Characterization of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear gene CYB3 encoding a cytochrome b polypeptide of respiratory complex II

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) provides an excellent model system for studying the assembly, structure, and function of a mitochondrial succinate:quinone oxidoreductase. The powerful combination of genetic and biochemical approaches is better developed in yeast than in other eukaryotes. The yeast protein is strikingly similar to other family members in the structural and catalytic properties of its subunits. However, the membrane domain and particularly the role of the single heme in combination with two ubiquinone-binding sites need further investigation. The assembly of subunits and cofactors that occurs to produce new holoenzyme molecules is a complex process that relies on molecular chaperones. The yeast SDH provides the best opportunity for understanding the biogenesis of this family of iron-sulfur flavoproteins.

The Quinone-binding sites of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) of the mitochondrial electron transport chain oxidizes succinate and reduces ubiquinone. Using a random mutagenesis approach, we identified functionally important amino acid residues in one of the anchor subunits, Sdh4p. We analyzed three point mutations (F69V, S71A, and H99L) and one nonsense mutation (Y89OCH) that truncates the Sdh4p subunit at the third predicted transmembrane segment. The F69V and the S71A mutations result in greatly impaired respiratory growth in vivo and quinone reductase activities in vitro, with negligible effects on enzyme stability. In contrast, the Y89OCH and the H99L mutations elicit large structural perturbations that impair assembly as evidenced by reduced covalent FAD levels, membrane-associated succinate-phenazine methosulfate reductase activities, and thermal stability. We propose that the Phe-69 and the Ser-71 residues are involved in the formation of a quinone-binding site, whereas the His-99 residue is at the interface of the peripheral and the membrane domains. In addition, the properties of the Y89OCH mutation are consistent with the interpretation that the third transmembrane segment is not involved in catalysis but rather plays an important structural role. The mutant enzymes are differentially sensitive to a quinone analog inhibitor, providing further evidence for a two-quinone binding model in the yeast SDH.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase. Identification of Sdh3p amino acid residues involved in ubiquinone binding

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) participates in the mitochondrial electron transport chain by oxidizing succinate to fumarate and transferring the electrons to ubiquinone. In yeast, it is composed of a catalytic dimer, comprising the Sdh1p and Sdh2p subunits, and a membrane domain, comprising two smaller hydrophobic subunits, Sdh3p and Sdh4p, which anchor the enzyme to the mitochondrial inner membrane. To investigate the role of the Sdh3p anchor polypeptide in enzyme assembly and catalysis, we isolated and characterized seven mutations in the SDH3 gene. Two mutations are premature truncations of Sdh3p with losses of one or three transmembrane segments. The remaining five are missense mutations that are clustered between amino acids 103 and 117, which are proposed to be located in transmembrane segment II or the matrix-localized loop connecting segments II and III. Three mutations, F103V, H113Q, and W116R, strongly but specifically impair quinone reductase activities but have only minor effects on enzyme assembly. The clustering of the mutations strongly suggests that a ubiquinone-binding site is associated with this region of Sdh3p. In addition, the biphasic inhibition of quinone reductase activity by a dinitrophenol inhibitor supports the hypothesis that two distinct quinone-binding sites are present in the yeast SDH.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae succinate-ubiquinone reductase contains a stoichiometric amount of cytochrome b562

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae succinate-ubiquinone reductase or succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) is a tetramer of non-equivalent subunits encoded by the SDH1, SDH2, SDH3, and SDH4 genes. In most organisms, SDH contains one or two endogenous b-type hemes. However, it is widely believed that the yeast SDH does not contain heme. In this report, we demonstrate the presence of a stoichiometric amount of cytochrome b562 in the yeast SDH. The cytochrome is detected as a peak present in fumarate-oxidized, dithionite-reduced mitochondria. The peak is centered at 562 nm and is present at a heme:covalent FAD molar ratio of 0.92+/-0.11. The cytochrome is not detectable in mitochondria isolated from SDH3 and SDH4 deletion strains. These observations strongly support our conclusion that cytochrome b562 is a component of the yeast SDH.

