.