Characterization of the respiratory chain from cultured Crithidia fasciculata

Mitochondrial mRNAs encoding subunits of respiratory-chain complexes in kinetoplastids are post-transcriptionally edited by uridine insertion and deletion. In order to identify the proteins encoded by these mRNAs, we have analyzed respiratory-chain complexes from cultured cells of Crithidia fasciculata with the aid of 2D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The subunit composition of F0F1-ATPase (complex V), identified on the basis of its activity as an oligomycin-sensitive ATPase, is similar to that of bovine mitochondrial F0F1-ATPase. Amino acid sequence analysis, combined with binding studies using dicyclohexyldiimide and azido ATP allowed the identification of two F0 subunits (b and c) and all of the F1 subunits. The F0 b subunit has a low degree of similarity to subunit b from other organisms. The F1 alpha subunit is extremely small making the beta subunit the largest F1 subunit. Other respiratory-chain complexes were also analyzed. Interestingly, an NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) appeared to be absent, as judged by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), enzyme activity and 2D PAGE analysis. Cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV) displayed a subunit pattern identical to that reported for the purified enzyme, whereas cytochrome c reductase (complex III) appeared to contain two extra subunits. A putative complex II was also identified. The amino acid sequences of the subunits of these complexes also show a very low degree of similarity (if any) to the corresponding sequences in other organisms. Remarkably, peptide sequences derived from mitochondrially encoded subunits were not found in spite of the fact that sequences were obtained of virtually all subunits of complex III, IV and V.

Cloning of a cDNA encoding the small subunit of cytochrome b558 (cybS) of mitochondrial fumarate reductase (complex II) from adult Ascaris suum

Complex II in the mitochondria of the adult parasitic nematode, Ascaris suum, exhibits high fumarate reductase activity in addition to succinate dehydrogenase activity and plays a key role in the anaerobic energy metabolism of the worm. In this study, the amino acid sequence of the small subunit of cytochrome b558 (cybS) in adult complex II was deduced from the cDNA isolated by immunoscreening an A. suum muscle cDNA library. Histidine residues, which are possible heme axial ligands in cytochrome b558, were found in the second transmembrane segment of the subunit. This is the first report of the primary structure of the small subunit in the two-subunit cytochrome b in mitochondrial complex II from a multicellular eukaryote.

A structural model for the membrane-integral domain of succinate: quinone oxidoreductases

Many succinate:quinone oxidoreductases in bacteria and mitochondria, i.e. succinate:quinone reductases and fumarate reductases, contain in the membrane anchor a cytochrome b whose structure and function is poorly understood. Based on biochemical data and polypeptide sequence information, we show that the anchors in different organisms are related despite an apparent diversity in polypeptide and heme composition. A general structural model for the membrane-integral domain of the anchors is proposed. It is an antiparallel four-helix bundle with a novel arrangement of hexa-coordinated protoheme IX. The structure can be applied to a larger group of membrane-integral cytochromes of b-type and has evolutionary and functional implications.

Genes encoding the same three subunits of respiratory complex II are present in the mitochondrial DNA of two phylogenetically distant eukaryotes

Although mitochondrial DNA is known to encode a limited number (<20) of the polypeptide components of respiratory complexes I, III, IV, and V, genes for components of complex II [succinate dehydrogenase (ubiquinone); succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, EC 1.3.5.1] are conspicuously lacking in mitochondrial genomes so far characterized. Here we show that the same three subunits of complex II are encoded in the mitochondrial DNA of two phylogenetically distant eukaryotes, Porphyra purpurea (a photosynthetic red alga) and Reclinomonas americana (a heterotrophic zooflagellate). These complex II genes, sdh2, sdh3, and sdh4, are homologs, respectively, of Escherichia coli sdhB, sdhC, and sdhD. In E. coli, sdhB encodes the iron-sulfur subunit of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), whereas sdhC and sdhD specify, respectively, apocytochrome b558 and a hydrophobic 13-kDa polypeptide, which together anchor SDH to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Amino acid sequence similarities indicate that sdh2, sdh3, and sdh4 were originally encoded in the protomitochondrial genome and have subsequently been transferred to the nuclear genome in most eukaryotes. The data presented here are consistent with the view that mitochondria constitute a monophyletic lineage.

Two hydrophobic subunits are essential for the heme b ligation and functional assembly of complex II (succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase) from Escherichia coli

Complex II (succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase) from Escherichia coli is composed of four nonidentical subunits encoded by the sdhCDAB operon. Gene products of sdhC and sdhD are small hydrophobic subunits that anchor the hydrophilic catalytic subunits (flavoprotein and iron-sulfur protein) to the cytoplasmic membrane and are believed to be the components of cytochrome b556 in E. coli complex II. In the present study, to elucidate the role of two hydrophobic subunits in the heme b ligation and functional assembly of complex II, plasmids carrying portions of the sdh gene were constructed and introduced into E. coli MK3, which lacks succinate dehydrogenase and fumarate reductase activities. The expression of polypeptides with molecular masses of about 19 and 17 kDa was observed when sdhC and sdhD were introduced into MK3, respectively, indicating that sdhC encodes the large subunit (cybL) and sdhD the small subunit (cybS) of cytochrome b556. An increase in cytochrome b content was found in the membrane when sdhD was introduced, while the cytochrome b content did not change when sdhC was introduced. However, the cytochrome b expressed by the plasmid carrying sdhD differed from cytochrome b556 in its CO reactivity and red shift of the alpha absorption peak to 557.5 nm at 77 K. Neither hydrophobic subunit was able to bind the catalytic portion to the membrane, and only succinate dehydrogenase activity, not succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase activity, was found in the cytoplasmic fractions of the cells. In contrast, significantly higher amounts of cytochrome b556 were expressed in the membrane when sdhC and sdhD genes were both present, and the catalytic portion was found to be localized in the membrane with succinate-ubiquitnone oxidoreductase and succinate oxidase activities. These results strongly suggest that both hydrophobic subunits are required for heme insertion into cytochrome b556 and are essential for the functional assembly of E. coli complex II in the membrane. Accumulation of the catalytic portion in the cytoplasm was found when sdhCDAB was introduced into a heme synthesis mutant, suggesting the importance of heme in the assembly of E. coli complex II.

Prediction and identification of new natural substrates of the yeast mitochondrial intermediate peptidase

Most mitochondrial precursor proteins are processed to the mature form in one step by mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP), while a subset of precursors destined for the matrix or the inner membrane are cleaved sequentially by MPP and mitochondrial intermediate peptidase (MIP). We showed previously that yeast MIP (YMIP) is required for mitochondrial function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To further define the role played by two-step processing in mitochondrial biogenesis, we have now characterized the natural substrates of YMIP. A total of 133 known yeast mitochondrial precursors were collected from the literature and analyzed for the presence of the motif RX(decreases)(F/L/I)XX(T/S/G)XXXX(decreases), typical of precursors cleaved by MPP and MIP. We found characteristic MIP cleavage sites in two distinct sets of proteins: respiratory components, including subunits of the electron transport chain and tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes, and components of the mitochondrial genetic machinery, including ribosomal proteins, translation factors, and proteins required for mitochondrial DNA metabolism. Representative precursors from both sets were cleaved to predominantly mature form by mitochondrial matrix or intact mitochondria from wild-type yeast. In contrast, intermediate-size forms were accumulated upon incubation of the precursors with matrix from mip1 delta yeast or intact mitochondria from mip1ts yeast, indicating that YMIP is necessary for maturation of these proteins. Consistent with the fact that some of these substrates are essential for the maintenance of mitochondrial protein synthesis and mitochondrial DNA replication, mip1 delta yeast undergoes loss of functional mitochondrial genomes.

Transmembrane topology and axial ligands to hemes in the cytochrome b subunit of Bacillus subtilis succinate:menaquinone reductase

The membrane-anchoring subunit of Bacillus subtilis succinate:menaquinone reductase is a protein of 202 residues containing two protoheme IX groups with bis-histidine axial ligation. Residues His13, His28, His70, His113, and His155 are the possible heme ligands. The transmembrane topology of this cytochrome was analyzed using fusions to alkaline phosphatase. The results support a proposed model with five transmembrane polypeptide segments and the N-terminus exposed to the cytoplasm. Mutant B. subtilis cytochromes containing a His13-->Tyr, a His28-->Tyr, and a His113-->Tyr mutation, respectively, were produced in Escherichia coli, partially purified, and analyzed. In addition, succinate: menaquinone reductase containing the His13-->Tyr mutation in the anchor subunit was overproduced in B. subtilis, purified, and characterized. The data demonstrate that His13 is not an axial heme ligand. Thermodynamic and spectroscopic properties of the cytochrome are, however, affected by the His13-->Tyr mutation; compared to wild type, the redox potentials of both hemes are negatively shifted and the gmax signal in the EPR spectrum of the high-potential heme is shifted from 3.68 to 3.50. From the combined results we conclude that His28 and His113 function as axial ligands to the low-potential heme, which is located in the membrane near the outer surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. Residues His70 and His155 ligate the high-potential heme, which is positioned close to His13 in the protein, near the inner surface of the membrane.